Best golf courses in New York.

Farmingdale, NY

The most decorated public course in America: three major championships and counting.

Verona, NY

Tom Fazio's PGA Tour-tested parkland masterpiece in upstate New York.

Pound Ridge, NY

Pete Dye's most dramatic public design: 40 miles from Manhattan, a world away from easy.

Farmingdale, NY

Tillinghast's more approachable sibling to the Black: still among NY's best public layouts.

Cooperstown, NY

A century-old Devereux Emmet design on the shores of Lake Otsego: Cooperstown's hidden gem.

Saratoga Springs, NY

Upstate New York's most challenging semi-private layout: water everywhere on the back nine.

Bolton Landing, NY

Donald Ross masterpiece on Lake George

Last verified 2026-09-17

Centereach, NY

Opened in 2024, Spy Ring Golf Club is the first new public golf course built on Long Island in more than 20 years. Designed by Tyler Rae on the outer edges of a luxury apartment community in Centereach, the nine-hole layout makes the most of its constrained site with thoughtful green complexes and dramatic topography. The final three holes on the southernmost portion of the property are the standout stretch, culminating in the drivable par-4 eighth. Named after the Culper Spy Ring, a network of American Revolution-era spies who operated in the area.

Lagrangeville, NY

The Links at Union Vale is a semi-private, 18-hole course in Dutchess County, about 70 miles north of New York City near the Taconic Parkway. Architect Stephen Kay built the course on roughly 200 acres of former cattle and farmland and opened it in 2000. The par-72 layout measures 6,646 yards from the back tees and sits on open, largely treeless ground with views of the Hudson Hills and Catskill Mountains. Fescue, pot bunkers and water run through the routing. The club also runs a junior golf academy and hosts weddings on site.

Lewiston, NY

Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Course in Lewiston was designed by Robert Trent Jones II and opened in 2010 near the Niagara River. The name reflects rare shellbark hickory trees preserved on the property, and the layout weaves among lakes, ponds and native grasses across rolling Niagara-region terrain. Five sets of tees accommodate a range of playing abilities. The course is public and operated by the Seneca Gaming Corporation as part of its regional recreation offerings.

Stony Point, NY

Patriot Hills Golf Club is an 18-hole municipal course in Stony Point, Rockland County, owned by the Town of Stony Point and designed by Rick Jacobson. It opened in 2003 on land that once held buildings from the former Letchworth Village complex. The par-71 course plays 6,485 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 72.0 and a slope of 136. Set in the Ramapo Mountains, the layout climbs and drops with big elevation changes and views over the Hudson Valley, which makes walking hard for most players.

Liberty, NY

Sullivan County Golf Club is a nine-hole course in Liberty, in the Catskills, designed by Maurice McCarthy and Len Rayner and opened in 1925. In 2024, ahead of its 100th anniversary, the club was renovated with a new routing by Craig & Coyne Design, adding two par 3s and a par 5 along with new irrigation and cart paths. Golf writer Tom Coyne later bought the club to keep it running. In 1931 a transatlantic flight attempt took off from what was then the 8th fairway, now the driving range.

Lake Placid, NY

Classic Adirondack golf with Walter Hagen roots

Last verified 2026-09-17

Naples, NY

Reservoir Creek Golf Course is a public 18-hole course in Naples, New York, in the Finger Lakes region south of Rochester. It was designed by architect Blaine Harrison and opened for play in June 2000 on a hillside site that had previously supported cattle grazing, cornfields, and vineyards. The design follows the natural contours of the hillside rather than reshaping the land, with fairways laid along old logging trails and sections of overgrown vineyard restored during construction, giving the course a mature, settled character despite its relatively recent opening. Its back tees play to roughly 6,300 yards at a par of 71. Reservoir Creek operates as a locally owned public course with a pro shop and on-site restaurant, and it has been recognized by regional golf media as a notable public option in the Rochester and Finger Lakes area.

Clymer, NY

The Upper Golf Course at Peek'n Peak Resort is a par-72, 18-hole layout in the Chautauqua County hills near Clymer, New York, playing up to about 7,058 yards from the back tees across five sets of tees. Designed by John Exley, the course has bentgrass greens and fairways and uses rolling hills, deep bunkers and mature woods. The finishing hole is a downhill par 5 toward a green backed by resort views. The course is open to public and resort play.

Hamilton, NY

Seven Oaks Golf Club at Colgate University is an 18-hole public golf course on the Colgate University campus in Hamilton, New York, named for the Colgate family's ancestral home in England. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. beginning in 1934, ground was not broken until 1956; the front nine opened on July 4, 1958, and the back nine followed on September 4, 1965. The course features tree-lined, open parkland terrain on relatively flat, walkable ground. Memberships are available, and the course remains open to public play with five sets of tees.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Monroe, NY

The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design in Monroe, New York, opened in 1999 on a 220-acre site in the Hudson Valley foothills of the Catskills. The par-72 layout plays 6,889 yards from the tour tees, with a course rating of 74.9 and a slope of 145. Bentgrass fairways and greens wind through natural tree lines and wetlands with significant elevation change. The property includes an 18th-century stone clubhouse and several structures that predate the American Revolution. The club operates as a semi-private facility managed by Troon Golf.

Conklin, NY

Conklin Players Club is an 18-hole public course in Conklin, just north of the Pennsylvania line outside Binghamton. Rick Rickard, who had reportedly never played a round of golf when he decided to design and build it, opened the course in 1991. It plays to par 72 at 6,772 yards from the tips, all bent grass from tees to greens. The routing is pure Rickard: a par-3 seventh with two very different tee locations played as 7A or 7B, an island-green par-3 tenth, and a black glass pyramid beside the eighth green, which is Rickard's home. Carts carry GPS, and tee times can be booked online.

Saratoga Springs, NY

Saratoga Spa Golf Course in Saratoga Springs sits within Saratoga Spa State Park, with its original holes dating to 1936. Architect William F. Mitchell reworked and expanded the layout in the late 1950s into the 27-hole complex played today, anchored by an eighteen-hole championship course. It underwent renovation work in the 2010s, including bunker and green rebuilding, while remaining a publicly operated facility within the state park system. The parkland setting keeps it among the busiest public courses in the Capital Region.

Fayetteville, NY

Green Lakes Golf Course is a state park facility in Fayetteville, New York, built on rolling terrain near the park's two glacial lakes. It was designed in the mid-1930s by the firm of Thompson & Jones, when Robert Trent Jones was a partner of Stanley Thompson, making it one of Jones's earliest design credits. The course is known for deep-faced bunkers and a routing that rarely leaves golfers a flat lie, testing shot-making across all skill levels. A stone clubhouse overlooking the course houses a public restaurant. As a New York State Parks course, Green Lakes is open to the public year-round when weather permits, with reduced rates for state residents, juniors and seniors, and cashless payment required at the pro shop.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Port Washington, NY

Harbor Links Golf Course in Port Washington was built on the site of a former sand mine and opened in 1998 to a design by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. The links-style layout uses the exposed, sandy terrain left by more than a century of mining, including split fairways and a prominent rocky bluff. Enormous volumes of sand were extracted from the site historically for use in New York City construction. The course is public and operated by Nassau County on Long Island's North Shore.

Accord, NY

Inness is a nine-hole golf course at a small resort in Accord, in New York's Hudson Valley. Designed by Rob Collins and Tad King and completed in 2018, it is the pair's first project after Sweetens Cove in Tennessee and has been nicknamed 'Sweetens' Back Nine' for its unconventional style. The holes are wide and shared between fairways, with multiple flag positions on each green, encouraging golfers to play the same hole from different angles on repeated loops. The design favors a relaxed round over a traditional championship test, with emphasis on short-game creativity around firm, undulating greens. Inness operates as part of a resort with lodging, dining, and a members club, welcoming overnight guests and daily-fee golfers. Walking is encouraged, dress code is casual, and keeping score is optional, reflecting the informal approach the architects intended.

Oceanside, NY

A semi-private, links-style course on Long Island's south shore in Oceanside, with views across the water toward Jones Beach and the barrier islands. Alfred Tull designed the course, which opened in 1955 as the private Middle Bay Country Club, and Kipp Schulties led later renovation work. The par-72 layout plays to 6,819 yards, and wind off the bay is a factor on nearly every hole. The club nearly closed for good after Hurricane Sandy but reopened under new operation.

Last verified 2026-09-09

Verona, NY

RTJ Jr.'s elevation-rich layout at Turning Stone: the most scenic course in upstate New York.