National Golf Links Of America
National Golf Links of America is a Private, 18 hole golf course located in Southampton, New York.
The National Golf Links of America first opened for play in 1908. The course was designed by Charles B. MacDonald. Both Perry Maxwell and Robert Trent Jones have done redesigns.
The course was designed by Charles Blair Macdonald, who had been schooled at St. Andrews in Scotland during the 1870s. Macdonald had been paired with John Shippen, an African American in the 1896 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Following the event, he left Shinnecock and founded the new club. He set out to design a course that would rival the prominent golf courses located abroad, looking at potential sites in Cape Cod and Napeague before settling on a plot of land on Sebonac Neck next to Peconic Bay. The course was constructed adjacent to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and now also borders Sebonack Golf Club, which opened in 2006.
National Golf Links of America is a prestigious links-style golf course in Southampton, New York, located on Long Island between Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and Peconic Bay. The course is noted for hosting the first Walker Cup in 1922, which the United States won 8 and 4. National Golf Links has never hosted a major men's championship. This may be because of the club puts an emphasis on privacy. The club has been called "America's snootiest golf course" due to its exclusive nature. No doubt members would see it differently, you either belong, or you don't!
The National Golf Links of America will host of the 2013 Walker Cup
National Golf Links of America is laid out over 250 acres. The course plays to a par 73 and 6,873 yards from the back tees. Many of the holes were patterned from famous golf courses in the British Isles and adapted to fit the local setting:
#2, the "Sahara", is a par four modeled after the 3rd hole at Royal St. George.
#3, the "Alps", is a par four that requires a blind approach shot to the green, similar to the 17th hole at Prestwick.
#4, the "Redan", is a par three that copied the 15th hole at North Berwick, the site of the original Redan hole.
#7, the "St. Andrews", is a par five that was designed based on the 17th hole (Road Hole) at St. Andrews.
#8, the "Bottle", is a par four that resembles the 12th hole at Sunningdale Golf Club.
#13, the "Eden", is a par three that replicates the 11th hole at St. Andrews.
Some of the other holes were original designs, the most notable of which is the par four #14. It was named "Cape" because the green was located on a small peninsula that jutted into a bay. The green was later moved during construction of Sebonac Inlet Road but is now surrounded on three sides by a large bunker. A unique feature on the golf course is a windmill located between the 2nd and 16th holes. A member once remarked that a windmill would make a nice addition to the course so Macdonald purchased one when he was in Europe and sent the member the bill.
This museum piece of a golf course in the ritzy Hamptons is renowned for serving the best lunch in American golf. It is also one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. Wandering amid the windmills, punchbowl greens and views of Peconic Bay, is a membership that values its privacy. Just take it from a couple of PGA Tour winners who asked to come tee it up after missing the cut at the 1995 U.S. Open at nearby Shinnecock Hills. "Certainly," they were told. "Who is the member with whom you'll be playing?"
The National is a Scottish links style course with 365 sand bunkers. Many holes feature blind shots, and ponds come into play on at least five separate occasions.
The National Golf Links of America plays to 6,873 yards from the back tees and a par-73. The course rating is 74.3 and it has a slope rating of 141.