Following the recent update to our "Nassau 18" for 2020, the latest collection of best or most notable holes in Suffolk County -- Golf On Long Island's "Suffolk 18" -- is now available as well.
Even though the original Suffolk 18 was posted a relatively short time ago in 2017, there's since been significant turnover in Suffolk County's fantasy 18. We have to account for an important course closing (Tallgrass), a newly accessible club (The Vineyards), a routing change (Swan Lake) and some other issues and general reader feedback regarding other courses.
With a lengthier list of courses and much more ground to cover, Suffolk County's fantasy collection of top public golf holes is a bit more challenging to construct. The end result is 7,000 yards mixing grueling and short par-5s, iconic waterfront holes and a lineup of par-3s that could give the best of the Island's private par-3s a run for their money. Best of all, there are enough noteworthy holes around the county to fill out a Second Team Suffolk 18 down the line.
The Suffolk 18 highlights the county's most harrowing, historic, scenic, fun, uphill, downhill, watery and sandy public holes, by selecting the best of each hole number and fitting them into a typical layout. Unlike the Nassau 18, there are no Bethpage-oriented rules in place to prevent domination by one U.S. Open-worthy golf course. With that said:
- Holes were selected to conform to a typical course sequence;
- Holes were selected to offer a variety in length, orientation and style.
While there certainly can be plenty of debate about whether or not a particular hole might be among the "best" in the county, it's safe to say that the 36 holes in this edition and the second course to follow are strong representatives of the quality and depth of Suffolk County's public golf courses.
Golf On Long Island's 2020 "Suffolk 18" tees off in Middle Island...
1) SPRING LAKE, SANDPIPER COURSE -- par-5, 522/483/402 yards
It's hard to find many courses that begin with a double-water-carry par-5, and it's even harder to come across such an opener on a nine-hole course. But #1 at Spring Lake Golf Club's Sandpiper nine is a rare exception, especially since the 27 holes at Spring Lake are known more for their narrow, tree-ringed corridors than for expansive water hazards. The tee directs opening shots over the course's namesake lake to a fairway that leads golfers up and over a second smaller pond. Many players will have a chance to go for the green in two, just keep in mind that, yes, a third pond is lurking beyond and right of the green.
2) STONEBRIDGE -- par-4, 442/432/299 yards
Stonebridge is a C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor tribute course and its uphill second is a nod to the "Alps" par-4 frequently used by the designers in some of their classic works. The Stonebridge edition begins with an intimidating tee shot facing out toward a narrow, uphill chute. What makes this an Alps-style hole is the approach shot to a deep, partially blind green surrounded by punchbowl mounds. Macdonald's and Raynor's menacing cross-bunkering -- typically hidden in front of the surface -- is not present here, but the claustrophobic feel, especially off the tee, offers a mental hazard.
3) MILL POND -- par-5, 478/458/438 yards
This hole plays easier on paper than it does in the face of a whipping Medford headwind, which often tacks on a nice chunk of yardage to a wide-open par-5. Mounds and depressions on each side of the fairway lengthen the route to a green that waits in relative comfort behind three large front bunkers. And when the wind is at your back, you could let your mind drift to visions of short eagle putts. Overzealous approaches though can get lost in the deep stuff behind the green.
4) MONTAUK DOWNS -- par-4, 427/411/391 yards
Montauk's fourth is a simple, no-frills par-4 that simply asks for accurate work with middle to long irons. If you don't oblige, it's awful moody. A single bunker in the left fairway is all that disrupts the straight path from tee to green, and after a strong drive that steers clear of the sand, it's time to test the 5- or 6-iron. The target is a wind-whipped flag propped up behind two big bunkers. Around the green is...not much. Outside the small surface and the slopes that tumble down off its sides, there is a scarcity of flat ground for redeeming poor iron work, and you'll have to work hard for bogey.
5) TIMBER POINT, BLUE COURSE -- par-3, 207/188/151 yards
Timber Point's iconic "Gibraltar" par-3 is a holdover from the course's days as an ultra-exclusive private club founded in the 1920s. Today it exists as one of Long Island's standout par-3s with a picturesque setting that few courses -- public or private -- can match.
Once the 15th hole on Timber Point's original 18, this par-3 points straight out toward the water, its green perched high on a plateau with nothing behind it but Great South Bay. While the scenery is beautiful, the hole itself is nasty, given the fact that the 207-yard flight from tee to green is fully exposed to bayside gusts. Then the landing is heavily influenced by the green's right-to-left and back-to-front slope. There is sand running up both sides of the hole and not much dry ground off the back -- if anything, play it short and straight and try to get up and down for par. Then take a few seconds to snap some photos.
6) TIMBER POINT, BLUE COURSE -- par-4, 358/346/336 yards
No need to go all that far to get to the sixth tee. We'll stay put at Timber Point, where the par-4 sixth runs alongside Great South Bay instead of approaching it head-on like #5. Simply put, there aren't too many public golf holes that allow you to get so up close and personal with one of Long Island's major water bodies. You can dip your toes in the bay if you'd like -- it's not recommended, but at least you know you can.
As for the golf, depending on the wind, you might have to aim your drive out over the bay on the left or toward the brush on the right in order to let it glide back toward the fairway. The green is slightly elevated behind two bunkers.
7) STONEBRIDGE -- par-3, 234/194/136 yards
Among Stonebridge's replicas of famous C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor and Charles Banks holes, many of which can be found on hallowed grounds like National Golf Links in Southampton, is the "Biarritz" seventh. This unique par-3 is best known for the puttable swale cutting across the green and apron, and long strip bunkers on both sides. It allows for some creativity off the tee, as long as the high arcing shot or the low runner meant to bound up the apron and onto the surface are straight. Anything off to the sides will face an awkward recovery out of narrow, sunken traps, or a delicate pitch up and over the sand. If you come up short, pulling off a two-putt through the swale would be a heck of a par.
For a detailed analysis of Stonebridge #7, see this Closer Look post.
8) MILL POND -- par-4, 409/400/350 yards
This mid-sized par-4 throws a little bit of everything at you and just about guarantees that, no matter how aggressively or conservatively you play the hole, at some point you're going to face a very perilous shot. The drive zone is squeezed by a pond on the left and a collection of large, circular traps on the right. Up ahead, the fairway curls around the pond, leading to a green that's wedged between the water's edge and three more closely cut bunkers. For the aggressive player, the second shot is over the water to a small, elusive target. Safer strategies that use the first two swings to set up a short, straight-on pitch are still far from par because...oh yeah, the green is double-tiered.
9) MIDDLE ISLAND CC, DOGWOOD COURSE -- par-4, 433/403/357 yards
Closing the Dogwood nine at Middle Island is a tight tee shot that doglegs to the right, but the fun begins on the approach. From an elevated perch in the middle of the fairway, take downhill aim at a deep, narrow green with a severe slope from right to left. If you miss above the pin to the right, it'll take a lot of finesse to keep the next shot on the green, let alone near the cup. If you're skilled enough, you can use the heavy tilt to your advantage.
OUT: Par 36 - 3,510/3,315/2,860 yards
10) WIND WATCH -- par-5, 491/480/468 yards
So the layout of the Suffolk 18 back nine is not exactly typical, thanks to Tallgrass's departure and the uncertain status of one of its neighbors, so players will have to make do with a plethora of par-3s and par-5s.
For a hole that dealt with an uncommon amount of change in the past decade, Wind Watch's tenth has maintained the most memorable part of its identity -- the scenic drive launching from one of the Island's highest points. The hole was a par-4 until 2010 when it was stretched to the max and converted into a 491-yard par-5. The renovation included three redesigned bunker complexes, each gobbling up more space in the fairway as they get closer to the green. In 2012, Wind Watch reordered its holes, sending its picturesque former opener to the back. Nevertheless, it remains an exhilarating downhill drive even if it's no longer a classic starting hole.
11) PINE RIDGE -- par-5, 589/571/525 yards
Pine Ridge's treacherous par-5 11th kicks off a mammoth four-hole stretch at the Coram course. The drive on this nearly 600-yard hole is relatively safe, but from there forward, hazards slowly begin to strangle any safe ground. Second shots need to clear a small pond that splits the hole in two. Inside 100 yards the fairway begins to narrow and squeeze between sand. Running up the right side is a five-trap chain cut into sloped rough, the danger bolstered by a water hazard farther right. An overly aggressive or careless second shot unnecessarily brings all of this into play. And the extremely slim, left-to-right green won't do you any favors even if you come in from the safer left side.
12) MONTAUK DOWNS -- par-3, 221/192/161 yards
Another of Long Island's iconic par-3s awaits visitors out in Montauk. It's all there in front of you from a slightly raised tee box -- a wide green behind two large bunkers. Check that...it's almost all there in front of you. What you can't see is Montauk's most overpowering ingredient -- the wind, which has the ability to transform an already daunting par-3 into an unpredictable test of strength and accuracy.
13) MONTAUK DOWNS -- par-5, 496/485/474 yards
Here's another par-5 where the shots get trickier once the drive is out of the way. There's a wide landing area for tee shots here, but from about 175 yards out, a water hazard comes into play on the right side of the fairway. It remains off to the side before suddenly cutting across the front of the green, leaving players with either a long second or short third shot over the hazard to an elevated surface. The setup makes for a possibly heroic second shot -- to pull it off, not only do you need to clear the drink, but also avoid side and back bunkers cut into rough that falls away from the green.
14) THE VINEYARDS -- par-3, 132/98/98 yards
Short in stature but harboring a mean streak, the short par-3 14th at The Vineyards takes pleasure in spitting back shots from anyone who scoffs at the 132 yards listed on the scorecard. The hole is dead uphill and its dramatic false front has the capability to send the underclubbed 30 yards or so back down the hill. And if you choose to play it long, a bunker waits behind the green. Just imagine having to blast out of that trap to a rocket-fast green with a roller-coaster drop on the other side. Plus, the stiff winds at The Vineyards make the hole play differently every time you tee it up.
15) WILLOW CREEK -- par-5, 545/526/505 yards
Like a mutant golf hole brought to life to consume strokes, the 15th at Willow Creek is an amalgam of formless fairways and shape-shifting hazards. A massive, claw-like bunker in the left fairway threatens to grab drives that venture too close. Next up is a risky shot to a second fairway that's pinched by bunkers and the ever-present threat of a creek on the right. Finally, the approach is to an offset green that's elevated behind another huge trap and a second creek crossing. With the procession of hazards and the wacky angles, it's hard to come up with a battle plan, yet each shot carries a slim margin of error.
16) ISLAND'S END -- par-3, 210/185/170 yards
It doesn't get much better than the 16th tee at Island's End, where Greenport's north shore could easily be mistaken for the California coast. The hole is elevated on a bluff looking over Long Island Sound; the Connecticut coast is in view in the distance. It's not just eye candy, though. The task at hand remains getting the best of a long par-3 with a cluster of sand traps protecting its right. Aim toward the open left side -- if you miss, you'll be playing into the slope with the Sound serving as a sweet backdrop.
17) WILLOW CREEK -- par-4, 430/415/353 yards
Willow Creek's longest par-4 doesn't feature as much sand as most others on the course, but it makes up for the scarcity of sand with placement. Single medium-sized traps are situated in spots on each side of the fairway that allow them to at least mildly influence both short and long tee shots. At the second of the two traps, the fairway bottlenecks between the sand and a water hazard and remains narrow the rest of the way. A third center-line bunker short of the green cuts off any ground approaches.
18) SMITHTOWN LANDING -- par-4, 390/360/345 yards
There is a wide variety of notable closing holes around Suffolk County, but the Suffolk 18 concludes in Smithtown on a hilly course that saves its best for last. The finale at Smithtown Landing makes a hard turn to the left about halfway home, then drops straight downhill to a wide, tiered green. Either aim straight out from the tee and leave yourself a downhill approach from the 150-yard marker, or take an aggressive line over the wooded corner and hope the slope pulls your ball closer to the green. The day's final approach offers a clean look from above at the course's most heavily bunkered putting surface (one big trap short, small ones long) and its only water hazard (right of the green).
IN: Par 37 - 3,504/3,312/3,099 yards
TOTAL: Par 73 - 7,014/6,627/5,959 yards
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