The Top Golfing Experience in New York State

Keefe Gorman is an experienced investment professional and wealth management advisor with Merrill Lynch in Ithaca, New York. Outside of his responsibilities as managing director of Merrill Lynch, Keefe Gorman is an avid golfer.

Golf enthusiasts in New York state should consider booking a tee time at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, the state’s top course according to Golf Digest. Designed by William Flynn in 1931, the course is a 7,445-yard, par 70 with a 69.5265 difficulty rating.

Flynn’s course is regarded as one of oldest links in the United States. The original layout underwent a comprehensive remodeling at the hands of C.B. Macdonald before Flynn made the course his own in 1931. His vision for the course proved so strong that decades passed without any significant alterations. In 2012, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw expanded a few greens and implemented a new mowing pattern in anticipation of the 2018 US Open. The successful event was won by Brooks Koepka and the tournament will return to Shinnecock in 2026.

The course at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club ranks at No. 1 in New York and No. 4 in the nation, having ranked as high as No. 2 in the US as recently as 2007-2008.

According to Golf Digest, other top-rated courses in New York for the 2021-2022 golf season include courses at Southampton’s National Golf Links of America, the Fishers Island Club, and the West Course at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck.