New York City, New York, United States of America
William Vanderbilt first saw golf played during a visit to France and decided it was time to bring the pastime to the United States. Shinnecock Hills was duly built with the assistance of 150 Shinnecock Indians in the upmarket Long Island town in 1891, making it the Grand Old Dame of golf in the country.
Whether by design or good fortune, the longer par fours on the course play with the prevailing south-west wind leaving the shorter ones for tee shots into the wind. The terrain is hilly which adds to the scenic beauty of the course and allows panoramic views of the course. Bunkers and just a single water hazards occur naturally on the traditional links designed course, but miss a fairway and you are left with a difficult shot from thick grass anywhere off of the fairways. The 11th is its best short hole; a 154 yard uphill tee shot to an elevated green protected by three bunkers to the right. Don’t celebrate any shot left of the green because you will be left with an impossible chip to the green sloping to those very same bunkers. The Club has the distinction of having hosted four U.S. Open Championships in the last 3 centuries.
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