Why Winged Foot Golf Club Stands Above the Rest
When golfers talk about New York, they might first think of Broadway, skyscrapers, or pizza — but tucked just north of Manhattan lies one of the greatest golf sanctuaries in the world. Its name? Winged Foot Golf Club.
This isn’t just another private course with lush fairways and exclusivity. Winged Foot is a cathedral of golf — a place where history, design, and raw difficulty blend into something unforgettable. For generations, it has defined championship golf in New York and, for many, represents the very soul of American golf course architecture.
Here’s why Winged Foot isn’t just the best golf course in New York — it’s one of the best on the planet.
🏛️ 1. A Legacy Carved in Stone
Founded in 1921, Winged Foot Golf Club sits in Mamaroneck, Westchester County, just 25 miles from New York City. From its earliest days, it was designed to be different.
The club’s founders were members of the New York Athletic Club — their logo, the iconic winged foot of Mercury, became the club’s emblem and spirit. They wanted a course that tested skill, strategy, and courage. For that, they turned to one of the greatest designers of all time: A.W. Tillinghast.
Tillinghast gave Winged Foot not one but two masterpieces — the West Course and the East Course. The West, in particular, has achieved near-mythical status, having hosted countless major championships and humbled even the world’s best.
It’s not just history — it’s hallowed ground.
🧱 2. The Architecture: Brutally Beautiful
Tillinghast once said, “A truly great golf course must not be afraid of being great.”
Winged Foot took that to heart.
The West Course is a symphony of precision, punishing rough, and elegant chaos. It’s a course that doesn’t give you a single easy shot — every hole demands thought, positioning, and guts.
- Tree-lined fairways create tight corridors that reward bravery and punish arrogance.
- Greens are small, elevated, and lightning-fast, sloping in ways that make two-putts feel like victories.
- Deep bunkers guard every approach, sculpted by Tillinghast to resemble the lips of volcanoes.
Yet for all its cruelty, Winged Foot’s beauty is undeniable. The bunkering is artistic. The routing is natural. The greens flow with the land like they were born there.
It’s the kind of course that challenges your body and your mind — every round feels like a chess match with nature.
🏆 3. A Stage for the Greatest Championships
If history defines greatness, Winged Foot is in a league of its own.
It has hosted:
- Six U.S. Opens (1929, 1959, 1974, 1984, 2006, 2020)
- Two PGA Championships
- One U.S. Amateur
- One U.S. Women’s Open
Each event added a new chapter to its legend.
The 1974 U.S. Open, dubbed “The Massacre at Winged Foot,” saw Hale Irwin win with a score of +7 — a brutal testament to the course’s difficulty.
In 2006, Phil Mickelson famously double-bogeyed the 18th to lose by one shot, cementing one of golf’s most heartbreaking moments.
And in 2020, during the pandemic, Bryson DeChambeau muscled his way to victory at -6 — proving that even in modern power golf, strategy and precision still rule here.
Every decade, Winged Foot reminds the world: You can’t overpower tradition.
🌳 4. The Setting: Calm, Quiet, and Close to Chaos
One of the magical things about Winged Foot is its location. It’s barely 40 minutes from the center of Manhattan — yet when you step through the gates, you feel a thousand miles away.
The property stretches over rolling terrain surrounded by old oaks and maples. It’s serene, timeless, and almost cinematic.
Standing on the 1st tee early in the morning, you can hear distant city noise fade behind you as the hum of golf takes over — a ball struck, a breeze through the trees, a distant caddie’s laugh.
It’s surreal. Few courses in the world combine that contrast — a sanctuary of calm just beyond one of the busiest cities on earth.
🎯 5. The Experience: Golf Without Gimmicks
At Winged Foot, golf is sacred. There are no luxury spa treatments, no loud music carts, no “golf resort” vibes. It’s golf — pure, traditional, and unapologetically tough.
Caddies are an essential part of the experience. Many have been walking these fairways for decades, passing down course knowledge like folklore. They’ll tell you where not to land it — which, at Winged Foot, is just about everywhere.
The club also maintains an old-school etiquette that adds to its charm. Cell phones stay tucked away. Dress codes are respected. Conversation flows naturally.
It’s not about being old-fashioned — it’s about preserving the rhythm and respect that golf was built on.
🧠 6. What Makes It So Difficult
Winged Foot’s difficulty isn’t just about length. It’s psychological.
Every shot feels like it could go wrong — and often does. The greens, perhaps the most famous in golf, are masterpieces of subtle terror. Slopes, tiers, and false fronts make even short putts terrifying.
Tillinghast believed that a great green complex could make or break a course, and nowhere is that philosophy clearer.
You can hit 17 perfect shots and still lose strokes because of one misjudged roll. That’s why pros and amateurs alike walk off Winged Foot both defeated and inspired.
It doesn’t just test your swing — it tests your patience, humility, and heart.
🔥 7. The East Course: The Underrated Sibling
While the West Course gets most of the attention, Winged Foot East deserves its own spotlight.
Shorter and slightly more forgiving, it’s still every bit a Tillinghast gem — strategic, graceful, and packed with character. Many members even prefer it for everyday play, thanks to its walkable layout and charming flow.
In recent years, the East Course has undergone careful restoration work to bring back Tillinghast’s original vision — wider fairways, re-exposed bunkers, and more dramatic sightlines.
Together, the East and West courses make Winged Foot one of the only clubs in the world where two Top-100 courses share the same property.
🥃 8. Clubhouse Culture: Tradition With Class
The clubhouse, a grand stone Tudor masterpiece designed by Clifford Wendehack, looks like something out of a golf fairy tale. Its high beams, wood paneling, and old portraits exude timeless charm.
Inside, the atmosphere is relaxed but reverent. Members chat quietly over lunch while caddies trade stories near the locker room.
Visitors often describe the place as having “gravity” — not just because of the architecture, but because of the weight of the game’s history that lives inside those walls.
It’s the kind of clubhouse that makes you want to take your hat off before you walk in.
💰 9. Exclusivity and Access
Let’s be honest: getting a tee time at Winged Foot isn’t easy. It’s one of the most exclusive private clubs in the U.S., with a membership list that reads like a who’s who of business, sports, and politics.
But for those lucky enough to play as a guest, it’s unforgettable.
That exclusivity, rather than being snobbish, serves a purpose — it keeps the course immaculate and the experience intimate. Winged Foot isn’t trying to be everywhere. It’s trying to be perfect where it is.
And it succeeds.
🌟 10. Honorable Mentions — The Runners-Up
New York is spoiled with incredible golf, and to be fair, Winged Foot has competition.
Here are a few others that deserve mention:
- Shinnecock Hills (Southampton, NY): Another Tillinghast touch, pure links brilliance on Long Island — and the oldest incorporated golf club in the U.S.
- Bethpage Black (Farmingdale): A public beast and one of the hardest courses you’ll ever play. “Warning: The Black Course Is an Extremely Difficult Course” says it all.
- Fishers Island Club: Remote, scenic, and one of Seth Raynor’s most elegant designs — accessible only by ferry, and well worth the trip.
- Oak Hill (Rochester): Upstate perfection and host of multiple majors, a classic Donald Ross gem.
Each of these courses tells its own story — but Winged Foot remains the headline act.
❤️ Why Winged Foot Captures the Soul of Golf
So why does Winged Foot rise above them all?
Because it represents everything golf should be — tradition, challenge, and authenticity.
It’s a course that demands excellence but rewards creativity. It reminds players that golf is about more than yardage and technology — it’s about character.
Every generation of golfers faces Winged Foot, and every generation walks away with the same realization: this is how golf was meant to feel.
No gimmicks, no shortcuts, no mercy — just pure golf.
🏁 Final Thoughts
New York has its share of icons — Yankee Stadium, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park — but for golfers, Winged Foot Golf Club belongs in that same category.
It’s a place where golf’s past and present coexist perfectly. Where A.W. Tillinghast’s genius still echoes in every bunker. Where the world’s best have been humbled, and where the average golfer still dreams of playing just once.
In a sport built on respect, patience, and history, Winged Foot embodies all three.
That’s why when people ask, “What’s the best golf course in New York?” — the answer isn’t up for debate.
It’s Winged Foot. Always has been. Always will be.