Location: Southampton, New York, USA | Ranking: #72 — The Global Golfer Top 100
Type: Links | Designer: C.B. Macdonald (1911)
Editor’s Note: C.B. Macdonald built the National Golf Links as his “ideal” American course — importing every template hole he had studied in Britain (Redan, Alps, Eden, Sahara, Road Hole) and contextualising them in the Southampton dunes. It was the first truly serious golf course in America and remains among the most intellectually stimulating. Private members and guests only — but the architectural education gained from a single round here is worth more than any instruction book.
Contact & Access
- Access: Members and guests only | Rating / Slope: 74.2 / 140 | Airport: East Hampton (HTO) — 15 mins; JFK — 1h 30m.
Championship Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 35 |
| Yards | 316 | 478 | 205 | 415 | 488 | 155 | 438 | 521 | 195 | 3,211 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOTAL |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 73 |
| Yards | 378 | 320 | 360 | 175 | 430 | 418 | 190 | 488 | 400 | 3,159 | 6,779 |
Par 4Par 3Par 5
Key Notes & 19th Hole
- Template Holes: The Redan (4th), Alps (8th), Eden (13th), Road Hole (17th replica) — playing NGLA is an education in every template hole that defines golf architecture. Macdonald’s genius was adaptation, not imitation.
- The Hamptons: The finest dining on the East End of Long Island surrounds the club — from the Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton to Eleven Madison Park’s summer pop-up. Hamptons hotels via Expedia →