First green with Sebonack Clubhouse in the background!
Walked and played Westhampton in the morning, drove the 16 miles, and played Sebonack in the afternoon riding in a cart with another great caddie Will!
The Welcome Statement below from the Sebonack website says it all! This is a historic haven of golf clubs out here on Long Island. Some with a climate and turf that duplicates that of St. Andrews, Scotland where golf originated over 500 years ago! The neighboring National Golf Links represents that history. With homage to the game of golf, its history, traditions, and its future, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak created a unique and meaningful golf course in XXX that fittingly takes its place in the continuum of golf past, present and future!
Entrance Gate to Sebonack!
The entrance through the gate with the light atop with expansive lawn views transitioning to the par-3 8th hole over Cold Spring Pond and the uphill par-5 from tee to green to the magnificent high-ground Sebonack Clubhouse sets the stage for a great golfing experience!
The tee shot on the 355-yard par-4 first hole with a view of the Great Peconic Bay is the opening act! The hole takes you right down to the water and though short, it is difficult if you go long on your approach shot like I did! There are two greens, both on a cliff overlooking the water. I played the one straight away which is less difficult than the one tucked into a dog-leg-right!
Third fairway back towards the Clubhouse!
The second hole looks hard and is hard! After a bunkered tee shot I was forced to blast out. Then I hit an errant 8-iron right but managed to pitch up and made a 12-footer for bogey!
The golf course absorbs you into its beauty and challenges you with its difficulty. The links at National Golf Links go out and back to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on the inward land side of Sebonack. This is links golf in America!
View from the 18th tee! Spectacular!
I made a bomb of about 75 feet on the par-3 4th hole for a deuce and miraculously 2-putted for a birdie on the par-5 9th! Yes I played the White Tees at 6,342 yards, not the black at 7,512 yards! But I did shoot 40 on the first nine!
While the first nine holes heads inland it seems most all of the back nine holes are on the water or have a view of the water! It really is a spectacular piece of land! No birdies for me on the second nine!
My caddie Will was outstanding! He even provided the sunlit golden picture of the Sebonack clubhouse for this story! Many thanks to the PGA Director of Golf Jason McCarty and the Sebonack Golf Club for hosting Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary!
Truly a lifetime golfing experience to play Sebonack!
The Welcome Statement from the Sebonack Website:
What a great time I had with Will!
Situated on 300 acres in Southampton, NY, and neighboring the historic National Golf Links of America and Shinnecock Hills Golf Course, Sebonack has been carved out of land which seems to have been long-destined to become a golf course.
Sebonack features holes that offer panoramic views of Long Island’s Great Peconic Bay and Cold Spring Pond. The visual impact of the water vistas competes for the golfer’s eye with the rolling fairways, expansive bunkers and waste dunes, and undulating greens that present tricky swales and burrows. Meant to look as if manicured by time, Sebonack appears to have fashioned itself from the wild terrain.
Sunlit Sebonack Clubhouse! Photo Credit: Will Henry
Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak, two designers with dramatically different styles, have used the natural contours and features of the land to create a unique look. The result is that Sebonack looks quite different from its illustrious neighbors and provides a strong golfing challenge for players of all calibers.
Spectacular cart ride (much needed) in the afternoon with caddie Will at Sebonack Golf Club. Enjoying the Hamptons after a week at the PGA Championship! Taking a ride out to Montauk today!
(Andy Reistetter; 5/21/19; Expanded Facebook Post with 30 Pics)
