National Golf Links of America

Perhaps the most important design in American golf history, National Golf Links of America helped to usher in what is now known as the “Golden Age” of golf architecture in the United States. Prior to NGLA, most golf courses in the U.S. had been designed according to the prevailing “penal” philosophy of the Victoria Era. They emphasized the ability to hit long, straight shots over lateral hazards. NGLA’s architect C.B. Macdonald, however, had gone to school in St. Andrews, Scotland, and understood that links golf in Great Britain offered far more than a simple true-or-false test. These courses provided options and asked players to make risk-reward decisions. They fascinated Macdonald and inspired him to create an American golf course centered on what he considered the best holes — or “ideal holes” — from the Old World.  

Macdonald toyed with this idea for years, running it by friends from the UK and scouring the East Coast for the best land to build his course. In 1906, Macdonald headed to Europe for further study of what the greatest holes in the world and the design traits that made them tick. While there, he settled on a list of favorites, which included the 15th (“Redan”) at North Berwick and the 17th (“Alps”) at Prestwick. These, along with others, became his inspirations for National Golf Links of America — or, as they are often called today, his “templates.” 

In 1908, after returning to the U.S., Macdonald found a seaside property on Long Island, near Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, that would be a suitable canvas for his vision. After a challenging construction process, Macdonald completed the course in 1911, and it was immediately regarded as one of the finest courses in the country and the world. Bernard Darwin, the era’s preeminent golf course critic, wrote, ““The National Links is a truly great course; even as I write I feel my allegiance to Westward Ho!, to Hoylake, to St. Andrews tottering to its fall.” NGLA’s success created a showcase for what world-class golf architecture looked like in the U.S. and provided an aspirational example for a country in the nascent stages of developing the game.

One of NGLA’s most important effects has nothing to do with the golf course or its architecture, but rather with the way it brought together two great minds. In building NGLA, Macdonald enlisted the help of a local Southampton engineer, Seth Raynor, who had never heard of golf. Macdonald hired Raynor to do some surveying, and this initial connection led to one of the greatest golf architecture partnerships in history. Raynor’s engineering skills helped Macdonald turn his lofty notions into a reality at NGLA. After the project, Raynor continued working with Macdonald — at The Lido and Piping Rock, to name two — while also becoming a prolific solo architect and spreading Macdonald’s template concepts across the U.S.

{{content-block-course-profile-national-golf-links-of-america-001}}