Southampton Golf Club

Favorite Hole

No. 3 ("Maiden"), par 4, 413 yards

If I could, I would pick Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6 as my favorites as this sequence boasts the most intriguing land and holes on the course. But I can’t, so we’ll go with the third.

The standout feature of No. 3 that my other “favorite” contenders don’t have is a fully blind tee shot. A rising slope that tilts left to right obscures the view from the tee, and a large bunker guards the inside of the dogleg, the ideal line to the green and flattest landing zone. Drives that veer slightly left will find the forest, and good drives in the fairway tend to have a downhill lie. The third green is a work of art with two very pronounced back plateaus–the defining feature of the maiden template.

This simple recipe that the third follows rarely fails to satisfy.

1) Blind shot
2) Strategy
3) Interesting green

What elevates this basic formula into becoming a noteworthy hole is the captivating landform and environment the hole plays over. From the tee, you are tucked into the trees and must play through a corridor that opens up to the expansive clearing of Nos. 4-7. This opening is a similar concept to when a narrow hallway leads into a grand, open space. The reveal elicits emotion. It’s an interesting and rare concept for a hole and how it fits into the golf course design, but it’s splendid, nonetheless.

While we are here, are there any design features or concepts from building architecture that remind you of golf architecture or vice versa? Drop your thoughts in the comments below, as this is something I ponder often.

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Overall Thoughts

Long Island is known for its sandy soil, dramatic land, and high density of world-class golf courses. It’s pretty hard to stand out if your name isn’t Friar’s, Shinnecock, or National. The best way to make an impression is to focus on doing what you do best, sort of like St. George’s Golf and Country Club, where the design squeezes everything out of the landscape it’s on without trying to imitate anything else. Similarly, Southampton Golf Club presents itself handsomely without trying to impress.

Right off the bat, Southampton shows its humble identity: a modest clubhouse off a busy highway and a very flat first hole with little visual appeal. This begins the routing journey that exhibits varying levels of intrigue and reprieve throughout each nine, like a multi-climactic movie with distinctly captivating scenes around which the story is built.

Following the ho-hum opener is a transitional par 3 “short” hole that introduces some flare to the design. The green is raised high from the surrounding land, and a subtle thumbprint depression on the putting surface creates various pin placements, none of which are particularly easy. From here, players cross a quiet neighborhood side street to a new section of the golf course. Like I mentioned in the “favorite hole” section, the third acts as a grand reveal to the open and undulating landscape of Nos. 4-7. This is the portion of the front nine where hole variety and complexity build upon themselves to create a very stimulating experience. This stretch also traverses the boldest land of the entire property with beautiful medium-large contours. The movement of the fourth fairway could be described as a “chaotic mess” in all good ways. The fifth is a tempting drivable “knoll” par 4 that’s sure to bait you into pity, and the stunning sixth, a well-bunkered “Raynor’s Prize” dogleg hole. Finally, the well-functioning “redan” seventh transitions you back into the forested area and closes out a stretch of very strong holes and quality land movement.

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The middle section of the course, including holes 8-11, wind around the flat forested area with an equal number of templates and original designs. While this section feels rather mundane compared to what was just seen, it doesn’t fail to keep you engaged with its subtly tricky green surfaces–a constant throughout the 18 holes. Reprieve is the feeling in this portion of the round.

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Once again, Raynor uses a transitional hole (the 12th) that tees off within the canopy of the trees and opens back up to a field housing the final stretch. Nos. 13-17 make up the climax of the second nine by cleverly using the slight changes in elevation to make a compelling finish. It’s fascinating how well these holes create interest with such minimal land movement, similar to Chicago Golf Club.

The 13th plays up and over a rise that occupies the landing zone in the fairway. Great drives get over the crest, while poor drives face an uphill lie. The flattest portion of this “farmland” section is home to the boldest hole design, the “biarritz” par-3 14th, with its deep swale bisecting the green. Playing back over the same rise as the 13th, the 15th presents a blind tee shot and an approach to a green that sits on the backside of the hill. Once again, a subtle rise in the land is skilfully utilized and then compounded with a tricky green that pitches away. Next up, the 16th provides the wow factor with its bold punchbowl green and profuse mounding before the 17th brings you down from this back nine high. A modest 18th hole, similar to the first, rounds out the day with a sigh of relief.

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Does Southampton have any world-class golf holes that absolutely knock your socks off? I don’t think so, but it never loses your interest by packing several holes into sections where the land is most varied. It then uses the trees and transitional holes to break up the journey to and from both expansive sections. Like many golden age designs, the greens are well varied throughout, with enough internal movement to keep the flat holes interesting. The welcoming, unpretentious Southampton makes for a phenomenal daily-driver golf course that consistently provides a compelling experience.

1 Egg

(How We Rate Courses)

Southampton Golf Club is a stout 1 egg course. It doesn’t have the quality of land as its neighbors to the west, but a combination of design and presentation make this course better than the rest.

Course Tour

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