St. George’s Golf & Country Club (NY)

Overall Thoughts

Of all of the courses I saw for the first time in 2023, St. George’s Golf and Country Club may be the one I think about the most often. I had heard good things about it. The day before I went, Yale golf coach Colin Sheehan described the course to me as “mini-Shinny.” This comment energized me to get out early and on a ferry from Connecticut to see St. George’s as my last stop on a 17-day road trip. Driving up to the course and peering through the trees, I saw where Sheehan’s comparison came from. The fairways are draped over dramatic topography leading to stunning ridge-top greens.

With St. George’s, Devereux Emmet set out to create his own personal masterpiece, much as his good friend C.B. Macdonald did at NGLA. Emmet spent a great deal of time scouring the area around Setauket for the best possible ground for golf. His search ended when he found the stellar property that St. George’s sits on today. The dramatic terrain provides the majority of the course’s interest; the greens are fairly small and subtly sloping, so they play a supporting role, for the most part. In the few places that the topography stalls out, however, Emmet introduces bolder bunkering, mounding, and green contouring in order to keep the player engaged.

The property is split into two halves by Sheep Pasture Road. On the south side of the road, where the course starts and finishes, the land is exceptional. The terrain inhabited by Nos. 12-18, in particular, wouldn’t feel out of place on any of the best courses on Long Island. Its dramatic scale results in varied, unforgettable golf holes and makes the closing stretch at St. George’s an absolute thrill ride.

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On the north side of Sheep Pasture Road, the property revolves around one large ridge, which is more severe than the gently rolling land around it. Emmet uses the ridge in two ways: situating greens at the bottom of it (see: Nos. 7 and 10), and having tee shots play blind over it (Nos. 4 and 9). The holes with the least amount of movement—5, 6, and 9—sit north of the ridge and boast some of the course’s most memorable hazards and green complexes, masking the holes’ topographical weaknesses.

St. George’s has never been as frequently visited and appreciated by golf architecture enthusiasts as its neighbors, likely because of its lack of championship history and off-the-beaten-path location. But make no mistake, St. George’s belongs in the discussion with Long Island’s best. Gil Hanse’s long-term restoration work has uncovered one of the finest remaining designs of one of the Golden Age’s most underrated architects. As the club continues to restore the subtleties of Devereaux Emmet’s design, St. George’s stature will only grow. -AJ

2 Eggs

The property and design at St. George’s are stellar, and each completed restoration task improves the course’s presentation and brings it closer to a 3 Egg rating.

Course Tour

No. 1 , par 4, 385 yards

Welcome to the exceptional land at St George’s. The hole moves left while the fairway kicks right, so a tee shot hugging the left side provides a substantially shorter approach from a more level lie.

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No. 2, par 5, 589 yards

The second hole traverses the flattest land on the north portion of the St. George’s property. A smattering of bunkers throughout the layup area make players think on their second shots.

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No. 3, par 4, 429 yards

This par 4, along with several holes on the back nine, occupies the most stunning part of the property. A blind tee shot obscures the rollercoaster ride down to a green pressed against Sheep Pasture Road.

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No. 4, par 4, 373 yards

Another blind tee shot delays the reveal of one of the most impressive green complexes at St. George’s. The fourth green is built up in the back and surrounded by deep trench bunkers and menacing mounds, which intimidate and make the target feel smaller than it is. What would have been a relatively simple approach from a flat lie becomes exciting because of Emmet’s design.

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No. 5, par 4, 364 yards

Another short, treacherous par 4. The one is all about deciding which club will give you the best chance to find the fairway, as both sides are littered with mounds, bunkers, and native grasses.

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No. 6, par 5, 515 yards

Off the tee, players have to contend with the trench bunker behind the nearby fourth green. The green is one of the best on the course, favoring those who find the right side of the fairway and play their approaches along the ground.

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No. 7, par 3, 187 yards

This dramatic downhill par 3 plays to a green that runs away from players. Distance control is key but tough to judge because of the topography and green slope.

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No. 8, par 4, 386 yards

Another uphill blind tee shot forces players to trust a spot and swing away. The wide corridor offers a number of potential angles into a fierce green with pronounced internal contour.

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No. 9, par 3, 149 yards

The final hole on the front nine shows off Emmet’s unusual and irregular hazards. The green on this par 3 is guarded by a variety of bunkers as well as vertical mounds, all of which present different tests for those who miss the undulating green.

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Favorite Hole

No. 10, par 4, 380 yards

This thrilling hole showcases golf architecture’s most underrated and underutilized hazard: out of bounds. Sheep Pasture Road snugly borders the 10th green, dictating strategy back to the tee.

A short-ish par 4, the 10th hole doglegs around a large bunker that obstructs the direct path to the hole. The green sits at the base of a steep hill, and both the hill and the punchbowl design of the green act as a big funnel, drawing shots in and tempting long hitters to give it a go from the tee. However, the tee shot, and the angle it requires, makes out-of-bounds a possibility. As a result, many play short and right, resulting in a poor angle and bringing the road into play on the approach. Conversely, players who exercise restraint and lay up to the left are rewarded with a wedge shot into the bowl from an ideal angle.

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No. 11, par 3, 204 yards

This beast of a par 3 that plays classically from ridge to ridge. Hit a great shot or a bogey is the likely result.

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No. 12, par 4, 430 yards

The 12th hole kicks off the sublime finishing stretch at St. George’s. Sitting at the bottom of a ridge, the fairway tilts severely from right to left, and the green is located at the bottom of a hill. Two strong shots are required to reach the green.

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No. 13, par 4, 458 yards

This par 4 occupies the most dramatic land on the course. As on many tee shots at St. George’s, the line is slightly obscured by a rise in the land. Players can lay back to find a flat lie but will face a long approach into a small green that sits below the 17th.

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No. 14, par 4, 394 yards

Playing parallel to the 13th, but on far different land, the 14th travels back uphill. The green has two tiers and rewards players who can find the left side of the fairway—the more difficult section to hit because of the slope. The hole’s strategic design is somewhat reminiscent of the Road Hole’s.

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No. 15, par 3, 171 yards

A striking par 3 featuring a green with beautiful internal contouring. A central hump makes finding the right section important for a reasonable birdie look.

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No. 16, par 4, 323 yards

An epic short par 4 with a tiny, severe green. Laying back will yield a wedge shot from a flat lie, but the green is so small that missing it is never out of the question. Pushing your drive up will likely leave an awkward pitch from short right. The worst place to find is one of the fairway bunkers on the left, where you’ll face a tricky half wedge from the sand into the small green.

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No. 17, par 3, 129 yards

Your quintessential hit-it-or-else short par 3.

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No. 18, par 5, 542 yards

The dominant hazard on the par-5 18th is the large cluster of bunkers hugging the left side of the fairway. Challenging these bunkers dramatically shortens the hole; playing right is safer but lengthens the approach into the severe two-tiered green. A wonderful finisher that raises loads of potential outcomes in settling a match.

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