A Bite Of The Big Apple - New York Golf Tour Is Delicious

With eleven courses making Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest and/or 100 Greatest Public Courses in America list, New York is the flavor of the season. Tourism is big business in The Big Apple and golf holiday makers contribute hugely to the growing segment. Whether it is the pull of big city golf or the amazement at finding verdant green spots right in the middle of one of the country’s largest cities, golf tours to NY are much in demand.

Named after England’s Duke of York, New York City was briefly the U.S. capital from 1789 to 1790. A rich cultural heritage that colors the society and its artistic endeavors, the Statue of Liberty, an always-on-the-run lifestyle and recreational avenues like no other make New York a pleasure to be in. Golf is one of the biggest recreational activities in the state and world class courses and resorts are spread all the way from Niagara Falls to NY City making it one of the most wanted golf package destinations.

Home to James Cagnay, Humphrey Bogart and Lucille Ball, New York City offers 27 state park golf courses to golf vacation enthusiasts. Most courses in New York have been designed by famed architects like Robert Trent Jones, A.W. Tillinghast, Alfred Tull, Geoffrey Cornish and William Mitchell making it a memorable golf tour. Without compromising on quality, NY offers affordable tracks that are easily accessible to all golf vacation budgets.

The queen of the state park courses is The Bethpage State Park featuring the famed Black Course and 4 other 18-hole courses. Black Course has been rated by Golf Digest as one of top 100 Greatest Public Courses in America and runs to 7,065 yards par 71. Designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1923, the Black Course makes for a memorable round on any golf holiday. ($49 on weekends and $39 on weekdays)

Another must play course on your golf travel to NY is the Robert Trent Jones designed Montauk Downs State Park on the very tip of Long Island ($52 to $34). Green Lakes State Park in Fayetteville, 7 miles south of Syracuse, is yet another early Robert Trent Jones course ($17) that would look scrumptious on your golf tour menu.
ÂÂ
The Big Apple spoils you for choices when it comes to star courses; sample this: Shinnecock Hills and National Golf Links in Southampton, Quaker Ridge designed by A.W. Tillinghast ($100) in Scarsdale, Oak Hill in Rochester and the 6,956 yards par 72 A.W. Tillinghast designed Winged Foot ($125 - $100) in Mamaroneck. Create your golf package around these courses in NY and you get to play a big chunk of Golf Digest’s top 100 courses.ÂÂ

Golf travel in NY state is easy. If you don’t want to drive around and waste time you can fly in to most places (and waste time claiming baggage or reporting lost ones!). But it doesn’t take more than a couple of hours to get from one stunning course to another in NY. So hop on the golf tour bus and tee it off at: Sleepy Hollow Club in Scarborough-on-Hudson, Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, Shenendoah Golf Club in Verona and The Creek Club in Locust Valley. Yes, the streets are crowded and cabs are perilous, but when you want an affordable golf vacation you go to New York!