Nearby, nine-hole Mosholu is within earshot of the elevated 4 train, though the screeching of the rails is often drowned out by the screeching of the happy children who flock to the First Tee of Metropolitan New York, Vanny,Īs it’s known, is the United States’ oldest public course and predates the consolidation of New York City, with the original course laid out in 1895. 1 train to the last stop, at 242nd Street, and making a pleasant if circuitous walk through the park to reach the landmark clubhouse. They make a similar trek to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, taking the No. Subway, golfers routinely treading the four blocks along 86th Street from the R train. Dyker Beach has a new clubhouse, its course conditions are greatly improved, and the views of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge are second to none. Then you realize that the sun has barely risen, there are already dozens of people waiting to be called to the tee, and it’s taking about 40 minutes to play the first two holes.īut the positives outweigh the negatives. To stand behind the first tee at Dyker Beach Golf Course in Brooklyn and observe the morning scene - the dew-covered fairways, chirping birds and lively cross section of humanity. This is our golf inventory, for better or worse. Look no farther than the long-awaited Ferry Point Golf Course in the Bronx, which has been on theĭrawing board since 1999 and is still at least two years from completion. Most of the city’s 13 public courses,ġ1 of which are 18 holes, were built many decades ago otherwise, they probably would not have been built at all. The need for roughly 125 acres of open space makes a Manhattan course impossible, and it’s only slightly easier to build a golf course in the other four boroughs. You could get back in touch with that long-lost college friend - you know, the one with the car.īut you can carve out a respectable golf life without leaving New York’s five boroughs. Because, really, in a city where 56 percent of households have no car, it takesĪ special determination to play a sport that calls for lugging a 25-pound bag of clubs, balls, shoes and who knows what else with you. Why are golfers in this city so noticeable? It boils down to transportation and real estate, two of New Yorkers’ favorite topics. “I might go months without playing, and I think “The hidden benefit, at least from a competitive golf standpoint, is that living here keeps you fresh and keeps the game fresh,” Zahringer, 59, added. In fact, Zahringer considers his city residency a plus. national championship and a Masters appearance on his golf résumé, all while living and working in Manhattan. “You see guys carrying golf clubs all the time in the city,” said George Zahringer III, who has 11 Metropolitan The avid golfers among the city’s 8.2 million residents don’t let urban geography slow them down. And those golf organizations long ago decamped to the countryside. After all, those are skyscrapers, not stately oaks or gently swaying palms, as far as the eye can see. It’s enough to make the city seem like a golf mecca. One of the most accomplished amateurs in golf history has lived in New York all his adult life. of America and the Metropolitan Golf Association, had their origins in Manhattan, and On a broader scale, some of the most prestigious governing bodies in golf, including the United States Golf Association, the P.G.A. Farther downtown, members of a golf-focused fitness club enter a loft building in SoHo and receive instruction from P.G.A. A teenager rides the subway on a summer weekday to a nine-hole course in the Bronx, trading There go two guys, clubs draped over their shoulders, hustling across West 34th Street and into Pennsylvania Station. 1 train at the 242nd Street station on his way to Van Cortlandt Park.Īt first glance, the urban jungle of New York might seem an inhospitable place for golf. Benjamin Norman for The New York Times A golfer exited the No.
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