Hamptons for Links Lovers

Some of the priciest homes are near golf courses

Photo: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
By V.L. Hendrickson

The Hamptons has a special place in the hearts of many second-home owners, but it’s particularly special for golf enthusiasts.

“The Hamptons is known as a world-wide mecca of golf for the private sector,” said Bespoke Real Estate agent Sam Kelly.

Courses like Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and National Golf Links of America, both in Southampton, consistently make the annual top 10 lists of the best clubs in world by golf publications, Mr. Kelly said. And the greens go on all the way until Montauk, which has one of the best public courses in the country.

(Note: None of the courses in the Hamptons have houses on their properties, just nearby.)

“It’s unbelievable to have so much amazing golf in such a small concentrated place,” said Mr. Kelly, a lifelong Hamptons resident and an avid golfer himself.

Because there are so many top-level courses, investing in property almost anywhere in the area will put you within striking distance of a club, according to Mr. Kelly. The older clubs are surrounded by some of the Hamptons’ most prestigious real estate, he added, but moving in won’t guarantee a tee time.

“You can’t just say, ‘I’m going to go to the Hamptons and join a golf club,’” Mr. Kelly said. “It’s too tight-knit. You have to go through a process to gain membership.”

Cash in hand doesn’t guarantee membership, either. Clubs like the Maidstone in East Hampton limit the number of new members because of legacies, which are extended to children of its current members. But Mr. Kelly points out that many Hamptons residents can still get on the links if they have the right connections.

“Even if you’re not a member, you most likely know someone who is,” Mr. Kelly said. “It’s a great place to be as a golfer.”

From West to East

Professional golfers and fans from across the globe will descend on Southampton this June when Shinnecock Hills hosts the 118th U.S. Open Championship. But despite that special event, the village is used to globe-trotters who flock to its private clubs.

“The most prestigious golf courses are in Southampton,” said Martha Gundersen of Brown Harris Stevens.

Shinnecock Hills, where former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is an active member, was established in 1891 and was one of the five founding members of the United States Golf Association (USGA), according to its website. It was sixth on Golf Magazine’s 2017 ranking of the top 100 courses in the world, and its 18 holes were designed in 1931 by William Flynn, a well-known course architect. Sitting on 259 acres, it also boasts a 1892 clubhouse by the famous architectural film McKim, Mead and White.

National Golf Links of America, or just “the National,” was founded in 1908 by Charles B. Macdonald, a well-known golf enthusiast who built the first 18-hole course in the U.S. in Chicago. He studied the links in the British Isles and incorporated what he learned at the National, a 253-acre course. Golf Magazine ranked it No. 7 on its list, but many golfers “argue that [it’s] the greatest golf course in the world,” Mr. Kelly said, adding that it was his favorite as well.

Southampton is also home to the Sebonack Golf Club, which was opened in 2006 by former professional golfer Jack Nicklaus and course architect Tom Doak. It’s right on the Peconic Bay and hosted the 2013 U.S. Women's Open.

Meanwhile, Sag Harbor boasts the private Noyac Golf Club, which was founded in 1963 on 144 acres and designed by William Mitchell. There’s also the Sag Harbor State Golf Course, a public, nine-hole course on just under 50 acres.

In Bridgehampton, there’s the Atlantic Golf Club, which opened in 1992 on what was former farmland and horse country in that village. There’s also the Bridge Golf Club, which opened in 2002 and was built on the site of the former Long Island Raceway.

“It’s themed around that [racing] history, and it’s on one of the highest elevations so you can look out and see everything,” Mr. Kelly said. Both were designed by Rees Jones.

The Maidstone Club in East Hampton is another one of the oldest courses in the country, dating back to 1891.

“It’s right on the ocean, and it has tons of history,” Mr. Kelly said. It’s also “the hardest one to get into,” according to Ms. Gundersen. Many of these clubs give at least half of their memberships to the children of current member, a.k.a. legacies, so there’s a limited number of slots available each year. (Chevy Chase made the cut, however, according to an article in Hamptons magazine.)

South Fork Country Club in Amagansett dates back to 1921, although it got a major overhaul in 2000 that included the addition of another nine holes. All the way out on Long Island is the public course at Montauk Downs State Park, developed in 1927. The course was redesigned in 1968 by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and his son, Rees Jones.

Joining the Club

Some of its highest-priced homes in the already pricey Hamptons are around the golf clubs, especially the older ones.

“Real estate around the Maidstone is some of the most expensive in the world,” Mr. Kelly said. An eight-bedroom, 11-bathroom home just a few miles from the club on Lily Pond Lane was the second most expensive home sold in the Hamptons in 2017, for $29 million, according to PropertyShark.

Ms. Gundersen agreed that that part of East Hampton is one of the most desirable areas in the Hamptons. “Some people only want to live near the Maidstone Club,” she said.

Space in Southampton, near Shinnecock Hills, the National and Sebonack, is highly coveted as well, Ms. Gundersen said. There, the “big players” can find large estates that offer privacy and seclusion but are still close to the back nine.

“It’s so beautiful there, surrounded by nature and untouched,” she said. “It’s like the Hamptons the way it used to be.”

The sheer number of courses in the Hamptons means one is never too far from the green, however.

“You can’t drive more than 10 minutes without hitting the water or a golf course,” Mr. Kelly said.

But buying a home is just the first step to gaining access to the golfer’s paradise. Getting a membership isn’t a hole in one. Memberships to the private clubs not only involve knowing the right people, but also fees that can cost hundreds of thousands a year. Sebonack, one of the newer clubs, potentially has more openings than some of the legacy clubs, and charges a $550,000 annual fee, according to an earlier article in Mansion Global.

At most clubs, new members are often nominated by an existing member, and there’s an interview process for potential new members.

“You have to decide where your network is first, and then break down your budget,” Mr. Kelly said.

Below are some noteworthy homes near Hamptons golf clubs: