Designer: C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor (1923), Gil Hanse (2011, Restoration)
Location: Locust Valley, New York
History: The Creek was founded in 1922 by an impressive group looking to build a club closer to Manhattan. This group included Vincent Astor, J.P. Morgan, and Clarence Mackay and the Club was nicknamed “The Million Dollar Club” due to its exclusivity and wealthy membership. They enlisted C.B. Macdonald and his associate Seth Raynor to design the course, which opened in 1923. More recently, Gil Hanse completed a restoration and it remains one of the best courses in the country, earning the following awards:
#129 Best Course in America – Golf Digest (2023)
#53 Best Course in America – Golf Magazine (2024)
#78 Best Course in America – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
#60 Best Classic Course in America – Golfweek (2024)
#16 Best Course in New York – Golf Digest (2023)
#13 Best Course in New York – Golf Magazine (2024)
#14 Best Course in New York – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
#14 Best Private Course in New York – Golfweek (2024)
Conditions: 10/10, The Creek is always in pristine condition with firm, fast fairways, thick rough, and well-maintained bunkers. Recently, the greens have been blazingly fast, significantly upping the challenge.
Value: N/A, This is a private course.
Scorecard:
Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
Silver 70 6583 73.0 142
Red 70 6111 71.7 139
Blue 70 5681 68.3 131
White 70 5038 65.8 125
Green 70 4684 67.8 128
Hole Descriptions: They say that a picture says a thousand words, but unfortunately there will be no pictures here and hopefully a few thousand words will be sufficient in describing this incredibly special golf course. This is because The Creek has one of the most explicit no social media policies in golf and out of respect for the Club and because I very much want to be invited back, I will absolutely comply with this rule. It is unfortunate, however, as I took many great photos and think it is one of the most picturesque courses in the world.
The Creek occupies a very narrow stretch of property along Long Island’s “Gold Coast” North Shore fairly close to Manhattan. A long, treelined driveway leads you to the clubhouse, which sits on the highest point of the property and overlooks the Long Island Sound. The first five holes run parallel to each other and play on fairly flat ground on the inland side of the clubhouse. These holes certainly have their merit, but are often seen as the weakness of the course. Your first water reveal comes on the 6th, which is one of the best holes in the world and plays severely downhill, acting as a transition to the rest of the course. From here on, you are playing through dunes and along the water on one of the most unique and fun stretches in golf. The 18th hole then runs straight up the hill and terminates right below the clubhouse. As you’d expect from a MacRaynor design, The Creek is absolutely loaded with template holes and is certainly one of the most fun courses in America. I would say it is a very underrated course and there are few better ways to spend a summer day than a round here.
The Creek opens with a 385 yard uphill par 4 featuring a semi-blind teeshot over a pair of bunkers. This fairway is quite generous, with a bunker down the left at 250 yards as the only real danger. A string of bunkers runs diagonally across this fairway about 70 yards short of a Redan green that slopes hard right-to-left with deep bunkers defending it left, right, and long. This is one of the only par fours I’ve seen with a Redan green and is probably my favorite of the first five holes.
The 2nd hole turns back around and runs parallel to the 1st as a 360 yard straightaway par 4. This fairway is again quite wide but features excellent bunkering, with a pair of bunkers short left of the fairway and crossbunkers lining either side around 250 yards. Additional bunkers defend a severely back-to-front sloped green on all sides, necessitating an aerial approach here. The 3rd again plays straightaway and runs along the Club’s driveway as a 429 yard par 4. This hole features a trio of bunkers in the center of the fairway at about 190 yards and small bunkers on either side further down. This green is long and runs back-to-front with an opening up front and bunkers on either side.
At 168 yards, the par 3 4th hole is across the driveway as The Creek’s “Eden” template. This hole is well-done and plays slightly uphill towards a back-to-front sloped green defended by four deep bunkers on all corners. The 401 yard par 4 5th is the last of the inland holes and plays uphill and tight, with OB left and the driveway down your right the entire way. A crossbunker lines the left at 235 yards as well, making for a difficult teeshot. This green slopes back-to-front with a horizontal ridge and deep bunkers on either side.
When you reach the 6th teebox, The Creek’s true brilliance begins, as you’re afforded stunning views of the Long Island Sound and rest of the course. It is no doubt one of the best reveals in golf and one of the best par fours I’ve played. At 481 yards, this hole serves as the number 1 handicap and the longest par 4 on the course. While very long, it plays extremely downhill and shorter than the yardage. OB and tall trees line the left the entire way while thick fescue defends the right with bunkers beginning at around 270 yards. One of the underrated difficulties of this hole is the fact that your second shot also plays quite downhill, leaving a tough stance and distance judgment. The final 70 yards or so of fairway are shared with the 16th hole and this green is defended short right by a deep bunker. I’ve seen this green described as a Punchbowl, but in reality it plays almost more as a severe Reverse Redan, with everything funneling to the front right. Any pin not in this spot makes for some treacherous putting.
The 7th hole is The Creek’s “Long” template and one of two par fives on the course at 566 yards. From the Tips, this hole requires an 170 yard carry over fescue to reach an initially generous fairway lined by fescue on either side. At about 215 yards, a string of bunkers begins down the left and narrows the fairway. While this teeshot should be easy, a pesky tall tree overhangs this teebox and also gets in your head. This tree should be trimmed or removed. The remainder of this hole plays straightaway with an undulating fairway. The only real dangers on this second shot are a diagonal bunker down the left about 160 yards short and a small midline bunker about 50 yards short. This green slopes steadily back-to-front defended by several bunkers on either side.
The par 3 8th is The Creek’s official “Redan” and is a strong one at 180 yards. This diagonal green slopes hard left-to-right away from the golfer wedged between two deep bunkers. A long left miss leaves a near impossible up-and-down. The 9th hole brings you to the beach and gets my vote for the most difficult hole on the course. A new teebox playing over the 8th green was recently added and makes this par 4 play much longer than the 433 yards on the scorecard. This hole features a generous fairway lined by OB left the entire way and a firm wastebunker down the right. There is also a crossbunker down the left at 240 yards, but this is not the toughest teeshot. For many, this will be a three-shot hole and the second shot here is quite confusing as the fairway becomes narrow for the final 120 yards and stops completely about 45 yards short of the green with a steep hill of rough and large bunker. This green is elevated and perched, featuring several plateaus and defended by bunkers on all sides. A par here feels like a birdie.
By the time you reach 10, you’re basically playing on the beach and have to walk by the Club’s swanky beach club to access the teebox. This 313 yard par 4 named “Shore” is actually a Cape design, with an immediate forced carry over a channel to a fairway that turns right and plays along the hazard. Natural dunes and the beach line the left the entire way. The golfer certainly has lots of options here, as a safe 200 yard lay-up leaves just a pitch in, but I’ve also seen buddies drive this green by taking on the channel. I like the way this left-to-right sloped green is somewhat hidden behind the dunes, further enticing the golfer to get closer off the tee. Bunkers defend this surface right, short, and long. This is a hole that could never be built with today’s environmental regulations and is certainly one of the best short par fours in golf.
At 195 yards, the 11th hole is maybe The Creek’s most famous hole as an “Island” Biarritz par 3 with a nearly 80 yard long green surrounded by water in all directions. While this green is perhaps the mildest Biarritz I’ve seen, I absolutely love this unique one-shotter. Two fun facts about this hole are that the teebox itself contains a Biarritz swale and that it plays much easier during low-tide, when golfers may find and play their ball from the mud surrounding the green. The 12th hole is an underrated 345 yard slight dogleg left par 4 that takes advantage of the property’s unique sandy property. There’s more sand than fairway on this hole, but this wastebunker sand is fairly packed down and not as penal as regular sand usually. The defense of this shorter hole is an elevated, severely back-to-front sloped green lined by a total of five bunkers on all sides. It is a stunning hole, especially from behind.
The 13th hole runs parallel to the 12th and takes you back towards the water as a 445 yard dogleg right par 4. This is another gorgeous hole from an elevated teebox to a generous fairway lined by sandy wastebunker. At about 260 yards, this fairway narrows and begins to turn right with a “Creek” down the right from this point on. This back-to-front sloped green is open up front but defended by a bunker right and hidden water hazard left. At 421 yards, the par 4 14th begins the journey inland and is one of the more difficult holes at The Creek. With your back at the Sound, this teeshot plays briefly over a creek to a tight fairway lined by a large wastebunker right and OB left. This is somewhat of an awkward teeshot, especially for longer hitters who will need to be wary of another creek that bisects the fairway around 280 yards. The second part of this hole runs uphill towards a perched, wickedly back-to-front sloped green defended by a huge false front short and bunkers on either side. With the green speeds running over 13, it is nearly impossible to keep it on the green from long of the pin.
The 15th hole is another excellent par 4 playing slightly uphill at 370 yards. This hole features a generous fairway with a significant right-to-left slope towards two bunkers between 220 and 260 yards. A centerline bunker at 275 yards is also to be avoided. The brilliance of this hole is an elevated green with a vicious false front, bunkers on either side and long, and a double plateau design. In terms of my favorite holes at The Creek, the par 4 16th ranks highly as a sweeping 456 yard dogleg left. This underrated beauty features a lengthy 180 yard forced carry over fescue to a generous fairway lined by bunkers and fescue on either side. The fairway turns slightly to the left on this approach to another elevated green with a severe back-to-front slope, false front, and bunkers left, long, and right. With its length and aerial approach requirement, this is a very challenging and stout hole.
At 132 yards, the 17th is The Creek’s shortest par 3 and a lovely “Short” template. Not dissimilar to the Sleepy Hollow’s famous 16th, this green plays as an island surrounded by a moat of bunkers. There’s a big swale in the center of this green and I find this putting surface very difficult to read. An old cemetery that predates the course sits behind this green and is another nice little quirk. The course closes with a 503 yard par 5 that plays steadily uphill and straightaway towards the clubhouse. From the Tips, this teeshot plays over the cemetery to an extremely wide fairway defended by a right crossbunker around 255 yards. This fairway again slopes hard right-to-left and features a pair of bunkers on either side of the fairway about 80 yards short of the green to avoid on your second shot. This large green slopes steadily back-to-front with bunkers left and short.
General Comments: The Creek’s clubhouse sits stately overlooking the Long Island Sound with an old-school locker room and fully-stocked Pro Shop. It is a true country club, with tennis courts, a giant grass practice range, and lovely looking beach club bordering the 10th hole. It is an excellent walk with a caddie.
Verdict: A stunningly gorgeous and fun C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor design on Long Island’s North Shore, The Creek is one of the most underrated courses in America and is a course I can’t recommend highly enough. The stretch of holes from 6-13 is as good as anywhere in the world, and the entire template-filled layout is unique and excellent.