Fishers Island Club

Overall Thoughts 

A common, overarching question around Fishers Island seems to be: Is the location, setting, and exclusivity of the golf course what make it so highly regarded? Why yes, the seven-mile-long, one-mile-wide island between Connecticut and Long Island is certainly one of the greatest sites for golf, but the architecture itself nearly reaches that same pinnacle. 

Like all untouched Raynor golf courses, the greens at Fishers boast magnificent, subtle intricacies, as well as exciting, bold movements. While the perched-up nature of most greens is redundant, the spectacular placement of each one along the coastline provides memorability and approach variety. Minute ridges and pockets, as well as green, orientation make positioning in the fairway and approach precision key. The old school greens not only have character but strategic importance, making for a delightful test that’s rooted in the green design. Some of the most noteworthy include Nos. 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 17, and 18.

It’s not just the greens alone that make Fishers great, but the sequencing of green styles paired with a delightful journey. The routing tacks its way from the subtle, low-lying land towards the bold, rolling undulations on the eastern point and then coasts back to the flats for a gentle finish. Interestingly, I found these boisterous landforms in the middle of the round quite reminiscent of the land movement at Yale, which is just 50 miles away. The stretch of Nos. 3 through 13, which essentially hooks around the farthest end of the island, is littered with truly incredible golf holes. While some of the holes are more bland than others, there’s a superb balance throughout the round that makes it feel like a complete story. 

So no, Fishers isn’t great just because it sits on a spectacular island enclave. The harmonious connection between land movement, green design, and routing is what makes Fishers Island unlike any other golf course in the US. 

2 Eggs

(How we rate courses)

Fishers is one of the most delightful places to play golf in the US and it’s not just because of the water views. The design itself is one of Raynor’s best and the walk is unparalleled. Embracing the old school model without fairway irrigation means the course is typically pretty fiery which accentuates the design and provides challenge. If there weren't as many “weak” holes, Fishers would likely be 3 eggs.

Course Tour

Raynor’s Start: No. 1, par 4, 396 yards 

The gentlest of openers. Notice the three-sided fall off and micro contouring across the center of the putting surface. These characteristics remain consistent throughout the round. 

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Redan: No. 2, par 3, 184 yards

Raynor used this flat, uninspiring land by implementing the widely loved redan template. A very solid rendition with its generous catchers' mitt shoulder guiding shots towards the hole.

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Plateau: No. 3, par 4, 335 yards

A fantastic short par 4 that begins Fishers’ greatest stretch of golf. Take note of the tumbling landforms as you inch closer towards the coast. 

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Favorite Hole

Punch Bowl: No. 4, par 4, 412 yards

The fourth is widely recognized as one of the great par 4s in all of golf and rightfully so.
As you begin your round and start heading towards the water, the anticipation for the fourth is so palpable you may forget to enjoy the splendid short par 4 third and its infinity-edge green. Once you make it to the putting surface, a mountainous-looking climb and tall white flag pole behind the fourth green reveal themselves. You have arrived. 

This is where the land really starts to get tuned up in scale and severity, which lasts for the next nine or so holes. In the 1920’s, the 30-foot embankment fronting the fairway must have been a tall task to carry compared to today, but the steep fall off to the rocky beach and sound below still haunts golfers. Hugging that trouble will potentially give you a glimpse of the right edge of the punchbowl mounding, but the approach is still mostly blind. Cresting the large “Alps” hill short of the green is a cerebral experience as the reveal of the massive putting surface and expansive view of the sound will widen your eyes and paint a smile across your face. There aren’t many more spectacular settings for a golf hole than the fourth at Fishers Island.

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Biarritz: No. 5, par 3, 229 yards

A brute of a par 3 that shares the highest of honors with Yale’s ninth hole as one of the greatest Biarritz templates in the world. Notice the rails in the fairway, similar to Chicago Golf Club’s third, that either guide your ball to glory or to the depths of the flanking bunkers. 

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Olinda: No. 6, par 5, 555 yards

The sixth certainly traverses the most rambunctious land on the course. Drives must thread the centerline to avoid a Hog’s Back repeal. Golfers can then buckle up for the uphill climb over the rollicking fairway contours.

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Latimer: No. 7, par 4, 363 yards

The pinging ring of the lighthouse in the sound slowly grows louder as you near the seventh tee. Here is the best view on the course with the sound and mainland of Connecticut beyond. Angles are important on the seventh.

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Road Hole: No. 8, par 4, 465 yards

It’s hard not to imagine a swooping left-to-right hole that hugs this wonderful stretch of coastline while standing on the eighth tee. One of the more bland holes, but it has some interesting fairway movement and a nice green.

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Double Plateau: No. 9 , par 4, 364 yards

The lull of the eighth is quickly forgotten on the ninth. The blind tee shot over the huge landforms is exciting and that’s only the beginning. A grand reveal captures your attention as you crest the hill and lay eyes on one of the most picturesque Double Plateau greens you’ll ever see. Since abandoning a back bunker due to erosion, the green is as close to the beach as any hole. 

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Knoll: No. 10, par 4, 401 yards

A perfect example of Raynor skillfully routing a hole to fully maximize the land it plays over. No deep bunkers needed here to ruin your day. The green feels like it's 50 feet in the air and repels on all sides.

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Eden: No. 11, par 3, 164 yards

Perhaps the best Eden template outside of St. Andrews. It plays as good as it looks and the lower, back-right portion of the green is quite similar to Chicago Golf Club’s 13th hole.

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Winthrop: No. 12, par 4, 389 yards

A splendid two-shot reverse redan. This and the 13th squeeze out the last bits of interesting land movements.

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Waterloo: No. 13, par 4, 400 yards

A very fun tee shot down towards the water. A central spine and knob on the left define the green.

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Cape: No. 14, par 4, 425 yards

An awkward hole with good strategy. Hugging the left will drastically reduce your distance to a green that lies on the ground more so than the rest.

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Long: No. 15, par 5, 541 yards

Another less inspiring hole, but it does have a blind tee shot and a neat green with its bowly right half and plateaued left. 

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Short: No. 16, par 3, 146 yards

A tricky drop shot with nowhere to miss. The subtle thumbprint will either bring you closer or farther from that day's pin. 

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Coast Guard: No. 17, par 4, 415 yards

One could describe this hole as “Flatty McFlat.” But the flatness ends at a really cool green with parallel rails dividing the surface into multiple sections. These contours are eerily similar to the ninth at Chicago Golf Club.

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Home: No. 18, par 4, 452 yards

The 18th feels like an ode to the original Road Hole at St. Andrews as the longer carry down the right sets up the angle into a green complex with a “Road” bunker pressed into the putting surface. Except, this green’s contours are more double plateau-like with a nifty sunken portion on the front left and raised back tier. 

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