Piping Rock Club

Originally founded in 1911 as a social club and sporting venue for equestrian activities, Piping Rock Club desired to build a golf course in the wake of National Golf Links of America’s rise to prominence. Many of the founding members were friends of C.B Macdonald (Piping Rock’s first Golf Chair) or prominent American figures of this era. The club is located in a quiet corner on Long Island’s north shore and remains a summer sporting haven for New York families.

While Macdonald designed and routed the golf course, it was Seth Raynor who carried out the construction and much of the detail work. Following the same concept at NGLA, the course consists of several first-rate template holes, as well as many wonderful original designs. The routing starts on the flattest terrain and journeys counter-clockwise around a polo field, which is now the driving range. Throughout the routing are several out-and-back jaunts towards more undulating topography that provides immense hole interest — Nos. 3, 4, 12, 13, 15, and 16 are prime examples. The combination of strategic bunkering, extremely firm and fast ground conditions, and a spectacular set of greens makes Piping Rock a fantastic test of golf and rewards careful study. The turf presentation is one of the best in the U.S., and truly maximizes the design while maintaining an old-school appearance and ambience. 

The exclusive Piping Rock Club possesses some of the best-preserved examples of original Macdonald and Raynor golf holes thanks to its careful stewardship over the years. Sympathetic renovations to extend the course were done by Pete Dye and his young apprentice, Tom Doak, in the late 1980s followed by more restorative efforts from Doak and Bruce Hepner in separate stints in the 2010s. Hepner’s work was most transformational, removing overgrown trees, reinstating lost bunkers and expanding shortgrass on fairways, surrounds and greens, bringing the design much closer to its 1912 self. This old-school hideaway design is closer in character to a museum that takes golfers back to the early days of American golf.

Take Note

Peace Pipes. The Piping Rock Club gets its name from a large stone located along an ancient trail between Glen Cove and Oyster Bay. It is thought that Native American tribal leaders would gather for ceremonies and smoke their sacred peace pipes at this rock site. 

First go. While National Golf Links of America was the first template golf course built in the U.S., a few template holes were omitted from the design and built for the first time at Piping Rock. The ninth and 13th holes are the first renditions of the Biarritz and Knoll templates, and remain some of the finest examples to date.