Winged Foot (west) - 18 points
I went to Winged Foot by accident. We were due to play a highly ranked course of good repute in Long Island (OK, it was Shinnecock), but they had decided to dump several tons of sand on every green and it was unplayable. So, on that late October morning we found ourselves making a dash to Winged Foot, 30 minutes north of Manhattan and a dream of a course.
Frankly, I was a little worried. The trip was for my Dad’s 70th birthday and I thought it would be too tough for both of us. When I was a kid in the 80s, I remember my Dad having a book about the story of the 1974 US Open that recounted all the horrors that unfolded. I imagined it would be a long slog, with little joy. I’m glad to say I couldn't have been more wrong.
The first decision we made was a good one - to play off the white tees which were around the magic 6,500 yard mark. It took a little of the sting out of the course and meant that only a couple of holes were totally out of reach in regulation.
For some reason, I had in my mind a course crafted out of a forest, where any shot off line would be hard to find and have no shot back into play. Wrong again. The rough was clingy and thick, but it was still possible to advance it reasonably if you weren’t too greedy. Often recoveries would get just short of the green leaving a good chance of knocking it on. However when we arrived at the green we were faced with some of the most devilish set-ups in the world.
The green complexes are one of the defining characteristics of Winged Foot. Most of them tilt from back to front, so where you leave your approach shot is absolutely key. The first green gives you a wonderful taste of what is to come. It’s a vast, tilting, sloping, bewildering expanse. It is impossible to play it without a sense of wonder and joy!
The 1st green at Winged Foot - a thing of wonder!
Your eyes can deceive you at Winged Foot. There are false fronts galore and the nuances of the slopes mean that playing away from the pin and letting the ball roll in will often be the smart play. It may sound odd, but I found some similarities to a Scottish links course. You can putt the ball from way out, and it may be easier to get the ball to the hole that way rather than trying to get there with a wedge.
The par 5s were all accessible; I was up on 2 of the 4 and I'm not a long hitter. Conversely the 3s are long, with 3 of the 4 being over 190 yards. The standout would be the 10th. With the pin at the back we were playing 195 yards over a valley, but a well hit tee shot was all it took to have a massively sloping 60 footer for birdie (not made!).
Founded in 1906, Winged Foot is a wonderfully historic place to play golf. There are so many great anecdotes, but the 2006 US Open added another bucketful to keep the magic alive. For us Brits, Monty's 7 iron short of the green, pitch and three putt for double lives long in the memory. For what it's worth, I did one better from the same spot on the fairway. It’s another hole defined by the green - a false front will push the ball down to a dell, there are intricate humps and hollows, and you need to be the right side of the flag to have a chance of getting down in 2.
You shouldn’t expect to shoot the lights out at Winged Foot - it’s one of the most revered US Open sites. But you shouldn’t approach it with fear like I did! Suffice to say, off the right tees (I cannot emphasise that point enough) I think that any golfer would have a great time at Winged Foot. I found it a really exhilarating place to play golf. At times your pulse will be racing, but there is also a real calm feeling out in the whispering trees.
I was lucky enough to get back to Winged Foot in September 2019, after the mercurial Gil Hanse had completed a fantastic renovation of the West Course. Bunkers have come out, greens reclaimed and the course is even better for it. As a result of the green expansion work (back to the original sizes) there will be new pin positions possible when the 2020 US Open visits. When I was there they were already well along with getting things ready for the event. The fairways had definitely come in a bit and the rough was a little deeper but I still didn’t feel that it was an unfair challenge. But boy, when they get those greens going for the pros it will be quite scary in places.
This may be the best parkland course I have played. If you get the chance to play it then definitely take up the offer(!), you won't be disappointed. It's a very strong 18 points!
Winged Foot West Scorecard
BOOKING THE COURSE
Well, this is a hard one. It is a high end course which isn't particularly accessible. However, if you are really set on it, then my advice would be to look out for the charity auctions as New Yorkers are a benevolent lot and there are a few opportunities to play there every year.
TOUR TIPS
If you are playing other courses in the area (Quaker Ridge may be the pick of the lot) then there are tips for staying locally on the Westchester page. Failing that, you are only 30 minutes from Manhattan so you can enjoy the attractions of the Big Apple before heading up.
Play here is usually only with a member but, if your host has the time I would thoroughly encourage you to try to play the East course too. It is a more accessible course for sure, but fits into the property wonderfully. There are some I know who even prefer it to the West. If you start early enough there should be no problem getting round both the East and the West.
You can’t book a tee time on either course usually - it’s a first-come-first-served roll up on the 1st tee. Caddies are mandatory, and pretty essential when it comes to reading these greens.
This really feels like an old-school members’ club. The locker rooms are reminiscent of those in a 1950s boarding school, there are idiosyncrasies like the burnt toast served before lunch and the ginger biscuits with peanut butter after 9 holes. The clubhouse is adorned with memorabilia from days gone by and you won’t have to wait long to hear stories from the past.
I would also do a shout out to the pro shop. I think it may be the best stocked anywhere in the world. The range is huge and really well sourced. That, combined with the very cool Winged Foot logo, means you will find it hard to leave without getting the credit card out.
