Sankaty Head Golf Club
Siasconset, MA • Private
Jeffrey Bertch
Jeffrey Bertch
Jeffrey Bertch
Jeffrey Bertch
Jeffrey Bertch
Overview
Some of America’s greatest golf courses were designed by first-time novices and non-architects: Merion, Oakmont, Pine Valley and Pebble Beach all fall into this category. Sankaty Head on the eastern edge of Nantucket Island does too. It was built by a local amateur player named Emerson Armstrong but judging by the circuitous routing and attractive bunkering (honed in recent years by Jim Urbina) that recalls some of Donald Ross’s best work, you’d be excused for assuming he’d done this dozens of times. The roomy holes unfurl across open fields of fescue, riding the site’s swales and ridges like an English links. True to the inspiration the greens are open in front to receive running shots played under the exacting Atlantic winds, and the collection of par 3s are about as tough and beautiful as it gets.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: First appearance.
2023-'24 ranking: 196th.
Previous ranking: Not ranked.
Highest ranking: No. 196.
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 5, 1997. Ranked eighth, 2021-'24. Ranked 10th, 2019-'20. Ranked inside the top 10, 1999-2003. Ranked 13th, 2017-'18. Ranked inside the top 15, 2005. Ranked 16th, 2013-'14. Ranked 17th, 2011-'12, 2015-'16. Ranked inside the top 20, 2007.
Current ranking: Eighth.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Sankaty Head Golf Club is a little-known, remarkable treasure located east of 70 degrees Longitude and 30 miles out to sea on Nantucket Island, MA. Sankaty was routed in 1921-22 by H. Emerson Armstrong, bunkered in 1925 by Donald Ross protege, Eugene Wogan, tinkered with by A.W. Tillinghast in 1927 and Brian Silva in 2005 and restored by Jim Urbina in 2016-2019. Armstrong wanted a course as good as any of the great Scottish courses of his day and he succeeded. With rolling terrain, fescue, views of the Atlantic Ocean from many of the holes and strong, shifting winds, Sankaty presents a different challenge every day. Sankaty's greens are almost all original with much more slope than found on modern greens. This feature, like the others described, "protects par" with the same strength as on any Ross course. Sankaty's views of the ocean rival those on the Monterray Peninsula. Its grasses are identical to its "Gulfstream neighbors," Turnberry and Western Gailes in Scotland. Indeed, for Shot Options, Aesthetics and Character it reminds one of Royal Dornoch or Lahinch. "
Read More2022
Review
“ If Sankaty has any deficiency it is that too few players have played it when it reaches its peak of conditioning and playability during July-September. Its bunkers have recently been all restored, removing one deficiency of the course. Indeed, the bunkers now play fair and true. The most recent good news is that Jim Urbina and his crew came to Sankaty in the Fall of 2016 to begin a restoration of the course. The results are terrific; the bunkers have been redone with new, very playable sand and the greens have been enlarged and adjusted for 95 years of sand splash. Jim and Greenkeeper CJ Penrose have enlarged the 18-hole putting areas but at least 40%. Jim has also added a few long and short tees. Very importantly, Jim has worked with CJ Penrose to cut the course "firm and fast." Looking down at your feet as you walk, you see the fairways of Portmarnock, Turnberry or Baltray. The two have successfully returned Sankaty to Armstrong's vision of Scottish/Irish origins. "
Read More2022
Review
“Sankaty Head is an excellent golf course and exudes character from the all parts of the course - similar to some of the iconic courses on Long Island, but unique to Nantucket. From the light house, to the rolling dunes on the seaside headlands, to the contrasting colors of green, tan and brown, to the constant seaside winds and smells - all contributing to an outstanding golf experience. "
Read More2022
Review
“he best view coming from the back tee on #5. Here the entire course, east end of the island, the light house and ocean appear in all of its glory. This confirms for the golfer the greatness of the land on which the course was built. Another eye-catching feature is the combination and contrast of the greens of the playing surfaces with the yellow tall grasses that frame the holes and the white sands of bunkering that help define and frame many holes. All in all a very beautiful course that was laid out on some excellent seaside property."
Read More2022
Review
“The vista from the first tee looks straight out to Sankaty Head Light House, which seems to follow you around the front nine. The 5th hole, playing into the prevailing south west wind, is the best example of what Sankaty Head has to offer. It runs parallel to the last piece of land between Nantucket and Spain! Sloping steadily downhill, the green is blind from the tee box. The Urbina restoration to the green included two fun features. He bowled the back and right edge of the green, funneling approaches back to the center of the green. Second feature add, he built a shelf on the back right of the green, which according to the head pro, has led to some fun deuces since the updates. Conditioning was hit or miss, with beautiful bounciness around the greens conflicting with an absurd amount of sand in the bunkers. Lots of slightly downhill tee shots to slightly uphill approaches; and with course working clockwise around the property OB tracks the left side of the majority of tee shots."
Read More2022
Review
“The changes I liked most was cutting the grass around most bunkers to fairway height so balls can roll into them more easily rather than getting caught up in the rough. Also fairways were widened on some holes to bring the bunkers more into play. We had a one to two club wind on the day we played. The course is relatively short and they have not added much length as part of the renovation."
Read More2019
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