Jeffrey Bertch
Jeffrey Bertch
Jeffrey Bertch
Jeffrey Bertch
Jeffrey Bertch
Sankaty Head Golf Club
Siasconset, MA • Private
Sankaty Head Golf Club
100 Sankaty Road
Siasconset, MA 02554
United States
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’ best work, you’d be excused for assuming Armstrong had 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 is about as tough and beautiful as it gets.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked since 2023.
Previous ranking: 196th.
2025-'26 ranking (and highest): 183rd.
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 5, 1997. Ranked eighth, 2021-'26. 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.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): 8th.
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 is one of the purest expressions of Golden Age links-ish golf in the United States. The clubhouse sits atop a center hill, and the club houses over 100 caddies each summer at the last caddie camp remaining in the country. Holes weave and bob up and down an open, undulating property exposed to the strong winds that whip across the island site. The course, while unspectacular to memory, is one that grows on you with each play. Courses where you are expected to judge roll and bounce are few and far between today, but this is the name of the game at SHGC. Holes play to all directions of the compass, and some days navigation requires more tack and jibe than a sailor in Nantucket Sound. Beg, grovel, bribe...do all you can to play Sankaty, as it is an absolute treat!"
Read More2025
Review
“Sankaty Head is one of the purest expressions of Golden Age links-ish golf in the United States. The clubhouse sits atop a center hill, and the club houses over 100 caddies each summer at the last caddie camp remaining in the country. Holes weave and bob up and down an open, undulating property exposed to the strong winds that whip across the island site. The course, while unspectacular to memory, is one that grows on you with each play. Courses where you are expected to judge roll and bounce are few and far between today, but this is the name of the game at SHGC. Holes play to all directions of the compass, and some days navigation requires more tack and jibe than a sailor in Nantucket Sound. Beg, grovel, bribe...do all you can to play Sankaty, as it is an absolute treat!"
Read More2025
Review
“Sankaty Head has tremendous fairway bunkering that differ in size and shape. It's a links course that has many old school designs like that of square greens. The green complexes were strong. There were a few par 4"s that were monotonous and the same in design. The wind makes the course. It's in your head the whole round and naturally is effective to your shots."
Read More2025
Review
“To m this course is underrated and very good. The first is a challenging par four into the wind and a risk reward downwind. Conversely the ninth does the same thing just in an opposite direction. The blind tee shot on 5 is simply fantastic. The par threes are outstanding, and the par fives are very good as well. I loved the fifth with Sankaty lighthouse as an exceptional backdrop. Might be as close to a Scottish links as we have in the states. Less rugged than Fisher’s and less marshy than Maidstone. Get here if you can!"
Read More2025
Review
“Plainly put, Sankaty Head is one of the most beautiful golf courses on Earth. The contrast in colors and textures among the rough blue water, the rugged red/brown shrubbery and fescue, the smooth yellow-green turf and the rugged sand bunkers and waste areas is stunning and unique among American courses. Added touches are the classic wooden bunker rakes, the ever-visible (and iconic) Sankaty Head lighthouse and occasional salt-box Nantucket homes dotting the horizon. The consistency of the turf, bunkering and native areas makes each hole feel like a redrawing of the previous one before the land movement and strategic elements present a brand new challenge."
Read More2024
Review
“Loads of character at every turn at this Emerson Armstrong gem that has recently been restored by Jim Urbina. Tremendous firm and fast conditioning that asks of the player to consider where to land it, how far each shot will release, and the preferred side of the target shot to shot. Challenging yet fun set of green complexes."
Read More2024
Review
“Wonderful golf course, special spot in the world of golf."
Read More2024
Review
“I had been lucky enough to play Sankaty a handful of times about 10-12 years ago, before I'd been lucky enough to play many more of the world's greatest golf courses. I'd always felt that Sankaty was an underrated hidden gem. After returning for my recent evaluation, I feel confident in saying that the course is even better than I remembered. Sankaty is a charming course laid out over incredible land with several all-world holes that wouldn't be out of place at other more high-profile courses blessed with amazing land movement like Shinnecock, Old Town, Myopia or Cal Club. On the 5th, the golfer is asked to trust his swing and hit to a blind landing area - while challenging the boundary on the left to find the speed slot and gain an advantage on the player who bails out to the right. He then must contend with an uneven lie and hit to a green set at a significantly different elevation from his approach shot. The green itself has some severe undulations - and the day's pin position will greatly impact the desired landing area. With the unique setting next to the lighthouse, it's a truly unique hole with excellent shot options, layout variety, aesthetics and character. While it can be argued that the 5th is the best hole on property, it's far from the only one containing many of these great characteristics. The 4th, 8th, 10th, 15th and 17th are all laid out over heaving landforms, creating unique challenges and presenting excellent risk/reward opportunities. If looking for nits to pick, I'd argue that the 2nd, 7th and 13th feel a bit too similar. The 12th is the least interesting of an otherwise strong set of par 3s that ask the golfer to hit a wide range of shots from varying distances. Beyond that, one would be grasping for straws to find any holes on property that wouldn't be classified as somewhere between good and great. At just under 6800 yards from the tips, the course provides a good challenge when the wind is up, although the design certainly seems to put more of an emphasis on fun. Conditions were good. Even after a somewhat recent aeration, the fairways had some fire to them and putts rolled true. However, in a direct comparison to the other course on-island that I've played - also within a week or two of an aeration - Miacomet's conditions were superior."
Read More2023
Review
“I had been lucky enough to play Sankaty a handful of times about 10-12 years ago, before I'd been lucky enough to play many more of the world's greatest golf courses. I'd always felt that Sankaty was an underrated hidden gem. After returning for my recent evaluation, I feel confident in saying that the course is even better than I remembered. Sankaty is a charming course laid out over incredible land with several all-world holes that wouldn't be out of place at other more high-profile courses blessed with amazing land movement like Shinnecock, Old Town, Myopia or Cal Club. On the 5th, the golfer is asked to trust his swing and hit to a blind landing area - while challenging the boundary on the left to find the speed slot and gain an advantage on the player who bails out to the right. He then must contend with an uneven lie and hit to a green set at a significantly different elevation from his approach shot. The green itself has some severe undulations - and the day's pin position will greatly impact the desired landing area. With the unique setting next to the lighthouse, it's a truly unique hole with excellent shot options, layout variety, aesthetics and character. While it can be argued that the 5th is the best hole on property, it's far from the only one containing many of these great characteristics. The 4th, 8th, 10th, 15th and 17th are all laid out over heaving landforms, creating unique challenges and presenting excellent risk/reward opportunities. If looking for nits to pick, I'd argue that the 2nd, 7th and 13th feel a bit too similar. The 12th is the least interesting of an otherwise strong set of par 3s that ask the golfer to hit a wide range of shots from varying distances. Beyond that, one would be grasping for straws to find any holes on property that wouldn't be classified as somewhere between good and great. At just under 6800 yards from the tips, the course provides a good challenge when the wind is up, although the design certainly seems to put more of an emphasis on fun. Conditions were good. Even after a somewhat recent aeration, the fairways had some fire to them and putts rolled true. However, in a direct comparison to the other course on-island that I've played - also within a week or two of an aeration - Miacomet's conditions were superior."
Read More2023
Review
“Beautiful seaside links with views of the famous light house folling you around the course. Not long but challenging in the wind. Fast twisty greens will have you playing for upwind putts"
Read More2023
