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
“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
“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
Review
“If you can get on, Sankaty Head is a must play while you're on Nantucket. It is an outstanding layout on a beautiful piece of seaside property. And while you can only see the ocean on a couple of holes, there is no mistaking that you are hard by the sea with the sounds, smells and winds sweeping off the coast. The holes present great variety and are beautifully framed by the tall grasses. The iconic lighthouse is visible from most of the holes and reminds you of the whaling days of the past history of Nantucket. A must play if you are on the island."
Read More2022
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
“If you're lucky enough to get the invite, don't pass it up."
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
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