Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Piping Rock Club
Locust Valley, NY • Private
Piping Rock Club
150 Piping Rock Rd
Locust Valley, NY 11560-2500
United States
Overview
C.B. Macdonald designed Piping Rock right after he completed National Golf Links, and just as he did there, Macdonald peppered Piping Rock with versions of his favorite design concepts, including a canted Redan green and a Road Hole based on the 17th at St. Andrews. But it was at Piping Rock, not National, where Macdonald first introduced what has become his most imitated hole, the Biarritz. It’s the ninth hole at Piping Rock, with a green 60 yards deep, bisected two-thirds of the way back by a six-foot-deep trench. Designer Bruce Hepner recently enhanced the course by removing trees, reinstating old cross bunkers, recapturing green sizes and adding tightly mown green surrounds to some holes. But he didn’t change the design. Piping Rock had great bones to begin with.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked since 2023.
Highest ranking: 97th, 2023-'24.
2025-'26 ranking: 98th.
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked 2019-'22.
Best in State: Ranked Top 10 in New York from 2011-'12; Top 15 from 1995-2009, 2013-'14, & since 2017; Top 20 from 2015-'16.
2025-'26 ranking: 15th (since 2019).
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
“Great firm and fast fairways and greens bring the ground game back into play. Very Scottish. Has one of the best redan holes in the country."
Read More2026
Review
“Piping Rock Club is one the best and most underrated courses in America. I’ve been hearing for years from many reliable Tour Professionals that Piping Rock Club is better than Winged Foot West, The Country Club at Brookline, Quaker Ridge, Oak Hill, and many more courses ranked between #60 to #90. I finally played it for the first time today and I was shocked and mad that we used it ranked #98 in America. That is way off because there is no way there are 97 courses better than Piping Rock. Piping Rock Club could is good enough to host Curtis Cups, Walker Cups, and USGA tournaments and PGA Tour tournaments but the members don’t care about recognition from the public but they definitely care about recognition from Golf Digest and our rankings. That’s the only reason why they let panelists play. I am the biggest fan of courses like The Quarry, Ladera GC. and Estancia Club but those 3 courses aren’t better than Piping Rock Club. Quaker Ridge and Valley Club of Montecito aren’t better than Piping Rock Club either. I only voice my opinion like this when I know I am 100% correct. Just like 5-6 years ago when we didn’t have Cal Club as an America’s 100 Greatest courses and I got in a fight with Ron Whitten because I told him I’ve played most of the Top 100/200 and because of my experience from AJGA and NCAA D1 tournaments, I know when I am right and that a course deserves to be ranked higher. Valley Club of Montecito is an amazing place and fun course but it’s not a Top 100 course. Same with Quaker Ridge. The memberships and staff at those clubs know they aren’t top 100 courses anymore but they love the recognition so they play the game like pros and they don’t allow any panelists to submit evaluations that could lower their ranking. We have so many panelists that have no business being panelists but I know that it is what it is. They clearly don’t know about the best courses because if they did, Piping Rock Club and the The Creek would both be ranked much higher. Another issue I have with a lot of panelists is they are very cheap and do not tip any of the employees except for their caddie. They wil tip their caddies the minimum amount too. I really shouldn’t care because these panelists really make me look really good. I get the nicest emails from the Directors of Golf thanking me for my generosity and professionalism."
Read More2026
Review
“Doesn't have the name recognition of other top100 courses, but this course is a great example of everything a top100 course should be."
Read More2025
Review
“Being able to play Sleepy Hollow and Piping rock in the same day was great to be able to compare the two redans. Piping Rock's Redan blows it out of the water. What this course lacks in views it more than makes up for in the design. The Biarritz and the road hole are also such an amazing touch, Bunkers are penal, and if you are wayward with the tee shot it is a long day."
Read More2025
Review
“The firm and fast conditions provide a plethora of shot options, while also maintaining decent challenge despite not extensive length. The contouring of the land seems to increase throughout the round with the back 9 showing off more than the relatively flatter front, but the front offers incredible vistas of the scale of the land. The template holes are excellent and clear standouts in the routing, especially the Redan, Biarritz, and Eden renditions. Overall a very fun place to play with excellent architecture, on a beautiful and expansive Long Island property."
Read More2024
Review
“Great MacDonald course that is solid in every category. The 9th hole is the toughest Biarritz hole that I have ever played. All of the par 3's are outstanding. The cross bunkering might be my favorite of any course. They are so cool to see from the tee. Many memorable holes that have great continuity. The green complexes have cool bunkers that I wish were a little more ragged."
Read More2024
Review
“Piping Rock is pure fun mixed with strategy and difficulty. The course plays perfectly for the era in which it was built in that the turf is firm and the greens are fast. Piping Rock’s template holes are visually striking and the remaining holes are unique and exemplify C.B. MacDonald and Seth Raynor’s creativity and ability to maximize intrigue with the given land. The environment takes players out of the Long Island locale and transports them to a vast open expanse reminiscent of the midwest. Truly a must-see."
Read More2024
Review
“Golden age C.B. Macdonald design near New York City on Long Island. Large piece of property that offers amazing vistas. Template holes fit seamlessly on the property. The course is easy to walk, and the staff was very welcoming. If invited, this offer should definitely be accepted."
Read More2023
Review
“Beautiful use of some fairly flat land. Scored very high on the layout variety given some really good holes that all stand out quite well on their own. In particular, the Redan 3rd, Home hole 18, and 11th Eden hole are all really great and unique holes. Playing the course feels like you are playing 18 very distinct holes that all fit together akin to a difficult puzzle that comes together at the end. Conditioning was OK...some greens had a few bumps. 12 is the one whole I didn't get...layup leaves incredibly long blind shot, and hitting driver doesn't really offer a particularly great reward, but brings a bunch of bunkers into play that hitting into would lead to mid iron shot that's blind and uphill."
Read More2023
Review
“Great layout, offering the traditional CB McDonald and his template holes, which presents a challenging but fair test of golf in a beautiful setting."
Read More2023
