Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Stephen Szurlej
Sebonack Golf Club
Sebonack Golf Club
Sebonack Golf Club
Sebonack Golf Club
405 Sebonac Rd
Southampton, NY 11968-2757
United States
Overview
Not since Augusta National had the nation’s greatest golfer teamed with one of the most highly regarded course architects on a design project. But the joint venture by Jack Nicklaus with Tom Doak at Sebonack was complicated by the fact that golfer Nicklaus was also an esteemed course architect in his own right, and the project sat right beside two American icons, Shinnecock Hills and National Golf Links. Some pundits have reduced Sebonack to “Tom’s bunkers, Jack’s greens,” but in truth it’s just the opposite. Doak convinced Nicklaus to go with small greens of sweeping contours and little imperfections the likes of which Jack would never have considered on his own. Meanwhile, Jack insisted that Tom tone down his usual ragged, jagged bunker faces to make them palatable to high-handicap club members. Sebonack hosted the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open to great success.
About
Awards
100 Greatest: Ranked since 2009.
2023-'24 ranking: 43rd.
Highest ranking: 38th, 2015-2016 & 2021-2022.
Best in State: Ranked Top 10 in New York since 2011.
2023-'24 ranking: 8th.
Previous ranking: 7th.
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
“Sebonack is blessed with a fantastic location and an amazing clubhouse. The course, too, is very good. Not great, but very good. The greens are a little too tricked up, which makes it difficult to use anything but the aerial route when approaching greens. This is a bit bizarre for a course that aims to have a links feel. The finishing stretch of 13-14 and 17-18 is particularly strong."
Read More2024
Review
“Beautiful, challenging, full of variety and shot options. Great walk. Not to be missed."
Read More2023
Review
“Absolutely spectacular in every way. You can see the individual design elements of both Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak, with several heroic holes/shots Jack is known for, and Tom's strategic bunkering and small, demanding greens. The conditioning of the golf course, from tee to green, is second to none."
Read More2023
Review
“Sebonack is a beautiful property and features a great layout. The collection of par 3's are terrific and it features some scenic approach shots, particularly on the 1st and 11th holes, that feature the sound as a backdrop. The tee shot on 18 is epic, begging you to play into the 2nd fairway to avoid the water left. The layout is sufficiently challenging but a handful of the greens need to be softened/flattened. The greens often roll too fast for the amount of undulation. Depending on pin locations, decent approach shots can result in a nearly impossible 2-putt. Overall this is a terrific property with a great golf course that could be even better with some changes to the greens."
Read More2023
Review
“If you ever get an invite, drop everything and go. An incredible golf course with 17 of the best holes that you will ever play. Unfortunately, the 8th hole, while being a fine hole independently, doesn't fit the surrounding holes."
Read More2022
Review
“The biggest question about Sebonack that you often hear is "Does it live up to its lofty neighborhood?" My answer would be certainly "yes". It offers an exciting round of golf with memorable holes throughout the golf course. It has one of the best starts in golf as holes 1-3 are a combination of fun, challenging and scenic golf. In particular, holes 2-3 should be in the conversation for best golf holes on Long Island! Meanwhile, the inland holes between 5-7 are excellent holes that require different challenges of the golfer. The back 9 again has an incredible start between 10-13, with the 11th being an incredibly stellar par 4. Meanwhile, holes 15-18 offer a great finish to the round, with the 18th obviously being one of the great finishing holes in all of golf. I was uncertain as to how the Doak and Nicklaus design elements would mesh and, in general, I thought the two worked well together. However, it wasn't perfect. First, the relatively small greens were odd for a course located in a windy, oceanfront area. Second, the only hole on the golf course that I would criticize is the odd 8th hole. The golf course flows so well from hole to hole and really feels natural, except for the 8th hole, whose long carry over a pond and narrow green just doesn't fit with its surrounding holes. Hopefully, the club renovates the hole as it really distracts from an all world golf course."
Read More2022
Review
“Great walk, with spectacular views on many holes and wide variety of uphill/downhill holes and with winds from all directions. Excellent Conditioning, Aesthetics and Challenge, but also very Fun quotient given the beautiful terrain and ease of navigating around the course for even average players. While fairways and wide and accepting, many elevated greens and false fronts pose strong challenge to even the best golfers. Must play if you get the chance!"
Read More2022
Review
“Fantastic scale to the property, with some terrific holes (11,12). The 13th as a par 5 is likely the weakest on the course, with limited options on the approach and very short for a championship course's standards. Very challenging course overall. Stout off the back tees with plenty of challenge on and around the greens. Long irons get a work-out! #2 is a phenomenal par 4 and perhaps the best on the course. Love the strategy off the tee and then one must hit a solid mid iron to a treacherous green with hard left to right slope. Limited options off tees, due in part to the huge length of the course and generous landing areas. Despite recent changes, the course lacks fluidity and identity."
Read More2022
Review
“Sebonack is certainly one of the best golf courses that I have ever played. It offers an exciting round of golf with memorable holes throughout the golf course. It has one of the best starts in golf as holes 1-4 are a combination of fun, challenging and scenic only found at the best courses. Meanwhile, the inland holes between 5-7 are excellent holes that require different challenges of the golfer. The back 9 again has an incredible start between 10-13, with the 11th being one of the best par 4s that I have ever played. Meanwhile, holes 15-18 offer a great finish to the round, with the 18th obviously being one of the great finishing holes in all of golf. "
Read More2022
Review
“I was uncertain as to how the Doak and Nicklaus design elements would mesh and, in general, I thought the two worked well together. However, it wasn't perfect. First, the relatively small greens were odd for a course located in a windy, oceanfront area. Second, and much more troublesome, is the only hole on the golf course that I would criticize - the odd 8th hole. The golf course flows so well from hole to hole and really feels natural, except for the 8th hole, whose long carry over a pond just doesn't fit with its surrounding holes. Hopefully, the club renovates the hole so that it can be with Pine Valley, as the only course that I have ever played without a bad hole."
Read More2022
