Inwood Country Club—Inwood, NY
Okay, here is the deal; I am a Herbert Strong freak! I think of all the architects I’ve seen thus far, he is the most
interesting designer whose work I’ve had the pleasure to play. Given this, I’ve been eyeing playing Inwood ever
since I first experienced Strong’s work at Canterbury. Add in the fact I am also a Bobby Jones freak. Given that
Mr. Jones won his first US Open at Inwood in 1923, this course is a mega must-play for me. To put the cherry on
top, Tom Doak has been working with the club and the course since 1998. To say I was excited to play the
course is an understatement!
I must say, getting to and from the course is not an easy task. In fact, after my round I had to catch a plane at
JFK Airport to make it back to Atlanta later that day. Despite JFK being 3.6 miles from the front gate of the club,
an hour later I was still stuck in traffic. Combining this hustle-bustle feeling surrounding the course with the
planes that fly over head, doesn’t make a round at Inwood the peaceful, serene escape I generally look for when
playing golf. Nevertheless, the architecture of the golf course is so amazing that it still ranks near the top of my
list.
People familiar with Strong know that his style is “unique”. He loves to use interesting greens and wild mounds to
protect those greens. His works at Inwood is exceptional in this regard.
But you can see signs that his work was altered over time and many of his signature style greens have become
flat table tops that lack his flair and dramatic style.
No worries, however. As the routing and the varying style of the land makes up for some of the greens lack of
drama. For starters, the course is a par 71 and the front nine plays as a par 37 and the back a par 34. On the
front, there is a stretch of holes that goes par 5, 5, 5, 3, 3. Without question, this is “unique”.
But concerning how the course looks and plays, the first few holes at Inwood wind and twist and turn the golfer
through a parkland feeling portion of the course, but you can always see the water way and the sandy, beachy
looking bunkers.
But despite the courses small property (104 acres), the routing takes the golfer from this inland area to a mind
blowingly dramatic peninsula area of the course. This section has water views and vistas, and Manhattan skyline
views, all leading to a dramatic climax on the par 3 14th hole. Frankly, this hole’s beauty is right up there with the
photos I’ve seen of Pebble Beach. It is stunning!
After this wonderful twist in the routing, it is back to the parkland holes. And the entire course reaches its final
climax on the 18th hole. This beauty is a 408 yard par 4 that is fairly straight forward with the exception of the
small pond that fronts the green. This hole is without question the most historic on the course as back in 1923
Bobby Jones launched an epic approach shot from this location…
to ultimately seal his first U.S. Open title.
The course is very small by today’s standards as it measures 6,639 yards from the tips and is rated 72.8/137.
Okay, here is the deal; I am a Herbert Strong freak! I think of all the architects I’ve seen thus far, he is the most
interesting designer whose work I’ve had the pleasure to play. Given this, I’ve been eyeing playing Inwood ever
since I first experienced Strong’s work at Canterbury. Add in the fact I am also a Bobby Jones freak. Given that
Mr. Jones won his first US Open at Inwood in 1923, this course is a mega must-play for me. To put the cherry on
top, Tom Doak has been working with the club and the course since 1998. To say I was excited to play the
course is an understatement!
I must say, getting to and from the course is not an easy task. In fact, after my round I had to catch a plane at
JFK Airport to make it back to Atlanta later that day. Despite JFK being 3.6 miles from the front gate of the club,
an hour later I was still stuck in traffic. Combining this hustle-bustle feeling surrounding the course with the
planes that fly over head, doesn’t make a round at Inwood the peaceful, serene escape I generally look for when
playing golf. Nevertheless, the architecture of the golf course is so amazing that it still ranks near the top of my
list.
People familiar with Strong know that his style is “unique”. He loves to use interesting greens and wild mounds to
protect those greens. His works at Inwood is exceptional in this regard.
But you can see signs that his work was altered over time and many of his signature style greens have become
flat table tops that lack his flair and dramatic style.
No worries, however. As the routing and the varying style of the land makes up for some of the greens lack of
drama. For starters, the course is a par 71 and the front nine plays as a par 37 and the back a par 34. On the
front, there is a stretch of holes that goes par 5, 5, 5, 3, 3. Without question, this is “unique”.
But concerning how the course looks and plays, the first few holes at Inwood wind and twist and turn the golfer
through a parkland feeling portion of the course, but you can always see the water way and the sandy, beachy
looking bunkers.
But despite the courses small property (104 acres), the routing takes the golfer from this inland area to a mind
blowingly dramatic peninsula area of the course. This section has water views and vistas, and Manhattan skyline
views, all leading to a dramatic climax on the par 3 14th hole. Frankly, this hole’s beauty is right up there with the
photos I’ve seen of Pebble Beach. It is stunning!
After this wonderful twist in the routing, it is back to the parkland holes. And the entire course reaches its final
climax on the 18th hole. This beauty is a 408 yard par 4 that is fairly straight forward with the exception of the
small pond that fronts the green. This hole is without question the most historic on the course as back in 1923
Bobby Jones launched an epic approach shot from this location…
to ultimately seal his first U.S. Open title.
The course is very small by today’s standards as it measures 6,639 yards from the tips and is rated 72.8/137.
