of a mile that rose steeply 150 to 200 feet above the Long Island The Friars Head is a confident and striking blend of traditional and modern design, that celebrates great quality food. 0 people found this review helpful 3000 Sound Ave, Riverhead, New York 11901, Suffolk County See other reviews from Marc Bender. Although they took some time to work out a routing that would work with the different types of terrain, the end result produced by Coore Crenshaw is acknowledged as one of the great courses of America... Coore & Crenshaw have done a wonderful job in blending in the holes on the flat farmland with the more dramatic sandy dunesland nearer the sea. To be fair, that property behind the dune ridge is a potato field, flat as can be. The 5th and 6th tee shots begin to introduce fabulous angles off the tee, with a sudden enormous emphasis on strategy and line off the tee. Unless you really hit a long tee shot, you’ll find at least a mid-iron approach to a green that is all carry with a substantial false front for any shot that lands short. permission. Friars Head could be one of the best routed top courses on a property that is only half good. Head-to-head. There is more than enough information preceding this review, detailing specifics about... Having lived in Melbourne, Australia for many years and being lucky enough to play all of our wonderful sandbelt courses regularly including. Everything about Friars Head is done right and the course looks like it’s been there for 100 years or more. However, the wind was blowing consistently at 20 mph today so the first three were very tough starting holes. As is the case at Royal St. George's, several of the hardest holes at Friar's Head are on the flatter portion of the property, including the tough two shot 3rd. flow together as a single course, with seamless transitions between And while the flat land holes are good golf holes nearly all of the holes in the sand are world class. Even Stevie Wonder said it was a visually shocking hole with the fairway floating and a well crafted large green tying into the 1st and the putting green. that went into the course, as the finished course looks like an impossible to discern quickly just how many holes could be properly As is the case at Royal St. George's, several of the hardest holes at Friar's Head are on the flatter portion of the property, including the tough two shot 3rd. In theearly springof 1997, just such an opportunity presented itself when Ken Bakst invited Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to tour a 350 acre block of land outside of Riverhead onLong Island. I was so nervous on the front 9 and shot a 50 :/ Thank goodness for my caddy's hawk like eyes otherwise I would have had 7 additional penalties. If the pin is front left you have to carry a little knob to get close(I succeeded and made 3). The untouched 30 acres of massive dunes that is encircled by holes 10, 14-18 would have required major alterations for golf, something that Coore & Crenshaw were unwilling to undertake. Membership Information. You must be careful, because a pulled tee shot easily can lead to a lost ball and that would be a pity to end your round that way. Was this review helpful? Each nine starts in the dunes, spills Any of the men who played for PC are quick to say it was the best logo in all of college football. Sound. 10 plays tough, really, really tough. It took a great deal of imagination to design this hole. The 6th and 7th holes provide a visual of how the natural ridges that cut across the property were perfectly integrated into the layout. The green isn’t huge, but relative to the length of the shot, it’s more than ample, enough so that you’ll always be disappointed not knocking your tee shot on. Friar’s Head is located at Riverhead, New York a short distance from Shinnecock Hills.Set in 350 acres, this rugged course was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened for play in 2003 with the philosophy that golf at Friar’s Head should be about options and creativity. It’s one of the two spots on the course you can see the Long Island Sound in the distance and this hole is simply breathtaking. It's set up as a walking course, and the caddies and overall service levels throughout are first class. The tee shot looks more intimidating that it is since again you have a more than ample wide fairway awaiting your approach shot. Stay & Play Offers . Hills, on which he and his partner had worked. A few great examples are the 3rd, 4th and 13th holes; the 3rd is a super long par 4, where you can shave some distance if you take an aggressive line hugging the left side of the fairway challenging a long bunker that will grab any tee shot that bites off more than you can chew. I just love this hole and you should too. Withthe 16th foundand an appealing routing now in place, Coore & Crenshaw signed the contract in August,1998,more thansixteen months after they first walked the property. Finally,the suggestionthat perhaps the green should go atop the hill was thrown out.Would the uphillshotbe too much forthe first approach shot of the day?Coore asked Bakstthat very questionand thereply was an unhesitating ‘no’. routed in that section of the property without markedly altering the With all that said, two of their courses are in a class of their own: Friars Head and Sand Hills. I was fortunate enough to be invited by a member (just finding the golf course is a remarkable achievement) and throughout I was thinking this is real nice, comparing holes to other world class holes and courses. When permits were received in February, 2000, Coore & Crenshaw’s team was busyfinishing the Chechessee Creek Club in South Carolinaand the Austin Golf Club in Texas. 1 person found this review helpful Perhaps, the most unique feature at Friars Head is the unrivaled walk from the 15th green to the 16th tee along the Long Island Sound. His studied reply was Coore and Crenshaw did a magnificant job. Was this review helpful? It’s certainly on the short-list while marching like soldiers up to a roaring amphitheater of sand dunes. The dune system on the inward holes makes for excellent golf and that is where C&C continue to shine. The 4th is a long par 3, that requires a fairway metal, hybrid or very long iron and also allows a generous entry way to bounce in a shot to a deep green that must be 50 yards long. When it comes to golf course architecture Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw are “bogey-free” with their design work. Respond to above review  Also consistent with the Coore/Crenshaw design philosophy, there is usually a driveable par four on every course. class of ‘22. The best stretch of holes on the course are numbers fourteen through seventeen. The first bit was through trees butthen they came to aclearing, alandscape with wide expanses of 60 foot sand dunes dotted with natural vegetation. The sites of Friar's Head and Royal St.George's in England share the common attribute of having both wild dunes and flat portions as well. Was this review helpful? among the dunes. A view of a fairway at Friar's Head Golf Course Friar's Head GC. The Knights are 0-3 as they head into this matchup. and finishing work. You can catch the speed slot on the left but there is a risk of not carrying the bunkers or pulling it OB. The 9th green is one of the toughest on the course and has a whole bunch of little sections to it for which your only realistic chance at a birdie is to hit your approach on the right section. This is a extensive recap so buckle up… First off, take at least 40 minutes before the round to take advantage of the practice facility. is an edited extract from Volume Three of that section of the property. Be prepared to have multiple 3 putts. This brilliant succession of holes includes the par five uphill 14th, the downhill, signature par four 15th, the blind tee shot, par four 16th, followed by the postage-stamp, par three 17th. The next few holes meander back down to the end of the property (where you get a glimpse of the par 3 course) before making the turn for home. See other reviews from Fergal O'Leary. Thank you to Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw for this unbelievable gift to golf course architecture and to Ken Bakst the owner / operator for having the Friars Head vision and making it a reality. What a view! The longest holes on the course offer easier entry ways to the greens, which are more modest in their undulation, another sign of Coore and Crenshaw hitting the mark in playability. The 2nd, 7th, A missing piece of the routing puzzle was in finding the 16th hole. It is a private club where caddies must be used at all times. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and the course’s evolution lends ... Once the Friars get into conference play … Outstanding golf, great facilities, very comfortable guest accomodations. Not until the clearing was completed was any dirt moved, and by this time it was July, 2000. 2 is a beautiful downhill par 5 that takes you into the valley. These are the holes that make Friar's Head one of the better courses in the USA, - hole 1, a cracking par 4 over sandy waste to an elevated green- hole 5, a short par 4 with a wonderful green- hole 7, a very attractive par as the course heads back into the sand- hole 9, a delightful par 4 dogleg- hole 10, a unique par 3 semi blind over a dune- hole 14, a dramatic par 5 as the course heads back into the dunes- hole 15, a lovely downhill par 4 heading for the sea- hole 17, a ripping par 3- hole 18, a strong par 4 finishing hole with a blind tee shot. Although many compliment the back as being far more superior to its counterpart, I find them quite equal. There are others for which you know you are experiencing a very special golf course, but you will not feel the same level of peace and relaxation that you find at Friars Head. Friar's Head Golf Club, located in Baiting Hollow, New York, is ranked No. Short hole, but not an easy one. The Friars were selected to finish third of 11 in teams in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The par 4 6th is a perfect example of what modern day golfers call a cape hole ending with a unique difficult green. Great green reader, too. The approach shot is then played to a green framed to the rear by trees which partially shield it from winds coming off the Sound. Thus, the tendency off the tee is to steer the ball a bit to the right, away fromthis obvioushazard. Keeping with the natural feel of Friar's Head, no cart paths, no rakes anywhere (like Pine Valley) and no frills. The 6-7 Patriots head south this weekend to take on the 8-5 Miami Dolphins, who are currently clinging to the third and final wildcard spot, which was … Friar’s Head’s resemblance to Cypress Point, physically and atmospherically, is uncanny. Friar’s Head is one of the 50 Best Courses in the World. Thoughtheir wordscontain timeless truths, their message was lostduring the lastseveral decades of the 20th century.With bothequipment and money plentiful, courses became more and more landscaped. He thoughtit would make for a handsome feature within a hole and workingoff it, he soon found an ideal spot for the 16th tee going 230 yards back from this dune shoulder as well as for the green complex some 150 yards ahead of it. I was so fortunate to play friar's head yesterday. I had to look up the Friar's Head slope rating from the Metropolitan Golf Association's website in order to post my humbling score. well over a year until they were confident after numerous site visits A unique opening hole presents itself to golfers at Friar’s Head with an elevated dance floor where you can’t run the ball into the green due to the heavy grass and scrub that climbs up the bank towards the green. Pot bunkers in the middle of the fairways really stood out and made this course extra challenging. PLAY. this diverse site deserved more than just another Jekyll and Hyde View key info about Course Database including Course description, Tee yardages, par and handicaps, scorecard, contact info, Course Tours, directions and more. The green is plenty deep to hold any length shot and once on the green, a two putt should be achieved with relative ease. Rather than over-stylizinga site, they were intent on following nature’slead and incorporating nature’s subtleties into their designs. (please note: Whitmanhas built first rate courses onhis own as has Dave Axland who ranthe Friar’s Headproject for Coore & Crenshaw). As you walk off the 18th you’ll smell and see the salt water of the Long Island Sound to your left and if you are lucky, you will enjoy one of the most relaxing settings on the planet for a delicious lunch and cold drink outside behind the 18th green. Are good golf land when he saw it and had a vision for what to! 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