Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, one of the five founding members of the USGA, is home to a championship course that ranks with the world's best. With the National Golf Links of America to the north and west, and Southampton Golf Club on its eastern border, Shinnecock is at the very heart of golf in "The Hamptons". Make no mistake, this "feared" championship course does not earn its stripes simply through the longevity of its existence.

Shinnecock's outstanding array of excellently crafted and challenging holes, many on view from the distinctive grey single-storey clubhouse, provide one of the toughest tests of all the venues on the U.S. Open roster. Here on wonderfully open rolling terrain there's everything you'd expect from a world-renowned links layout ... and quite a bit more.

There's hardly any trees to worry about, and just one water hazard (at the very challenging par-4 6th). However, beyond the good-width fairways lie reddish and straw coloured fescue grasses, as uncompromising as you'll have come across. The plethora of large fairway and steep-faced greenside bunkers create a serious intimidation factor on just about every hole, while the steep sloping green surrounds demand bump-and-run skills of the highest order.

Although the public Tuckahoe Road slices through part of the back-nine, this is a very private golf course and a true aristocrat amongst the world's elite courses. Generally playable only by the club's members and their guests, if you do ever get the chance to tee it up at Shinnecock, grab hold with both hands and savour every minute of this unique experience.