Monster

Few names in American golf carry more dread — or more history — than the Monster at Concord Resort. Designed by Joseph Finger and opened in 1963, the course earned its nickname honestly: it was, for a stretch, one of the longest golf courses in the world, a deliberate act of intimidation built during the era when length was the ultimate statement. The Monster hosted PGA Tour events and became one of the signature layouts of the Borscht Belt's golden age, when the Catskills resort scene was at its most extravagant and competitive.

Kiamesha Lake sits in Sullivan County, in the rolling, forested hills of the western Catskills — a region that once drew millions of New York–area vacationers every summer. The landscape is lush and heavily wooded, with the kind of elevation changes that make yardage numbers feel almost beside the point.

The course's unusual par of 75 hints at its personality: generous on paper, punishing in practice. The Monster rewards patience and power in equal measure, and arriving here feeling underprepared is entirely understandable.