Montauk Downs State Park

Few public courses in the Northeast carry Montauk Downs' reputation. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1968 and later restored to his original vision by Rees Jones in 2001, it consistently ranks among the best public-access courses in New York — and by nearly any measure, among the finest state-operated courses in the entire country. The layout plays firm and fast across open, links-influenced terrain, with the Atlantic wind serving as a constant and unpredictable extra hazard. Fairways roll through the glacially shaped landscape of the South Fork's eastern tip, bordered by native rough that punishes loose swings without mercy.

Montauk itself sits at the very end of Long Island's East End, roughly 120 miles from Manhattan — close enough to attract serious golfers making the trip, far enough to feel genuinely remote. The town has a weathered, working-harbor character that sets it apart from the Hamptons wealth to the west.

For the green fee, it's almost absurdly good value. Tee times are competitive and the course plays long and demanding in any wind, but the combination of legitimate design pedigree, dramatic coastal setting, and public accessibility makes Montauk Downs something close to irreplaceable in New York golf.