Clearview Park Golf Course

Few public golf courses in America carry the historical weight of Clearview Park. Designed by John Shippen — the pioneering Black golfer who famously competed in the 1896 U.S. Open despite efforts to bar him from the field — the course opened in 1924 and stands as the only golf course in the United States designed by an African American. That story alone makes it worth seeking out, and New York City has rightly recognized it as a landmark.

Situated in Bayside, Queens, the course occupies one of the city's surprisingly verdant public spaces along the northern shore of Long Island. The terrain rolls more than newcomers expect from a city-owned layout, and the mature trees that line many of the fairways give it a character that belies its municipal origins. At par 70, it plays shorter than a championship test, but the routing demands accuracy and local knowledge.

For New York City golfers, Clearview is one of the more cherished cards in the public-links deck — affordable, accessible by public transit, and carrying a genuinely irreplaceable place in the broader American golf story.