Winged Foot (West)
Winged Foot (West)
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Course Type
Private -
GOLF Top 100 World Rank (2023-24)
29 -
Year
1923 -
Architects
A.W. Tillinghast -
Par
72 -
Yardage
7,426
Course Overview
Hale Irwin survived the 1974 “Massacre at Winged Foot” U.S. Open to win at seven over par. Geoff Ogilvy didn’t fare much better in 2006, when his five-over total took home the trophy. Mark Brooks, 1996 PGA champion, summed up this Golden Age A.W. Tillinghast design this way: “There are probably six hard holes, six really hard holes and six impossible holes.” Frighteningly contoured, pear-shaped greens, cavernous bunkers and a procession of rugged par-4s define the trouble. On a “difficulty” scale of 1 to 10, Jack Nicklaus once rated the West course a 12. That said, Gil Hanse’s astonishing green expansion has brought back an exciting element of creativity with which few parkland courses can contend. (Photo: Christian Hafer)
3 things to know
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Hole everyone talks about
No. 10, par-3, 194 yards. The 10th was a favorite of Winged Foot architect A.W. Tillinghast, and Ben Hogan once called the tricky par-3 — in which a house across the property line stands behind the green — “a 3-iron into someone’s bedroom window.” -
Best non-golf amenity
The clubhouse. The famous stone structure was built in 1925 and still, to this day, management goes to great lengths to restore and repair classily crafted elements of it rather than replace. It’s all in the details, and visiting is like a wonderful stroll back in time. -
Insider tip
If you are lucky enough to snag a tee time here, stay for a post-round shower (seriously). While the locker room is purposefully simplistic, the showers were built to be the ultimate post-round oasis for spent golfers. Mission accomplished.
