Montauk Downs State Park

Montauk Downs State Park, is a Public, 18-hole golf course located in Montauk, New York.

If you have a public course like Bethpage in your state, it's going to be tough to beat them out as #1 best public course in the state. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Gardeners Bay, many think that Montauk Downs comes in as a close "second best public course for the money in New York" just behind the Black track at Bethpage. "Golf Digest" rated this course as the 3rd "Best Public Course" in the state for 1996. In addition, "Golf Digest" rated this course 38th best under the category of "America's Top 75 Affordable Courses" in their 1996 list of "America's Best Golf Courses Everyone Can Play." In 1990, they ranked it 44th among the "Top 75 Public Courses."

The golf course traces its history back to a private course originally developed in 1927, designed by Captain H.C. Tippett.

The course was redesigned in 1968. Robert Trent Jones Sr. and his son Rees to took advantage of rolling, tree-studded terrain punctuated by ponds and lakes and buffeted by strong winds. This state-owned course often requires difficult approach shots. All the tees and greens are elevated. Today the course stretches close to 7,000 yards. You'll feel every bit of it at holes like the uphill, 452-yard 9th and, with its forced carry, the 213-yard 12th. And more improvements are in the pipeline thanks to a recently initiated private fund-raising effort and Rees Jones, who has agreed to work on the course pro bono.

Par for the course is 72. The course plays to 6,762 yards from the blue tees, 6,289 yards from the white tees and 5,797 yards from the red tees. The number 1 handicap hole on the course is the aforementioned, uphill, 452-yard 9th hole.