Van Cortlandt Park Golf course is the oldest public golf course in the United States, opened on 6th July 1895. It is situated in Van Cortlandt Park which is the third largest park in New York city at just over 1200 acres. Near the golf house there is a lake which is home to a family of swans, a gaggle of geese and sord of quacking mallards. There are many trails as well for cycling, hiking and running surrounding the gated fairways. The grounds and fairways of the course are well maintained. Prices are reasonable ranging from $29 for senior to $45 adults. The park opens early at dawn and closes by dusk. There are refreshments available at the club house. Sometimes the balcony is rented for weddings. Van Cortlandt Park golf course is a great escape from the city within the city! Enjoy! read more

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This is a great place to have your next special occasion. It has a wonderful rustic look that will give you and your guests a warm and festive feel. It's right on the lake which enhances the look as well. The set up outside was very nicely set up and it was great for 30-100 guests. I was the wedding officiant for the wedding so I'm into the overall appeal. I didn't stay for The food since I had another event to go to. But judging by the smells coming from the kitchen, it must have been good! The indoor room works wonderfully just in case the weather turned to rain or snow. I can see this as a great place to have your next function for any season! read more

Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course - This is the indoor area is large and warm and updated to go along with the rest of the look. - Golf Near Me - Bronx, New York

Just a simple turn dog but don't let that fool you, has the power to change your back nine. read more

Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course - Turn Dog - Golf Near Me - Bronx, New York

Played here recently for the first time ever. The main reason I'm giving only 3 stars is simply that they completely overbooked themselves. The course was WAY too packed. It seemed like every single hole had a group playing on it, some holes even had multiple groups playing at once. We tried driving ahead a few holes to find an opening but there literally were none. We played for at least 3 hours and barely even completed 9 holes after paying for a full 18. At that point, it was starting to get dark and we just had to call it early which was disappointing. In their defense, it was a holiday so I'm sure it was more crowded than usual but even so it was pretty unacceptably packed - there's no reason for them to book so many people/tee times other than simple greed. The course itself has some nice looking holes and is decently maintained (not the best I've seen but for a busy public course it could also be much worse). The people working there were also friendly from what I saw. I would go back, but hoping that when I do it isn't as insanely packed as it was this first time. read more

Best place to go golfing the inside is nice and it's very fun! Its great for golfers like me. Would recommend thx

Remember, this is a public golf course. You are not going to have beautifully manicured fairways and greens. People don't replace divots or ball marks, but what you have is a really fun course to play with some very hard holes (the second is over 600 yards from the back tees), and some interesting holes. The front desk has always been attentive, and have kept to tee times that have been booked. 4-5 hurs for a round, but reasonable greens fees and cart fees, especially senior rates. Love playing this course, warts and all! read more

I'm not an avid golfer so I deferred to my boyfriend on what makes a golf course great. We came here on July 4th with a tee time of 9 am. We were finished by 2 pm, which is what I understand a normal progression for 18 holes. We were immediately checked in and attached to another pair. We had a golf cart which made a huge difference in my opinion! I would have been even more exhausted without it. It was also a great refuge from the sun. The course itself is very well kept and maintained. It was beautiful to walk around and immerse oneself in the experience. It felt like a wonderful escape from the city and was a fantastic way to relax. There was a good mix of challenging and accessible holes. The people we played with were super kind and patient in waiting for me complete a round. This was my first time but I felt very welcomed. The staff were great and helpful. We had accidentally left our club at one of the courses and left a note with the front desk. A couple hours later it was found and would be kept for us until we pick it up (hopefully we do that soon!!). Overall, a wonderful excursion and great place to golf in the city. We will for sure be back. read more

Although a short course, the tree line and fairway slopes create a fair but challenging round. If your tee shot or approach is off, the penalty is not massive and an up and down for par can be had.. The greens in comparison to most New York public courses are smaller in size, the few dog leg holes on the par 4's create some interesting decisions to be made. I found holes fourteen through to be an interesting challenge. Although they do lack a practice facility, that is not a penalty against Van Courtland as it is somewhat of the norm of NYC public golf courses unfortunately. Oldest public course in NYC 6,096 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 70 . The course rating is 68.6 and it has a slope rating of 110. Designed by Tom Bendelow & William Maxwell, the Van Cortlandt Park golf course opened in 1895. read more

Great! I'm told it's the oldest public golf course in the US. The #1 train will get you there. transportation. Paul Silva, the instructor is on hand if you need some tips. The course is just challenging enough. The café was just fine read more

Great course in nearby Bronx. Oldest public course in the U.S. (1895?). Beautiful day today and the course is very well maintained. Long par 5s and par 3s but short to average sized par 4s. Don't know the slope of the course but the fairways are very forgiving and there is not a lot of water - I think we encountered water on three holes. Easy to reserve on GolfNow app. Sure beats the craziness of overcrowded Bergen Cnty public courses. 15 minutes North up the Major Degan and you're there, Exit 11. Turn left, make a turn at the first light and come back down the road to enter the course. Note: GPS can't figure how to get you there so enter Van Cortlandt Park South Ave and Bailey Ave and that should get you to the entrance. Only ding is that there's limited staff - you have to park and carry your bag to your cart. read more

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This well managed 18 hole public golf course in the Bronx merits big applause. It also happens to be the easiest City course to access without a car. Just a 5-10 minute walk thru VC Park from the bottom of the stairs at the last stop on the #1 train. In my opinion, it's the best City course based on exceptionally friendly and helpful staff, grounds maintenance and depth of natural beauty. It's enjoyable to walk albeit with a bit of stretch between a couple holes, and from clubhouse to first tee. One stop on the course for food, drinks, water and portable toilets, but it's centrally located. You'll come upon it three times during a round. Open year round. As with all City courses, the earlier the tee time, the faster the round. read more

Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course - 6th Hole - Golf Near Me - Bronx, New York

America's first public course! First the good: The greens are in pretty good shape, as are the fairways. The course has a few pretty holes. The sand in the bunkers was soft to the touch, which I like. It's also near public transportation which I did not use, The bad: Parking costs $3. The course has some really short par 4s. There's a lot of noise at times from the highway and planes flying overhead. Also, sometimes the rough is barren and needs more grass. Additionally, the EZLinks system is broken and a single player who reserves an open tee time will be denied by the pro shop. I was told I did not actually have a tee time when I arrived despite pay golfnow.com a fee. In their defense, he took two other singes in a similar predicament and put us all together. After some convincing, he gave us a the stated rate on golfnow.com ($38 for 18 holes with a cart). So everything worked out fine. Also, two of the employees of the course were Red Sox fans, and no one in my group rooted for the Yankees either. Somehow I played golf in the Bronx without meeting a single Yankees fan! Amazing! read more

Golfing was fine. Ranger was rude and left early. Golf cart stopped working at 6th hole and was unable to get any help from anybody, even after calling the number on their pamphlet 6 times. Their phone lines have been down for 6 months apparently. However, people at pro shop were willing to work with us. read more

2.5 stars... Van Cortlandt is America's oldest public golf course (1895) and I'm guessing one of the only ones accessible via subway (which is only 580 yards away through the park, the length of a par 5 hole). The likes of Babe Ruth and the 3 Stooges would golf here back in the day and actually have holes named after them. Directions from the subway to the course were non exist ant and I needed GPS on my phone to help me out. The clubhouse is currently being renovated so they only had a temporary trailer in front to deal with all the business. Service wasn't the greatest but prices were quite good. It was $33 after tax to walk 18 on a weekday (about $20 more if you wanted a cart). Directions from the clubhouse to the first hole was non exist ant as well, it's kind of a long walk down a paved path around a pond to get there. It turned out that the layout of the course occasionally had extremely long walks between holes so I would recommend getting a cart even if you typically walk. Holes are poorly marked with stone plaques in the ground rather than visible upright signs. When I got there at 2pm on a Wednesday no one was in front of me for a few holes, it took me awhile to reach a slow group. I passed them and joined a threesome in front of them to become a foursome. The course ended up being busy but not packed, I never had to wait long to play. There's no refreshment cart that comes around but there were occasional water stations and a small grill in the middle of the course selling beer/drinks/snacks. Prices here were higher than expected ($6-8 for cans of beer, $5 for a hot dog, and so on). As for the course, it's a little shorter than normal in terms of yardage but is well within reason, they have a couple long par 5's and most are par 4's. With the exception of two holes plagued by hundreds of geese and one hole that was kind of brown, most of the fairways and greens were well taken care of and the design of the course had a good combination of interesting and challenging holes as well as some more straight forward ones. read more

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To be clear, the course is getting 3 stars, if I could give negative stars for the staff I would (Except Paul the Golf Pro). Been coming here since I was a teenager and watched the course transform and improve over time. Haven't been here for some time as I was enjoying the Westchester courses for some time. Check-in: Not good at all, faced attitude from the employee behind the front desk as soon as I walked in. Doesn't communicate well, as he kept his head down the whole time while reaching for my Credit Card. (Not sure what happened to Larry, but he needs to come back ASAP!) Paul, the Pro at this course has always been a nice guy and makes sure the people are greeted in a well majored fashion. The Course: Beautiful views on some of the holes, the greens are in very good shape as well as the fairways. The rough around some of the greens need work, but still not bad. NOTE: if you can get out early, do it, anything after 8:30, be prepared to get in line at the first tee as it just gets ridiculously crowded (Overbooking). You are looking at a 5 hour round minimum if you get out there late. read more

I'll be honest when I say that I'd be hard pressed to rate any golf course less than 3 stars at all - unless something went horribly, horribly wrong, or it was missing a hole or something totally outrageous. I just love golfing that much, that as long as its physically possible for me to play and no one is being a jerk, I'm pretty happy. Given my adjusted rating scale for golf courses, Van Cortlandt definitely comes in at a solid 4 stars. The head professional was extremely cool - and well connected. He knows a lot of guys on tour and other professional sports players, and apparently, is good friends with the Guilianis'. Well then. He talked our ears off for a bit before we hit the course, it was cool. The course itself is quite long. It's a good mix between hilly and flat holes. You can tell it's old though (the first public golf course in USA!) - the course layout is next to nonexistent. The play from hole to hole is sporadic and exhausting - there's no flow at all - no stop at the clubhouse at the "turn" and you even have to walk along the highway at one point to get to the back of the course (and then back to the front when you're finishing) - but I'm sure that highway wasn't a highway (or even a road) when the course was laid out 110+ years ago. Pricing was higher than average for a public course, but almost reasonable - after all, we're in NYC. It does kind of suck how that has to justify a price hike on just about anything you buy or do, but c'est la vie. The course was well maintained for a public course and I had a lot of fun playing. I do have to say that I'm still in love with the second oldest public golf course - Franklin Park - back in JP/Boston. Alas, I'll have to resort to VC while I'm making NYC my home. We will be back once the season is up again, and recommend that anyone from golf aficionados or curious beginners check it out too! read more

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Of the public golf courses in New York City, Vanny is far and away the best bang for your buck. The oldest public course in the US seems to be thriving these days under new ownership with well maintained grounds, lots of affordable tee times ($41 with cart on a recent weekend), and access from two different trains from the city (the 1 and 4 trains). With tons of foliage, trees, and a couple bodies of water... it's a nice respite from your typical day in New York. The weekends do certainly get busy and a bit slow with tons of geezers taking forever to fart around the course. You may want to stack your bag with light beers to pass the time between tee shots. read more

Very well maintained course in exceptional condition, good challenging holes. A few very long par 5's, was extremely crowded though on Sunday so it took us 5 hours to get around with lots of waiting to tee off, had 4 groups starting right before us and we're stuck behind them all day. Good food and drinks mid-way through the round at the hut and extremely well maintained fairways and greens. I will be playing again just likely finding a more favorable tee time for the crowds. Oldest public course in the US read more

For my first time playing 18 hole golf it was fun. My boyfriend and I ended up finding a deal online, and so price was cheap. We had to get 2 golf carts for three people. Strange how we still had to pay for each person, not for golf cart. It's not a female friendly place, since I had to pee a few times and I had to wait till the 12th hole and guys could literally pee anywhere, though not legally. It was overcrowded, and we found ourselves waiting a long time for the next hole, so it took ALLLLL day to play. Though this course has much history to it, it's also convenient for me and close to home. But don't leave your clubs behind, it's unbelievably hard to find, just ask my boyfriend lol. And his friend was chased by security for trying to find his club that he rented there, and I remember being in the rental shop and hearing about him through their walkie talkies about some crazy guy who isn't stopping in his cart. haha. read more

Good god this course is slow. 6 hour round minimum on the weekends. The history and accessibility, combined with reasonable conditions, make for a decent course. For the time you'll spend queued up at the tee box, you could be better off going further away and having a proper golf experience. read more

Well I played here in Oct/2010 so im not sure if my experience is typical because of the late season. Overcrowding would be my biggest concern, (along with grounds condition) with any NYC public course. However, because of the late season my twosome played basically by ourselves. I found the grounds to be in pretty good condition, especially considering this was after a full season. There were a lot of leaves on some fairways, but thats what you get with autumn golf. The greens were also pretty good, with minimal patchiness. This is not a very challenging course, and not very long. So its probably a good place for an ego stroke (I shot a 90 with 6 pars), or beginners. The best part of Van Cortland is that its dirt cheap, and is a short walk from the 1 train, making it a true locals course. read more

Van Cortlandt Golf is where any time of day is Amateur Hour! This is about the 10th time this has happened: book first tee time for a Sunday morning (5:32am) online and in advance only to be fourth group out after management came AND FORGET THE KEYS TO THEIR MAKESHIFT TRAILER! Usually it's the keys to the same clubhouse Babe Ruth went into almost 100 years ago that they forget the keys too. Anyway, our foursome went out with the following three groups in front: a single walking, another single walking and then a walking threesome. We had carts. We also had a foursome with carts behind us. It would've made sense to put the first two singles together and lets the carts go before everyone. Casper and Paul are both rude and surly. Paul likes to hit balls on the 15th (practice tee is on the side of the hole) and holds up people from teeing off. Several times, (I've played there around 40 times and felt compelled enough to write my 5th review of any place in three years) we've gone out only to find the flags are missing or not put out after being taken in the day before. After phoning the "clubhouse', the pins usually get put into the holes after you've played the 4th hole. Kevin is the only one working there who is a worker. It's a shame because there are a few holes worth playing there (#2, #6 & #16). 6 & 16 have driveable greens and #2 plays 619 from the tips. Perhaps Rudy Guiliani can tee off with his son there and see the ineptness of the staff that would better be served stepping out of a clown car. This course would best be served under new management because the service is worse than 3rd world. read more

Played golf here with members from EWGA and we had a blast. The greens are well maintained, a surprise for a Bronx Golf Course. However, the signage could be better displayed. We got lost going to the 15th hole due to poor signage. The clubhouse has been remodeled and what a difference from last year, it looks much better but I can't comment on the food at the grill. They even has a nice deck in the back overlooking the lake to sit and relax with a few beers etc; the hot dogs on the 10th hole are grilled and the one I had was great, not the dogs sitting in water or on a tray in the heat. We are defiantly coming back to play this course and will be mindful of the signage on hole 14-15 and I hope management will fix this soon. read more

For those of us who live in the city this place is real convenient. You can get there either with a cab for 30 bucks or even take the 1 train. The course has been cleaned up in the last year or so and is in good shape. It's cheap too. The course layout is pretty decent, a good mix of long and short holes, a few hilly holes, but for a cheap price and a cab ride more than worth it read more

I've played here a few times now. It's great I can get here from the 1 train. The course has always been in good shape, the tee boxes have grass, the greens are well cut and the course is clean. The holes are tree lined so you get a good sense of being out of the city, despite still being in the Bronx. The price is reasonable ($52 for a weekday round with cart). I suggest taking a cart since the holes are pretty far apart. The play time is slow and the course can get bogged down, even on weekdays, making for a 5.5+ hour round. read more

Greens are in much better condition than they were a couple months ago. I've started playing here every Saturday. To walk twilight on the weekend is $27 (starting at 2pm if you have the $10 'Twilight Club Card, and $21 weekdays), which is fine, but it's annoying that they still charge an extra $20 for a cart, even at twilight. The clubhouse really is quite pretty. It recently got $1.5 million in renovations, and the atmosphere in there is excellent. The upstairs has space for a gorgeous locker room, though I'm not sure if they'll be putting in the work to make it gorgeous. Some of the tee boxes still need to be improved, like #10. Absurd how few rakes there are on the course. Talk about the definition of cheapness. I never saw a bunker with more than one rake, always a low-quality rake, and some bunkers didn't have any. Talk about pitching pennies. The concession stand closes at 5pm. Pretty annoying for long summer days when players are on the course 'til 8pm. Also, last time when we teed off at 5pm, the cart girl said "I'll be out here til 8pm". We never saw her again. But I digress. This place has a great, welcoming vibe, greens in solid condition, some really good holes, good prices. All a rarity when playing golf in the biggest city in America. For all those reasons, as long as I live closeby, I'll definitely be back at Van Cortland Park. read more

As far as the city courses go, this is pretty great and convenient. A mediumish walk from the end of the 1 train (sometimes I'll uber up and then train it back). If you get out early enough, you can get around in just over 4 hours. I will try to never tee off after 8:00 again, because the later you go, the longer the round. read more

A bad round of golf beats a good day at work!! The round moved well today playing under 4.5 hrs with an 11 AM tee time. The greens rolled slow today. It's a good idea to ride a cart, or use a pull cart if walking because the distance between several holes is quite a hike. It's a nice muni course. Try playing hooky here anytime you can. read more

Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course - Number 13 par 3 - deceptively difficult green. - Golf Near Me - Bronx, New York

This is more of a 3.5 review. Weekend rounds can be slow!! But it's an interesting course in decent shape for a public course. Lots of history here as well and very accessible by public transit. All depends what you're looking for! read more

This is my local course. I feel it is an easier drive from the west side and it is less crowded than the other Bronx courses. While the conditions, when at its best, might not be as good as other city courses, I have never seen them as bad as I have seen them in other courses. Same can be said for the pace of play. The greens are slow but very consistent from hole to hole and through the year. I prefer that over faster but less consistent greens. Above all, I like the overall consistency of the conditions on this course. The staff has always been friendly and the rangers seem more engaged than in other city courses. I read some people complaining about the yardage on the scorecard, but I have never used one; I use Golfshot GPS and the information for this course is very accurate. I always walk this course, and while the walk is longer than in other courses, I enjoy it very much. read more

Played this course w The Babe. 2nd hole named The Babe. Hole named after me is on the back 9. read more

Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course - Golf Near Me - Bronx, New York

I've been coming here for years and it is the worst golf course I've been to by far. They're a city course so they don't care about pissing off customers. They overbook constantly. It's 7:45am and I was supposed to tee off at 7:24. There are 3 groups still ahead of me waiting to tee off. A round here easily takes 7 hours no matter when you start. Half the time you just go home after 9 holes. It's time I buy a car and stop going to this course just because it's off the subway. read more

This place is the worst, steve is the worst he's so rude their customer service is the worst never ever ever go here. They have no respect at all. read more

If your looking for a fun day out on the course, you will enjoy the van Cortland park golf course. The course is well maintained and is a hidden gem in the middle of the Bronx. This course offers several long, and sometimes narrow, fairways. This is great for beginners trying to get better,and a challenge for experts looking for that long drive to the green. If your looking for a perfect day of golf, and your in the bronx area, look no further then the Van Cortland Park Golf Course. read more

My favorite course in all of NY. Wide open fairways, well taken care of, adjacent to a park so feel like you're in an island in the hustle and bustle of NYC.... Pace can be really slow at times but weekend late afternoons, particularly in the fall and spring, generally aren't too bad. Only problem I have with the course is it has a nasty tendency to force a lot of my drives a sharp right. Must be something with the grass. read more

This place is great!! It is the oldest public golf course in america, and it is a fun challenging beast with a little bit of everything. The greens are well maintained and the staff is really helpful. My friend lost his 5 iron and the ranger came by with it before he even knew that he lost it. The hot dog lady at the 8th hole is awesome, as is the staff at the pro shop. I love Vanny! There are few great courses at this price point, so go enjoy it. Also it has been renovated recently so it will be great for years to come!! read more

Van Courtlandt Park, perhaps most well know for its depiction in the Jose Rivera play, Marisol, as a meeting grounds for Neo Nazis to burn the homeless, is also home to the oldest public golf course in America. Under the shade of the Tracey Towers in the Bronx, this 6,096 yard par 70 course provides a challenge for the average golfer, with several holes giving golfers birdie chances and a shot to put up a low score. Although low single digit handicappers may have a chance to break par, the course record may be out of reach for even the best of golfers. Legend has it that in 1972 amateur golfer and local jazz musician Chilly Willy shot a 11 under 59, with an albatross on #2 the 619 yard par 5, known simply as "The Babe". While no records remain of the round, one-eyed course attendant and playing partner Earl Stallworth, will regale you with stories of the round. Other course regulars give this course a homey feel. You will be greater at the halfway house by chorus of Marlboro induced phlegmy coughs from the attendant that would concern even the most haphazard of health inspectors. The unsightly lady who will likely be on her third pack of smokes by the time the 8:30 tee time makes the turn, still manages to begrudgingly cook up a decent dog. If you are lucky, you may even run into a trumpet player that rains down piercing notes as you attempt to tee off on the 6th hole. I would be remiss not to mention the late ball collector affectionately known as "Cuba". Errant shots off the 5th tee would find their way Cuba's domain providing his modest livelihood. He largely kept to himself only occasionally venturing on to the course to gather lost balls, or offer a sale to a golfer looking to replenish his bag. Cuba was found dead recently riddled with stab wounds just off the course he knew and inhabited so well. I am reminded of a story my friend told me once. He was teed up on the 5th, taking out his driver. Cuba looked on intently. As my friend took an enormous hack, his club hit the ground and the head snapped off, flying forward nearly to the laddie's tees. Cuba erupted laughing, claiming he had been on the course for years and that it was "the funniest shit he had ever seen". As my friend walked up to play his ball, Cuba called out to him. "Maybe I should start collecting lost clubs." Classic Cuba. RIP. The course layout provides a true test for those who try to walk it. Strategically placed between the Henry Hudson and Mosholu Parkway, the winding chain link lined paths and blind corners bring equal challenges for both walkers and riders alike. Course designer Tom Bendelow built the course in 1895 as his drug addled mind and early onset dementia contributed to the dizzying layout. If the terrifying neighborhood on the trip in doesn't rattle your psyche, you certainly will be off your game by the second 1/4 mile walk between holes. For the golfer looking to play a historic course near the city without breaking the bank, one should look elsewhere. read more

I've been here three times this year, and I would agree with most reviews, and say that it's OK. People have had a variety of experiences with the staff, but I have had nothing but a good experience with them every time. My best advice for playing this course would be to bring a GPS or a laser range finder. I actually bought one because of this course. The yardage on the scorecard, the yardage on the sign by the tee box, and the old yardage markers embedded in the ground on the tee boxes are all totally different. They will definitely keep you guessing, and the yardages are from where to where? who knows. 1 is an easy starting hole, just don't go right for the weeds along the fence that will eat your ball, and the low branches that force you to punch it up to the green. 2 is a long straight par five. Play it right center of the fairway, because left you might end up with a downhill lie with the ball above your feet. 3 is a short par three, and the reason I bought a GPS. Even with the green slightly down hill, most everyone comes up short. 4 is an easy par four with a big green, but be careful, your second shot is farther than you think. There's a deceivingly long landing at eye level just in front of the green. 5 woods to the left and a slight run off to the right. Get it in the fairway. It has the fifth bunker on the course, but the first one you might actually hit right in front of the green. 6 Beautiful hole, bunkers everywhere, and first shot over water. My whole foursome parred this hole yesterday. Looked like we knew what we were doing. (until we got to 7) 7 is a long par 3. Like a three wood long for me. And there's plenty of real estate off to the right for slicers. 8 straight up par four with woods on both sides and a drivable fairway bunker on the right of this slight dogleg left. 9 Another straight easy par four. 10 Homeless man at 10 selling found balls, CHEAP and clean. pro v1's, etc... Nice par 5, I just like it because I get there in two. Caught the cart path on the left one week and felt like Bubba for a second. lol 11 Another short par three. Hard not to hit the green. 12 Long par five, water to contend with on your second shot 13 An SOB par three that gets me every time. The green is right there, why can't I hit it? If the pin is on the front, look for a fast put if you're on past the hole. 14 Drivable water on the right. STAY LEFT... 15-18 are the funnest holes on the course 15 Hit an iron off the tee or find trouble. Second shot straight uphill to the elevated green. Most people play their third from the face of the hill, not on purpose either. 16 An almost drivable par four from an elevated tee. Nice slippery green, one of my favorite greens on the course. 17 Good Luck! Par three, long and straight uphill. My partner has hit this green 3 times in 18 years. 18 Tee shot is WAY downhill and to the left. I aim for the edge of the woods on the left. It's a blind tee shot off nearly a cliff. Don't hit your second shot long(cart path and fence) All in all a good course, and I'm sure they do the best they can with what they've got. Nice wide open fairways make for low tee to green stats, but then the greens on the other hand :( The greens, I would go so far to say that they are unputtable. They are the only drawback to this otherwise wonderful course. They are highly inconsistent and unpredictable from one hole to the next. Will the ball break? Who knows? Sometimes, some are like putting on glass, some are like putting on shag carpet. Twenty five years into playing golf, and I must say that these are the worst greens I've ever putted on. read more

Service here is horrible. The people are rude (the guy who handled our clubs) or incompetent (the lady grilling & selling beers at the 8th hole.) The place is crowded so the wait is long. But the courses are pretty decent and varied. The prices are decent. I wouldn't go back here since there are so many other choices in the area. read more

i like van cortland... it's a solid city course, and has some history to it (opened in 1895 and was first public golf course in the u.s.), but you have to pick your times wisely when you play during peak season (which apparently was yesterday, 6/21/08 - a saturday tee time, 2:23 pm). by that time, the place was out of carts it was so packed. i don't mind walking, so i volunteered our group to forgo waiting for a cart. this pushed us ahead in line and got us to the first tee on schedule. when we arrived though, there were 4 groups waiting to tee off... 16-20 people hovering, antsy, all around the tee box. how's that to calm your first tee jitters? anyway, i drank 2 beers before i hit a golf ball, and the rest of the day summed up to about 6.5 hours of of bad drives, lots of standing around waiting using a club as a crutch, and juggling my golf ball with a wedge around the tee box. the course itself is fine, and a decent deal accessible to manhattan, but seriously, this place can get backed up, so pick your times wisely. better yet, see who is playing through the morning. if it's a "group/party/outing", that means the day is effed, and you'll have a bunch of slow players in front of you who signed up for an outing with a bar, and are really just out there to hack it up and get drunk. not a bad day by any means, but not on a day when i actually want to play golf. i don't get a lot of those these days... read more