Maidstone GC- hole 18 & clubhouse from teeMaidstone- hole 18 & clubhouse from tee

Maidstone Club is a country club located in East Hampton on Long Island.

The club dates from 1891 and includes an active beach club, and grass tennis courts.

The club also started introducing golf holes from 1898, but it wasn't until 1922 that they got serious and employed legendary Scottish golfer Willie Park Jnr.

It was then that the Maidstone course we know emerged.

 

In recent years Coore + Crenshaw were employed to 'tidy up' the course, which had largely remained unchanged from Willie Parks' day.

Coore + Crenshaw cleaned up the rough in play off the tee and framing fairways, reducing the number of carries over long grass to speed up play, and bringing the lovely red fescue in the rough to the fore.

They also shaved the green surrounds...which definitely slows play down!

 

Maidstone GC- hole 5 fringeMaidstone- hole 5 fringe

 

With a number of elevated greens, some with steep drop offs, there is nothing to stop the rolling ball!

 

Maidstone has a bit of a split personality.  

A number of holes play through and around the wetlands.

These holes are easy walking, and very pretty.

Holes 1-5, 7 and 16 & 17 cover this terrain, and there are some really interesting holes.

 

The course heads into some lovely dunesland after the seventh hole and 8, 9, 10 & 14 are memorable.

 

Notable holes include:

 

- The par 3 fourth hole with an all water carry- it's is a strong hole.

- The short par 4 fifth hole with promontory green requires an accurate short iron- anything long is wet!

 

Maidstone GC- hole 4 teeMaidstone- hole 4 tee

Maidstone GC- hole 5 greenMaidstone- hole 5 green

 

 

- The par 4 seventh hole  is a 'Cape' hole and requires a brave tee shot to assure a short iron to a dangerous green.

- The par 3 eighth hole is the first of the holes in the bigger dunes near the beach. It requires a "blind" short iron to be hit over the dunes to a wonderful green encircled by bunkers.

 

 

 

 

- The par 4 ninth runs parallel to the beach. The green is quite elevated with steep drop offs and requires a very accurate mid iron to stay on the green. Anything short or straying from centre green will eventually trickle into cavernous bunkers, so it is a tough hole.

- Hole 10 is a longer par 4 with another trying green complex. It requires two very solid strikes to get home in regulation.

 

Maidstone GC- hole 10 greenMaidstone- hole 10 green

 

- The final dunes hole is the short par 3 fourteenth hole, set in classic linksland near the coast. The wind is in play, and you must be up.

Perfect!

- The par 5 sixteenth again tests your mettle with a tee shot over us much water as you are game to take on...

 

Maidstone GC- hole 14Maidstone- hole 14

 

 

 

 

- And the short par 4 seventeenth is a curiousity. It is almost driveable for the big hitter, but mere mortals will need to once more choose a line over the water and commit.

A successful tee shot will leave a short approach to an elevated green adjacent to a road intersection. It's weird, but it works!

 

Maidstone GC- hole 17 greenMaidstone- hole 17 green

 

Maidstone might have a split personality but it works wonderfully well.

With the sun shining and the waves crashing in the background it is a beautiful place to be.

I really enjoyed the variety of holes, and the fact that I could genuinely play all sort of shots around the greens- bump'n'run, flop shot, putt- you choose.

This is the sort of course you could play every day for the rest of your life.

No wonder it is considered one of the top 100 courses on the planet..

 

 

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