Madison

Willie Park Jr. is noted for at least one famous golf club near the Long Island Sound (OK, so Maidstone technically sits on the Atlantic side of Long Island), but he also crafted a nice little club on the shore in the state of Connecticut. Madison Country Club was founded at the turn of the century, and more than 115 years later the club enlisted Brian Silva to do a combination reno-restoration, both to keep the intrigue of Park’s original layout present for 21st century golfers, and to build three totally new holes.

Distance is certainly not the strongest foe at Madison, as the course only stretches to 6,300 yards from the back tees. However, Park’s placement of hazards (and putting on his greens once you’ve reached them) will keep scores in check.

The most visually-arresting hole will almost certainly be No. 17, a short par four playing to just 315 yards. Players must be sure to thread fairway bunkers and come up short of a trio of bunkers, 30 yards short of the green. Of course, with the green so near to the tee, the tigers will surely be tempted to attempt a carry of that trio.

A similar thought is faced from the tee at the preceding hole, where Park runs a bunker for 50 yards through the fairway, at an angle to the tee. Again, wisdom may prevail over heroics during matchplay.