Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: Jack Nicklaus/John Sanford (2015)

Location: Bronx, New York

History: Sitting at the base of the Whitestone Bridge, plans had been in the works since the 1980’s to build a championship golf course on top of an old landfill in the Bronx. 31 years and $269 million later, the team of Donald Trump, Jack Nicklaus, and John Sanford was finally able to realize this goal. The resultant course has received both praise and criticism alike, but nevertheless Ferry Point has earned several accolades:

• #39 Best Course in New York – Golf Digest (2025)
• #43 Best Course in New York – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
• #3 Best Public Course in New York – Golfweek (2025)

In 2021, New York City threatened to cut ties with the course following the Capitol Riots, and in 2023 Bally’s Corporation took over ownership of the course and removed Trump’s name.

Conditions: 9/10, Unsurprisingly, the conditioning at Ferry Point is superb with lush, carpet-like fairways, speedy, firm greens, and very healthy fescue.

Value: 3/10, The worst thing about Ferry Point is the price. I understand this is the Big Apple and Bally’s, but $227 ($175 for NYC residents) to walk eighteen is egregious, especially when you consider Bethpage Black is half as much.

Scorecard:

Tee                           Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Black                       71           7407               76.3               146

Gold                        71           6867               74.2               135

Blue                        71           6424               71.4               130

White                     71           6038               69.7               127

Green                     71           5227               71.3               124

Hole Descriptions: Coming into Ferry Point, the best way to describe my expectations would be “cautiously optimistic.” True, Ferry Point photographs well and has received many awards, but I had been underwhelmed by nearly every Jack Nicklaus course I’ve played in past. The problem I have with Jack’s courses lies not with the conditioning or aesthetics, but in the design itself. As a great player himself, I feel Nicklaus too often resorts to “target golf” to challenge the golfer, a design feature I despise.

After playing Ferry Point, however, I was pleasantly surprised. It is not a perfect course with some repetitive greens and too many parallel holes, but this is one of the best Nicklaus courses I’ve played and features virtually no target golf. On the contrary, Ferry Point plays as close to a links-style course as it gets on the East Coast, with firm and fast fairways, deep bunkers, and wide fairways lined by dense, penal fescue. Most importantly, Ferry Point’s difficulty is dictated by the wind coming off the nearby East River. I’ve now played Ferry Point in two seasons and the wind was constant both times. This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult courses in New York and a great test for better golfers.

The opening hole plays slightly uphill as a 376 yard straightaway par 4. Like most holes at Ferry Point, this fairway is lined on either side by thick, gnarly fescue that will likely cost you a shot should you find it. The 1st fairway is a bit tighter than most, with several swales and well-placed bunkers between 190 and 240 yards. This green features two-tiers and slopes back left-to-front right. Playing heavily into the wind, I holed out for birdie here from about 40 yards and thought I was in for a special round.

Ferry Point is a lengthy golf course, stretching to over 7400 yards from the Tips. Combined with the constant wind and fescue, this is a course that could surely challenge the pros. From the Blue Tees, the 2nd is the longest and toughest par 4 at 439 yards. This slight dogleg left is again lined by fescue but features a very generous fairway lined by several bunkers on either side between 170 and 230 yards. This diagonal green slopes left-to-right and features a giant false front and shaved-down collection area.

Another long hole, the 210 yard 3rd is the longest par 3 on the course. This one-shotter is relatively flat and features a large, undulating green. The worst misses here are short and right, where two deep bunkers await you. A par here is a great score.

At 490 yards, the reachable par 5 4th hole plays along the edge of the property. With a fescue-lined fairway snaking around large bunkers, finding the fairway is required to give this green a go in two. This back-to-front sloped green is elevated, with a large bunker and steep embankment just short.

Playing back into the wind, I found the 406 yard 5th to be one of the hardest and best holes at Ferry Point. This slight dogleg right features a narrow fairway with only one bunker – at 230 yards on the left. For the final 120 yards, this fairway slides to the right and golfers on the right side of the fairway might have a blind approach due to fescue mounds. The major dangers near this back-to-front sloped green include deep bunkers just short and behind.

The 6th hole is a blind, uphill 400 yard par 4 that provides you your first views of the Manhattan skyline. Another notable feature of this hole is the fact that it’s lined on the right by historic St. Raymond’s Cemetery. This fairway is extremely wide, but take care to avoid a bunker on the right at 190 yards and a small one in the middle of the fairway at 230 yards. This green is small, runs back-to-front and is guarded by two bunkers and fescue.

A lot of holes at Ferry Point are repetitive but one that stands out is the short par 4 7th. At 279 yards, this hole is reachable for longer hitters, especially downwind, but requires a carry the entire way over water to a narrow green jutting into the hazard. The smart play is to go down the left with less than driver, but numerous bunkers await and the fairway narrows the further you go. Additionally, the angle from the left is quite difficult, with a very shallow putting surface and hazard right and long. A large left bunker complex also defends this green short and left. This hole is a good one that gives the golfer numerous options to ponder on the teebox.

At 170 yards, the par 3 8th at Ferry Point feels very Irish with a giant green surrounded by fescue and bunkers. A horizontal ridge running through the middle of this green combined with its size makes two-putting a difficult feat. This green is connected to the 10th green via a pathway, which I thought was a neat touch.

The front 9 closes with arguably its strongest hole in the 392 yard 9th. With the Whitestone Bridge and clubhouse featured prominently in the background, this medium-length par 4 is a tough driving hole with four bunkers on the right side of the fairway between 180 and 250 yards. After the final bunker, this fairway constricts tightly all the way to this back-to-front sloped green.

Playing adjacent to the driving range, the 404 yard par 4 10th is an interesting dogleg left with a wide, hilly fairway and no view of the green from this teebox. There are bunkers on either side of the fairway at about 250 yards, but these weren’t even reachable with the wind howling in our face. This green is slightly raised and defended by a false front and bunkers on either side. I really like the visuals on this hole.

While I enjoyed the back 9 immensely, the 11th is easily the worst hole at Ferry Point in my mind. At only 302 yards, Nicklaus reverts to his target golf ways on this strange short par 4. With eight bunkers situated between this teebox and green, I’m not exactly sure how you’re supposed to play this hole, especially considering several of these bunkers are in the middle of this fairway. This shallow green is perched on top of a false front.

The shortest hole at Ferry Point is the 139 yard par 3 12th. This is a cute little one-shotter with big, deep bunkers for those who miss on either side of a diagonal green.

The 391 yard 13th hole is most remarkable for the incredible view it provides you of the Manhattan skyline. Architecturally this a relatively straightforward par 4, but for many, this will be their favorite hole. This fairway is extremely generous, with the only danger being a mound of fescue in the middle at about 270 yards. This large green is slightly elevated and guarded well-short by a deep, devastating bunker that also partially obscures the putting surface. This bunker plays more as an optical illusion than true hazard but it does its job nevertheless.

The 14th is another strong par 4 running parallel to 13 at 403 yards. This straightaway hole is fairly generous off the tee except for a bunker on the left at 200 yards and one jutting out on the right at 240 yards. This long, oblique green is lined by a small bunker short right and features two tiers.

The longest hole at Ferry Point is the 545 yard uphill 15th. A true three-shot par 5, this hole features OB down the entire lefthand side and fescue down the right of another generous fairway. Arguably the toughest aspect of this hole is the lay-up, with a series of three bunkers running through this fairway about 70 yards short of a receptive, well-bunkered green.

Up to this point, I was already a “yuge” fan of Ferry Point, but the final three holes might be the most memorable stretch on the course. It begins with the fantastic 437 yard par 4 16th, a gorgeous hole running downhill towards the East River. Mounds of fescue line both sides of the fairway, with a hill of bunkers down the left at 230 yards and a pond beginning down the right at 290 yards. This green slopes back-to-front with a bunker and water short right.

At only 142 yards, you’d expect the par 3 17th to be one of the easier holes on the course. With your back at the East River however, this uphill hole often is one of the windiest, making club selection difficult. This large, two-tiered green runs back-left-to-front right and is guarded by bunkers left, right, and long. Water runs down the right side as well but shouldn’t be in play.

You’re in for another treat on the closing hole, a reachable 499 yard par 5 with lots of strategic options. This is a fairly simple teeshot, with the only danger being two bunkers on the middle right of the fairway around 210 yards. At about 300 yards, marshland encroaches down the left side, leaving a very narrow window for the lay-up. As any good short par 5 should, this back-to-front sloped green is well-defended, surrounded on four sides by deep bunkers. This green is basically at the base of the Whitestone Bridge and provides tremendous views of the surrounding property. As a testament to the strength of this fun hole, the MET PGA chose this hole to close out their “Modern Dream 18”.

General Comments: When I first played Ferry Point, there was no clubhouse but there were signs everywhere promising a “New, $10 Million Clubhouse”.  This clubhouse was fully built when I returned and is quite attractive with a nice interior. The course also features some of the best practice facilities close to New York, with an expansive range, complimentary range balls, and a large putting green. The course has been on the emptier side both times I’ve played, which is likely due to the pricetag. It is a more difficult walk than you’d expect, with a quirky routing and several teeboxes some distance from the previous greens.

I don’t intend to make this blog political in any way, but I feel the course was better run when Trump owned it. When I played after the transition to Bally’s, there was no water available on the course, a no pull-cart rule (clearly due to greed, not to conserve the course as $40+ carts could drive anywhere), and very rude staff who literally seemed to not care at all. Rumor has it that Bally’s is planning on razing the course to build a casino in the coming years so you better get here while you can.

Verdict: Ferry Point is a fantastic and very difficult links-style course in the Bronx that is rightfully deserving of its top 100 public spot thanks to impeccable conditioning and breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline and Whitestone Bridge. While you’ll pay a premium New York price to play here, tourists should view this course as a closer, albeit slightly inferior, alternative to Bethpage.