Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor (1913), A.W. Tillinghast (1930), Gil Hanse/George Bahto (2007, Renovation)

Location: Briarcliff Manor, New York

History: Sleepy Hollow Country Club was founded in 1911 by wealthy New York businessmen including John Jacob Astor IV, William Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt III. They enlisted C.B. Macdonald and his engineer Seth Raynor to design a course which opened in 1913. The course was immediately recognized as one of the finest in the country. In the late 1920s, another prominent architect A.W. Tillinghast added additional holes, making the course now 27 with an 18-hole Upper championship course and 9-hole Lower Course.

Still well-respected, The Upper Course at Sleepy Hollow hosted the Champions Tour in the 1980s and 2002 U.S. Woman’s Amateur, but tree overgrowth and the conflicting styles of Tillinghast and Macdonald caused Sleepy Hollow to fall from the national limelight. This all changed in 2005 when the Club hired Gil Hanse and MacRaynor expert George Bahto to renovate both courses, bringing back Macdonald’s style and clearing trees. They completed the Lower Course first in the late 2000s and their work there gave the membership confidence that they chose the right men for the job. The Upper Course was completed in 2017.

Conditions: 8/10, While conditions are not quite as strong as the Upper Course, they are still quite good at Sleepy Hollow Lower.

Value: N/A, This is a private course.

Scorecard:

Tee                     Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

White                31            2147                30.5               110

Gold                   31             1545                N/A               N/A

Blue                   31             1121                  N/A               N/A

Hole Descriptions: While the Upper Course at Sleepy Hollow has received lots of fanfare (rightly so) since its landmark renovation, I don’t think many people are aware that there’s actually another 9 holes at the Club. This “Lower” 9 doesn’t receive much attention, but is a big bonus for members and features numerous attributes that make it a fun and worthwhile play. For starters, it is on a relatively flat, small property as its name implies. Although this means it doesn’t quite have the exhilarating land movement or majestic views of the Hudson like the Upper, it is a fast and enjoyable walk for all levels of golfer and is a perfect place to get some practice in. And while this par 32 may feel a bit cramped at times, there are a number of very good holes here and even three original MacRaynor holes that were included on the 1913 design. No one is traveling to Sleepy Hollow to play this short course, but a 27-hole day to get the full experience is very much worth your time.

The Lower Course begins with a 345 yard par 4 running straightaway along the driving range. With the range down your left the entire way, this hole features a generous right-to-left sloped fairway with a crossbunker down the right at 160 yards and left at 260 yards. This green is slightly elevated, lined by bunkers on either side, and slopes off on all sides.

The 2nd hole is a short 137 yard par 3 that plays over the Club’s driveway to a green that slopes back right-to-front left and is defended by a bunker left. This hole feels very cramped, is not very pretty, and is arguably the least interesting hole on the Club’s property.

At just 91 yards, the 3rd hole is the shortest hole on the course and again feels a bit like they ran out of space. The hole itself is quite good, however, for a short par 3 with a front-to-back sloping small green surrounded by bunkers short, left, and right.

The 4th hole is the shortest of the four par fours on the course at 339 yards. This slight dogleg left occupies fairly flat ground and contains a generous fairway with a midline bunker at 250 yards. This green is again very well-protected with numerous bunkers right and slopes generally right-to-left with some nice internal movement as well.

The pace at Sleepy Hollow Lower picks up on the 5th, a pretty 158 yard par 3 featuring a large back-to-front sloped green surrounded by a mound of rough on all sides but the front and a bunker short left. While not one of the original Macdonald holes, this hole certainly feels like a template and bears striking resemblance to nearby Hackensack’s 16th.

Holes 6-8 occupy the stretch of original MacRaynor holes and offer a lot of excitement and fun. During Hanse’s renovation, these holes were actually temporarily included in the Upper Course’s routing following the current day 17th and fit in very well. The 6th hole in particular is in my opinion the best hole on the Lower Course as a 353 yard dogleg left par 4. This hole runs up the hill along the 17th from the Upper Course and features a severe right-to-left sloping fairway lined by fescue left and a crossbunker down the left at 260 yards. This approach is excellent to a severely right-to-left sloping, Redan-like, square green. This green occupies the highest point of the Lower Course and offers some nice views of the Hudson.

The 7th is another wonderful hole as a downhill 200 yard par 3 similar to the famous 16th on the Upper Course. This hole plays less club steadily downhill and features an exhilarating teeshot to a large green that primarily slopes front-to-back but is difficult to read given the underlying slope of the land. Bunkers flank this green on either side and the shape of the fairway short of this green makes me think it may have been a converted Biarritz at some point similar to the 5th at Fishers Island.

At 359 yards, the 8th is the longest hole on the Lower Course and plays longer uphill from the lowest point on the property. While not as visually stimulating as the previous few holes, this is a solid par 4 featuring a generous fairway lined by a crossbunker left at 160 yards and trees down the right. Bunkers line short on either side of this green which slopes left-to-right.

The walk to the 9th hole is a bit of an awkward one across the driveway and along the 5th hole to a teebox by the pool. This hole unfortunately again feels cramped (perhaps to make room for the pool?) and is an 165 yard par 3 with a fence down the right. This hole plays slightly uphill to a back-to-front sloped green surrounded by hidden bunkers.

General Comments: Sleepy Hollow is an active and thriving Club that has always been busy and bustling when I’ve played. Membership is fortunate to have a majestic clubhouse from 1893 that was once a Vanderbilt mansion and has rooms for lodging. Practice facilities include a practice green by the 1st tee and range between the 1st holes of the Lower and Upper Course. The Lower Course is easily walkable and does not require a caddie.

Verdict: Sleepy Hollow members are fortunate to have this sporty 9-holer on property that features some original MacRaynor holes and is short and playable for the masses. Although not nearly as memorable or good as its world-class sister, I highly recommend an emergency nine here to get the full Sleepy experience.