Friar's Head

Day 9 - July 23, 2025 - Baiting Hollow, NY

Our last day on the trip brought us to Friar’s Head, and from the moment I stepped onto the property, I could see why people speak about this place with a kind of awe. Even after a week packed with legendary courses, Friar’s Head just hits different. The drive in sets the tone, winding through trees before the land opens up to those coastal dunes, and you realize you are in for something unique.

This was my first Coore & Crenshaw course, and it honestly blew me away. The course looks like it has been here for hundreds of years, as if it simply emerged from the landscape rather than being built. The way the routing weaves through the land is masterful—one moment you are climbing through trees along the water, the next you are playing holes back and forth across open ground, almost like a modern version of links golf.

The closing stretch from fourteen through eighteen is truly remarkable, with each hole bringing its own kind of excitement. Fourteen is a beautiful par five with an elevated green and a pin tucked just behind a steep bunker, a hole where you have to pick the perfect approach. Fifteen has what might be my favorite tee shot of the day, if not the whole trip. The towering tee box looks out over a fairway that feels like it is tumbling into the ocean. The green is extremely sloped from back to front, making for a really fun approach with the kind of movement that keeps you guessing and demands a little touch. Sixteen is a fun, semi-blind tee shot with an approach into a green that is protected by bunkers running all along the right side. Seventeen is a par three perfectly carved into a massive sand dune, a hole that feels completely at home in its surroundings. Then eighteen brings you back to the clubhouse with a magnificent finish, a testy blind tee shot and a fairway full of character, all the way to a green that sums up the spirit of the place.

What struck me most was how the holes do not try to do too much. Everything is natural, nothing feels forced, and every hole has its own identity. In a weird way, it reminded me of a few holes at Old Barnwell, with that same kind of playing attitude—fun, flexible, and open to different styles of play. The par three tenth was a highlight for me, acting almost like a Dell template with the way the green is hidden and invites you to take on the shot with a bit of imagination. I will admit, the first hole threw me off a little, but after that, every single hole was a blast to play. You get options, with room to run the ball up the mouth or take a bolder line directly at the flag.

The best part is that as special as the finishing stretch is, Friar’s Head has so much more to offer. The opening and middle holes flow through a mix of dunes and flatter land, providing a balance of gettable golf and adventure, with natural bunkering and green sites that always fit the setting. It is rare to find a course where every hole feels both unique and part of a bigger story.

I left Friar’s Head thinking this was probably my favorite course I saw all week, which says a lot given the company it kept on this trip. There is just something about a course that feels timeless, where almost every type of player would have a blast, and that is what truly resonates with me as the mark of great architecture. Coore and Crenshaw built something here that is both stunning and welcoming, challenging and fun, and it was the perfect way to end an incredible run of golf.

Dell Hole - #11 Hole #15

Hole #16 Hole #18