Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course

Overview: In the northwest Bronx, Van Cortlandt Park’s municipal golf course provides 18 public holes, listed at par 70 and 6,096 yards from the longest tees. The course follows the park’s ridges, valleys and open flats, with long par fives, changing elevation and a mixture of woodland and city-edge views. Its appeal is not only the playing test but also the feeling of stepping into a major chapter of American public golf while remaining inside New York City.

History: Van Cortlandt Park Alliance records the first municipal course in the country opening here in 1895 as a nine-hole layout. Tom Bendelow arrived in the late 1890s and expanded the property to 18 holes, a development documented in the city’s annual parks records. The clubhouse followed in 1902, and later transport, highway and renovation projects changed parts of the ground. Current course references credit Stephen Kay with a complete renovation in 2008, while Bendelow remains the defining historical designer.

Did You Know? Van Cortlandt was a test case for municipal golf. Its success helped other American cities see that a full public course could serve large numbers of players, making the Bronx layout an important part of how everyday golf spread across the country.