Newport National Golf Club- Middletown, RI

Newport National is an absolutely amazing track, and the lack of a driving range or decent clubhouse should not deter you from playing this course. Seriously. People get so hung up on the above, they discount how great the actual golf is. Which is ridiculous. 

Opened in 2002, the Arthur Hills design was created on the site of a former orchard and fruit nursery- the perfect situation for a links style golf course. Unfolding over acres of windswept terrain, with distant water views, it often feels like you have been transported to the distant countryside, complete with tall grasses and old stone fences.  

Even on a spectacular summer weekend, pace of play was excellent. Conditions were superb, and I was left with wanting more. And for those that just can’t get past the lack of driving range and upscale club house, they are in the works. Then people can complain about how crowded the course is, the abysmal pace of play, increased fees and how great it was before all the changes.