If you enjoy watching jumbo jets descend into JFK while keeping an eye on your birdie, Inwood Country Club delivers both aviation spectacle and classic golf. A storied layout dating back to 1900, this course sits on former potato fields and has evolved through multiple redesigns to become the memorable links-style test it is today.
The original nine-hole layout expanded to 18 holes under Edward Eriksen five years after opening. With subsequent land acquisitions and thoughtful adjustments, the course became worthy of major championship play. Inwood hosted the 1921 PGA Championship, won by Walter Hagen, and the 1923 U.S. Open, where Bobby Jones recorded one of the defining moments of his career.
PHOTO:
© FRANCIS X. GALLAGHER
Legends such as Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret, Nancy Lopez, Ken Venturi and Curtis Strange have all played here. Recently, our group—myself, Christopher Ottaunick (photographer), Mark Lane (GT Advisory Board member) and Tim Ogden (New York executive)—enjoyed an autumn round hosted by Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup during a glorious late-summer afternoon.
The Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup runs qualifying events across the globe, reflecting the airline’s international reach with qualifiers in dozens of countries. Winners earn business-class travel to Antalya, Türkiye, for the final championship. While past winners from our network have enjoyed that prize, our New York group played mainly for fun, camaraderie and the chance to enjoy a classic course near an active flight path.
Special thanks to our hosts Emre Ismailoglu, general manager, and Alp Ozaman, regional marketing manager, Turkish Airlines New York, for a well-organized and welcoming day.
HOLE 5
480 yards, par 5
With tee markers slightly forward, this par 5 offers birdie potential for long hitters who can reach the green in two. Recent rains left bunkers full of water, which oddly worked in my favor when both my drive and second shot settled in those hazards and allowed me free drops. My third shot left me about 79 yards from the right side of the green, and a soft lob put me within striking distance for par. Chris misplaced his drive into a dried marsh area littered with old, lost balls, then took relief to a waste bunker left of the fairway before finishing right of the green and chipping up for bogey. Mark lost a few balls and fell out of the contest, while Tim struggled to find consistent contact.
HOLE 6
160 yards, par 3
Known among members as the “sneaky par 3,” this hole can be deceptively simple or surprisingly difficult depending on where your tee shot lands. Mark struck a lovely shot to the back of the green but lipped out his long putt for par. Chris played a textbook shot to about 6 feet but missed the birdie putt and settled for par. Tim and I each found the right-front bunker, both carding bogeys—proof that the hole can indeed sneak up on you.
PHOTO:
© FRANCIS X. GALLAGHER
HOLE 11
418 yards, par 4
Hole 11 runs close to the 10th green and demands a drive to the right, just yards from that green. The club added fences and hedges to protect play on the 10th. Locally nicknamed “Hagen’s Willow,” the hole recalls Walter Hagen’s 1921 shortcut when he drove left down the 18th fairway for an easier approach. Out of envy, other pros blocked that line by planting a willow tree where Hagen’s ball had landed. Despite no willow-assisted shortcut for us, my tee shot found a favorable angle and the group managed to reach the green—though we didn’t emulate Hagen’s scoring, finishing with higher numbers than hoped.
HOLE 13
325 yards, par 4
On the back nine, Hole 13 faces the JFK landing field and offers a dramatic backdrop of arriving aircraft. The main hazard is the dense marshy fescue on the right; Mark found that trouble easily off the tee. Tim’s drive left him in a good position to attack the pin, while Chris and I hit aggressive tee shots—mine slightly left but playable, Chris’ on the adjacent fairway. Tim mis-hit his second and took a double bogey. Chris’s approach to the green was nearly perfect and he two-putted for par. I chipped in to within six inches for par, stealing a little of Chris’s success.
HOLE 14
140 yards, par 3
Continuing along Head of Bay, which feeds Jamaica Bay, Hole 14 is a fine short par 3 that frames arrivals from Delta and other carriers as they land at JFK. The waterfront holes—13, 14 and 15—showcase Inwood’s links characteristics. I nearly birdied this hole after a tidy tee shot from the Turkish Airlines markers but missed a short putt. The rest of the group struggled with bunker and recovery shots, turning what might have been a string of pars into more difficult scores.
HOLE 18 — THE BOBBY JONES HOLE
398 yards, par 4
The finishing hole carries history: a plaque marks the spot where Bobby Jones hit a decisive 2-iron during the 1923 U.S. Open, setting up a clutch 6-foot putt that helped secure his victory. On our closing hole, Chris declared “a fun ball in play,” allowing two tee shots with the option to choose one. He topped his first but kept the second. Mark and Tim both stood by their opening drives. I struck confidently and retained my first shot. We completed the hole in good spirits, not as legendary as Jones but content to head to the clubhouse and enjoy the hospitality of our Turkish Airlines hosts after a memorable round.