Golf in Pleasantville

Designed by 10-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber, Knob Hill Golf Club’s 18-hole course bobs and weaves through 145 acres of scenic, dense woodland terrain. The first McCumber course to grace the American Northeast, the 6,408-yard layout seamlessly incorporates imposing tree lines and 15 manmade, natural, and caddy-tear ponds into an elegant, golf-clap-worthy fairway chain. The course’s most difficult hole—the 464-yard, par 4 fourth hole—showcases characteristic challenges with a tee shot that must carry a pond and bisect a tree-ensconced fairway on its path to a green fronted by a sandtrap. After rounds, duffers can replenish with a sudsy drink and a nosh from a menu of casual, gourmet fare at The Sycamore Grill, named for the 185-year-old sycamore that casts its shadows on the clubhouse and sheds celebratory leaves for players who score under par.

Course at a Glance:

• Designed by Mark McCumber

• 18-hole, par 70 course

• Length of 6,408 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 71.3 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 131 from the farthest tees

• Three tee options

• View scorecard here

Springfield Golf Center's 18-hole course encompasses 6 par threes, 10 par fours, and 2 par fives. Its many shorter-length holes make the course ideal for beginners or advanced golfers looking for casual rounds. For practice, players can head over to the driving range or sign up for lessons with P.G.A. professional Michael Beal. Springfield Golf Center is also home to a Mayan-themed mini golf course.

The course at Stonybrook Golf Club weaves along verdant paths buttressed by dense walls of foliage, creating a relatively short 3,514-yard track from the back tees. Course architect Robert Krieger incorporated frequent misdirection that leads to blind shots, including double doglegs on the 6th and 15th holes, the course’s only two par 5s. Water hazards come into play on seven holes and speedy greens can cause further complications for golfers with the yips or roller-skate golf shoes. When walking, a round can be finished in under three hours, letting players quickly return to daily life or the scene of the accident.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 62 course
• Total length of 3,514 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 57.3 from the back tees
• Course slope of 91 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

Horsham Family Golf takes up more than 16 acres of space where players of all ages can fine-tune their skills. Guests can practice putting at a gold-rush-themed 18-hole mini-golf course, aiming for holes in one while avoiding dips and obstacles. The facility also houses a driving range equipped with laser-precise distance markers and buckets of high-quality golf balls yearning to feel the wind in their dimples. 28 of the 50 golf stalls are private and remain lit for evening play, and a new practice bunker challenges golfers with a large sand trap. After practice, guests can visit the onsite pro shop, where they can stock up on golfing accessories or purchase a set of custom-fitted clubs.

As part of the Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex, located at the historic Chelsea Piers, the Golf Club perches over the same port that once welcomed ships into New York City. Now, golfers tee up in the driving range's 52 heated and weather-protected stalls, which overlook the glinting waters of the Hudson River. Automatic tee-up systems position balls for launch across the 200-yard, net-enclosed fairway. A putting green allows patrons to improve their short game, and two Full Swing simulators encourage them to take hacks in virtual environs, transporting them to famous courses across the country or fifth-grade birthday parties where they missed the piñata.

Children and adults alike can enlist in Golf Club at Chelsea Piers’ classes, which stratify students by experience level. The 13-member coaching staff includes PGA and LPGA professionals, and sessions take place in a 2,000-square-foot teaching facility.

PGA-certified instructor Michael Lanzetta imparts golf wisdom from the expansive practice facilities at Mansfield Golf and Learning Center, which he has owned and operated since 1997. The passionate pedagogue sleeps on a bed of neatly mown bentgrass to maintain the pin-hunting skills that led him to victory in more than 100 competitive tournaments, including the New Jersey Head Professional Championship. A simple teaching philosophy of improving clients’ ball-striking fundamentals is the driving force of every lesson, during which pupils crush orbs from a 36-stall, 14-acre driving range, which features covered, enclosed stalls to offset meteorological uncertainties. Lessons may also include the use of video analysis, which plays back shots in slow motion and introduces players to a digital doppelgänger soon to be their inferior. Mansfield Golf also showcases a pro shop that carries golf equipment from top brands and offers club fitting, repair, and regripping services.