Golf in Pompton Lakes

The pristine, recently renovated fairways at Meadows Golf Club snake around 12 ponds that vary in size and factor into play-making decisions on at least 14 holes. Water makes itself a prevalent threat to golf balls that are afraid to swim on the 9th and 18th holes, where larger ponds loom ominously to finish out the front and back nines. The 9th, a 240-yard uphill par 3, demands steely nerved shots over two ponds: one that stretches past the tee box to the player's center-right and another that runs along the left all the way to the green. On the par 4 18th, players again face down a tee shot over water, this time being forced to keep their drive to the right to avoid water along the length of the fairway, as well as packs of ravenous ball washers that roam the course in search of prey.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• 6,345 yards from the back tees
• Three sets of tees

Designed by course architect Dick Wilson, Garrison Golf Club’s 18-hole course covers the tree-lined hills, valleys, and ravines of the Hudson Highlands as golfers drink in sweeping views from 800 feet above the Hudson River. Without disturbing the native birds and wildlife, the course artfully integrates the natural terrain into a challenging layout, featuring multiple shots that must clear deep chasms and rolling fairways that create tricky hill lies and test golf carts’ vulnerability to motion sickness. Stone walls and mature oaks and hemlocks add to the stately scenery as players grapple with testy hazards, such as those encountered at the par three 17th hole, where tee shots must find a putting surface buttressed by sprawling trees, sand traps, and a stream.

An Audubon International–certified course, Garrison Golf Club’s environmentally friendly efforts include a 2-acre organic farm that sprouts heirloom tomatoes, nine kinds of lettuce, and other greens incorporated into dishes at Valley and Terrace Grill, the club’s onsite restaurants. Guests may also opt to wind down at World’s End Bar, a cozy spot ideal for sipping cocktails or interrogating fellow players about the veracity of their scorecards.

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.

New York magazine reviewed New York Golf Center and named it a Critics' Pick.

Drive495 is more than just an indoor golf course and more than just a gym. The facility consists of a two-story loft space, with video-simulated golf courses above and a swanky gym and café below. Today's golf and fitness package provides two weeks of unrestricted membership to this compact urban country club, including:

Golf Manhattan's virtual-golf facility combines the experience of a day at the links with a wide variety of creature comforts and game-sharpening lessons. PGA tour simulators re-create more than 50 courses from the world over in immaculate detail, while clients swing provided clubs and practice golf-cart wheelies in cushy chairs. The launch monitor and simulator accurately plot the trajectory and physics of each shot onto digitized fairways, and track important statistics, such as ball-spin rate, launch angle, and how many virtual divots each player has to fill in. Lessons with Class-A PGA professionals, PGA apprentices, and teaching professionals correct slices and fades, and a 46-inch television in the golf lounge pipes in the latest news from PGA tours. An onsite locker area equipped with a jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room limbers swinging arms for important skins games.