Having taught in the Hamptons for many years at Atlantic Golf Club and Sebonack, I had the opportunity to play many of Long Island’s great golf courses, including Shinnecock Hills. With so many great courses in the area, Shinnecock always stood out as one of the most challenging and rewarding. It’s always exciting to watch US Open there and watch the course and the players put on a great show.
Here are five shots and skills the winner must master scores well at Shinnecock.
1. Point shot for finding the fairway
Tough at Shinnecock can be brutal. Finding the fairway off the tee provides a huge advantage and makes approach shots significantly easier.
A controlled tip shot with a slight fade is often an effective shot for finding the fairway. To produce this shape, the grip of the trail hand can be placed slightly more on top of the club, which tends to open up the forearms and shoulders a bit and encourage a controlled fade.
2. Rude escape
Rough and fescue at Shinnecock are demanding but manageable with proper technique.
Club selection is critical. Using a club with enough loft helps combat thick grass, which can grab the shaft, twist the clubface, and make it difficult to launch the ball high enough to get it back into play.
At address, leaning the upper body slightly forward so that the shoulder of the lead sits lower than the shoulder of the trail and favoring the leg of the lead can help create a steeper angle of attack. This allows the clubhead to hit the back of the ball more directly before it enters the green, reducing the amount of grass trapped between the clubface and the ball.
3. Flying wedge
Wind is one of Shinnecock’s biggest defenses. Long Island often experiences strong onshore winds, making trajectory control essential.
The ability to fly lower shots allows players to better manage distance and direction. Moving the ball slightly back in position can help create a lower trajectory. Players can also favor the lead foot throughout the swing while dropping the lead foot slightly back to align the shoulders and keep pressure forward.
A three-quarters back and through swing helps keep the ball down and minimizes wind impact.
4. Touch the greens
Fast hardly matches the speed of Shinnecock’s greens, especially when combined with their significant undulation.
Avoiding three shots will be critical, making range control one of the most important skills during the week. While tournament pros generally excel in this area, it’s also one of the skills that recreational players can improve the most through focused practice and distance control drills.
5. Par-3 tee shots
Shinnecock’s par 3s are beautiful and demanding. The 11th hole immediately comes to mind.
Hitting the green should be the primary objective. The elevated putting surface requires exceptional distance control, especially when the wind is blowing. There’s nothing wrong with aiming for the center of the green and prioritizing a safe target, given how easily shots can go off the green.
