It takes about 47 minutes to drive from Manhattan to Manhassett. Which means that even in the heart of Manhattan, you are never more than an hour away from a secluded private playground specifically designed for hitting a ball around in the grass. The rolling trees and undulating terrain of North Hills Country Club does a great job of making you feel like you are a lifetime away from New York City.
In June of 2026, I had the honor of visiting to capture this Robert Trent Jones Sr design from the 1960’s. Most recently, the course received several updates from Rees Jones in 2016 and the results are excellent. Jones has carved out a glorious retreat from what was once a dense forest. The course features a good amount of trees, but nothing that becomes too penal. The water hazards also add more strategy and beauty than they do penalty strokes. The bunkering is gorgeous and the hills flow marvelously from one hole to the next. Given the conditions, I was able to capture some great photography for today’s Top 10 competition
With such high quality candidates, the voting was intense and at times controversial. Eventually, we narrowed the gallery down and found a winner from a spectacular handful of days at North Hills Country Club.
#10: Shadows on Seven
It was hard to choose just one image from the stunning 7th hole as this short par 4 looks absolutely radiant in the setting sun. From the tee box or from the fairway, The 7th hole looks good from just about every angle. I settled on a view from behind the green. The long shadows do a great job at capturing the fairway undulations and the perfectly manicured fairway grasses.
#9: First Light over Eighteen
There is something special about the moment when the first light of the day greets the ground for the first time. In an instant, the cold dark grass comes alive as rays of sunshine shoot threw the towering trees. A little bit of mist adds to the display which will only last a minute or two. The warm sun will quickly cause the moisture to evaporate and the moment will be a memory. Fortunately, I was there to capture it with my camera.
#8: Last Light over Eighteen
As much as I love a good sunrise, I almost always prefer a good sunset. Here we find the very last drop of sunlight barely touching the top of the pin flag on the 18th green. A second later, the illumination dims and the green goes completely dark. This uphill approach shot with the clubhouse in the background makes for a great visual.
#7: Morning Glory
The opening hole at North Hills is a great opportunity to come out of the gates hot and make a birdie. No matter the score, the golfer is in for a visual treat as this green is set into the hillside with some scenic bunkering. Initially, I liked this hole more in the afternoon light, but as it turns out, the early bird still gets the worm.
#6: Black and White Portrait Tie
In the sixth position, we run into our first taste of controversy. How can two photographs hold 6th place at the exact same time? It turns out that the judges (me) are allowing ties. After a further review of the rules, it turns out that ties can only exist when it comes to black and white portrait orientation submissions. Sounds awfully specific and unnecessary, but hey, you can’t make this stuff up.
#5: Three Way Tie on Eight
In an even more bizarre turn of events, we have a three way tie for 5th place. Fortunately, all 3 of these photographs are in the same general area. The beautiful flowering Dogwood behind the 8th green provides the perfect contrast to the mint fairways and greens of North Hills Country Club.
#4: The Bridge on 11
“Be sure to get some photographs of the bridge on 11.” That was the only specific request that I had for this particular photography assignment. Fortunately, I was able to capture a series of photographs with this gorgeous bridge. The one below is my favorite of the bunch.
#3: The Pond on Twelve
The par 3 12th hole is one of the coolest spots at North Hills Country Club Since it fits snuggly in between 11 and 13, someone is almost looking on and there tends to be a good amount of banter and interaction between the groups here. If North Hills has an epicenter away from the club house, the 12th hole is it. This beauty provides a great theater for some friends and some par 3 drama.
#2 and #1: Misty Morning Hop
In a wild finish, we experienced a runaway voting victory that saw both first and second place go to the same photograph. Your champion from North Hills is named after the Led Zeppelin song, Misty Mountain Hop. The names are similar, but we have less mountains and more morning in the winning photograph below. I don’t think that Robert Plant was writing about golf courses when he recorded the lyrics to the 1971 classic. However, if Plant had seen this picture beforehand, he might have changed his mind, altering the course of history.
