Armonk, New York
Whippoorwill Club is a dramatic Charles Banks classic where template holes, steep terrain, and bold greens blend for a truly strategic round. Recent renovations have reinvigorated playability and restored its historic flair, making it a must for architecture buffs and a centerpiece of Westchester golf lore.
When you reach the pond at No. 7, remember there may be an entire steam shovel buried beneath it — club legend says one sank out of sight during construction and was never recovered.
Whippoorwill Club is Golden Age drama in three acts: Ross's original vision, Banks’s strategic brilliance, and a recent revitalization bringing both into the 21st century. The course is a parade of template holes—Short, Biarritz, Redan—interwoven with bold landforms that create elevated tees, sloping fairways, and high-stakes approaches. The recent multi-year restoration has recaptured Banks’ sprawling greens, intricate bunkering, and classic playing angles, while native grasses and tree removal have emphasized the striking terrain. Every stretch, especially over Whippoorwill Road, feels like a test of shotmaking, course management, and nerve.
Charles H. Banks’s hand is everywhere: from the bold, square-edged bunkers to heroic carries over yawning valleys, this is template-driven architecture at its most exuberant.
A Banks ‘Short’ par 3 where a precise wedge is mandatory; the green is wide but flanked by steep bunkers, punishing the imprecise. The challenge is all in the distance and spin control.
Aim for the proper section of the broad but shallow green. Short is safe, but miss left or right and you’re facing a daunting up-and-down.
Steep-faced bunkers grab any shot not hit precisely—misjudge distance and par becomes elusive.
Firm, impeccably kept fairways and greens, with crisp restored bunkers and true putting surfaces.
Moderate traditional private-club pace; rounds are generally unhurried but steady.
Serious yet welcoming private club, with a reverence for history and quiet, understated exclusivity.
Standard private-club attire: collared shirt, tailored shorts or slacks, appropriate golf shoes.
The par 3s, especially Biarritz and Redan, demand exactness—know your long irons.
The hilly terrain regularly offers sidehill and downhill stances—train for variety.
Restored expansive greens and run-off areas mean you’ll face plenty of tricky chips.
Brush up on classic green shapes—Biarritz, Redan, and Short punish the unprepared.
Charles H. Banks undertakes dramatic redesign and routing
Returns to Golfweek’s Top 100 Classic Courses (No. 92)
The 8th hole is not just the club’s iconic template par 3—it’s named for the famous French design and is shadowed by the call of the Whippoorwill bird, said to echo over the hilltops at dusk. The blend of Banks’ architecture and nature’s own soundtrack makes for a unique Westchester memory.
Players still talk about the moment the routing moves over Whippoorwill Road—here, Banks flexed his creativity, carving tough long par 4s through rocky, tree-lined corridors and creating holes that demand every shot in your arsenal. It’s the section where rounds can soar—or unravel.
The Tripp Davis and Nicklaus Design renovations didn’t just touch up the greens—they revitalized the soul of Whippoorwill, restoring bunkers, opening green edges, and recapturing Banks’ original flair. Architecture critics and members alike say it’s brought the course roaring back to its rightful stature.
The climb to the 18th is a fitting climax: from the undulating fairway, golfers play uphill to a green framed by a stately clubhouse and soaring flagpole, watched over by a wraparound gallery of history and tradition.
Named for the nightjar bird whose call echoes over the property’s hills
Famous for dramatic elevation and no parallel holes—each hole is carved into its own corridor
Signature flagpole on the 18th green is a local legend and finishing touch
Banks’ bunkers here are among the boldest and steepest of the Golden Age cohort
Template holes are not just historic—recent restoration made them truer to Banks’ original vision
Daily-fee Pete Dye design—modern drama and challenge
Historic Bronx muni with true NYC golf roots
Top-tier Golden Age private, sightseeing and architecture heaven
Elite old-line Westchester private—immaculate and storied
Solid private club close by with classic New York golf
White Plains/Armonk for easy access to Whippoorwill and Westchester’s finest clubs and public options
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: Kenwood Country Club (Kenview Course) is a natural next stop after Whippoorwill Club: it makes the greens a central strategic puzzle.
Why it matches: If Whippoorwill Club is your kind of course, Boston Golf Club is worth a look because it rewards imagination from tee to green.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Bel-Air Country Club a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character, making it a compelling counterpart to Whippoorwill Club.
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