LIST: Manhattan Claims Most 'Golf-able' NYC Neighborhoods

NEW YORK CITY — With its skyscrapers and cramped streets, Manhattan might not seem like the best place for golfers. But it's home to five of New York City's eight "most golf-able" neighborhoods on a new list from real estate website StreetEasy and golf company TaylorMade.

The list evaluated StreetEasy data on apartment features for golfers, such as high ceilings and outdoor space, as well as the number of nearby "golf-friendly" amenities. Battery Park City took the top spot because 88 percent of apartments there have gyms, and its location on Manhattan's southern tip provides "an easy escape" to golf courses outside the city. Two neighborhoods in Queens and one in the Bronx round out the rankings.

Since golf draws many players with high incomes, it makes some sense that the city's richest borough would be a hotspot for golfers. The average golfer's income in 2014 was $90,000, and more than a quarter of golfers made more than $125,000, according to Golf Digest. The average Manhattanite's 2015 income was about $135,000, U.S. Census data show.

Eager to tee off? See which neighborhood might be best for you on the list below.

(For more on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

1. Battery Park City
   This lower Manhattan neighborhood is ideal for golfers who want to play a round at courses outside New York City, TaylorMade and StreetEasy say. Some 77 percent of apartments here have outdoor space for practice swings, and 88 percent have gyms to help build strength, the list says.
2. Financial District
   The home of Wall Street has a large number of "golf-able" apartments, the list says — more than 68 percent have outdoor space, 79 percent have gyms, 40 percent have storage space and 23 percent have high ceilings for indoor practice swings. It's also close to the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel and the Brooklyn Bridge for trips out of the city.
3. Chelsea
   Home to Manhattan's only golf range at Chelsea Piers, this is the neighborhood for golfers who want to launch drives into the Hudson River, get lessons from a pro or take some swings on a simulator, the list says.
4. Midtown East
   StreetEasy and TaylorMade call this neighborhood "the easiest spot in Manhattan to find a golf-friendly unit." Two thirds of rental apartments have elevators to help haul clubs, and nearly a quarter have high ceilings, the list says. It's also near two locations of the New York Golf Center, which calls itself "NYC's premier golf store."
5. Upper East Side
   Residents of this ritzy neighborhood — which the list says has the highest percentage of high ceilings and hardwood floors — can take a shuttle to the Randall's Island Golf Center, which offers a driving range, heated stalls and lessons from pros.
6. Riverdale
   A third of rentals in this upscale Bronx neighborhood have hardwood floors for "chipping practice," the list says. It's also within 25 minutes of four of the borough's public courses at Van Cortland Park, Mosholu, Pelham Bay and Split Rock.
7. Long Island City
   This Queens neighborhood has seen a recent building boom, and lots of its apartments are golfer friendly. Some 40 percent of rentals there have hardwood floors and outdoor space, and 38 percent have gyms, making the neighborhood "perfect for year-round practice," the list says.
8. Astoria
   Another western Queens community, Astoria is about 15 minutes from the Randall's Island Golf Center and 20 minutes from the Flushing Meadows 18-hole golf course, which is open until 1 a.m. during golf season. More than 42 percent of rentals here have hardwood floors, the list says.

(Lead image: A golfer takes a swing at Chelsea Piers on June 12, 2017. Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)