Our sim course pick - March

Built in 1921 and tucked into the wooded hills of Larchmont, New York, Bonnie Briar Country Club is the kind of course that earns your respect quietly. At 6,385 yards from the tips and sitting at par 71, it doesn't look intimidating on paper. Play it, and you'll quickly realise the scorecard is misleading.

Course facts

• Location: Larchmont, Westchester County, New York
• Designers: Devereux Emmet & A.W. Tillinghast
• Founded: 1921
• Par: 71
• Championship yardage: 6,385 yards
• Trackman tee yardage: 5,838 yards
• Course rating: 71.7
• Slope rating: 134
• Difficulty (Trackman): 3 of 5
• Greens/fairways: Bentgrass
• Hole breakdown: 13 par 4s, 4 par 3s, 2 par 5s
• Setting: 150 rolling acres through woodland and natural rock formations

Why we picked it

Bonnie Briar sits about 40 minutes north of Manhattan, set in the kind of quiet Westchester countryside that makes you forget you're practically in New York City. The course winds through wooded terrain, natural rock formations, and the kind of rolling fairways that Tillinghast and Emmet did so well. It's a proper piece of golf architecture.

On a simulator, shorter courses can sometimes feel a little passive, especially for players who like to grip it and rip it. Bonnie Briar is the exception. The slope rating of 134 tells you there's real bite here, and the course uses its terrain cleverly to make you think before every tee shot.

A thinking person's course

The par 4s are where Bonnie Briar makes its name. With 13 of them across 18 holes, there's a lot of variety, but what ties them together is that most reward placement over distance. Doglegs show up regularly, and the ones that play blind or with a punishing miss zone will keep even experienced players honest.

The two par 5s are genuine strategy tests, and the four par 3s are no filler. The approach distances and green contours mean you're genuinely working out the right shot shape and club, not just hitting and hoping.

For Trackman users in particular, this is the kind of course that keeps the session engaging from first tee to last. There's always something to think about, and the variety of hole shapes means you're reaching into different parts of your game throughout.

Not a course that favours one type of player

One of the things that makes Bonnie Briar worth putting on rotation is how well it plays across different skill levels. Longer hitters will find the course doesn't hand them an advantage just for hitting it far. The doglegs, the tight landing zones, and the undulating greens all mean there are plenty of ways to give a shot back.

At the same time, a higher handicapper playing the Trackman tees at 5,838 yards can genuinely enjoy this course. The layout is fair, the challenge is honest, and there's a satisfying sense of working your way around it, rather than just surviving it.

Finishing up the hill

The 18th is worth mentioning on its own. It plays back uphill to the clubhouse, 304 yards from the back tee, and it's the kind of closing hole that the real Bonnie Briar is known for. On a simulator, you get the same shape, the same decision: be aggressive and go for it, or play the percentages and take your two. It's a genuinely fun way to finish a round.

Worth a spot in your rotation

If you're looking for a course that rewards thoughtful play, holds your attention across all 18 holes, and works well for groups with a mix of abilities, Bonnie Briar is a good shout. It's not going to overwhelm anyone, but it's not going to be easy for anyone either. That's a balance that doesn't always come easy at this length.

Give it a round and see what you think.