East End Gems.

American golf has roots in the South Fork of Long Island, home to members-only masterpieces like Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Maidstone Club, National Golf Links of America, Atlantic Golf Club and The Bridge. The town of Riverhead, New York, marks the gateway to the Hamptons, a collection of villages with so many celebrities milling around in the summer you'd swear the streets were paved with red carpet. Despite the seasonal throngs, Montauk Downs is the only public-access, 18-hole facility in the 40-mile, west-to-east stretch between Riverhead and the iconic lighthouse at Montauk Point. This only partly explains the predawn crush; it is also a terrific golf course.