Originally called the Clearview Golf and Yacht Club, the 103-acre course was founded in 1925 and catered to an exclusive clientele including New York State Governor Alfred E. Smith (1873-1944). Like the North Hills Country Club (now the Douglaston Golf Course) the Clearview Golf Course was designd by landscape architect Willie Tucker in 1925.

In 1931 the City of New York bought the property from the Clearview Golf and Yacht Club for $940,000 and placed the course under the Parks Department management. Between 1935 and 1940, the entire course was redesigned and new club facilities were built. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority acquired lands on the eastern side of the property in 1957 for the construction of the Clearview Expressway. That same year, the installation of a new course drainage system began.

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Since 1983, American Golf Corporation manages the course as a public amenity under a concession agreement with the New York City's Department of Parks and Recreation.

According to the Parks Department: "Clearview Park and Golf Course is a public 18-hole course located about 15 miles from midtown Manhattan. The somewhat hilly course contains both straight, open fairways as well as others lined with trees and forest. It is designed for beginner to intermediate level players, and par ranges from 3 to 5 strokes. The course’s signature hole is #17, which is a 395-yard, par 4 hole offering spectacular views of the Long Island Sound and Throgs Neck Bridge. The course’s longest hole is #2 at 473 yards. The facility includes such amenities as a pro shop, lessons, clinics, a clubhouse, lockers, a snack bar, a lounge/bar, and a snack cart roaming the course."