Loyal Golf On Long Island reader Corey W. from Manhattan dropped by the golf course at Merrick Road Park for a quick nine last weekend while in town for a wedding, and was nice enough to provide his take on the course and its conditions. Corey, who says he normally plays in the Bronx at Pelham/Split Rock, played Merrick on a Saturday afternoon after some pretty strong rainstorms late last week. "Despite the rain," he says, "the course was actually in very solid shape."
Pace of play was slow, as expected at that time of day, but the three-hour round won't necessarily keep Corey from dropping by again in the future. "Merrick is easy to play with a wide-open layout and few real hazards," he writes. "It allows for a fairly smooth round without trips into weeds searching for wayward shots. The most interesting aspect of play, making up for the lack of major hazards, is the constant wind."
Corey was irked by the absence of yardage markers at the tee. "One hole was 40 yards longer than the scorecard listed," he says. "Fortunately I was playing with someone who had a laser rangefinder."
I agree Merrick is a nice, fun layout. However, the greens are usually horrendous. Very slow, mushy and bumpy. They are probably the wrost greens I can remember playing on. Someone told me they intentionally keep them slow to speed up play ?? Does that make any sense. If they could somehow make them presentable they will get more play.
Posted by: Mike T. | August 27, 2012 at 06:16 PM