Golf on Long Island

2011-12 Winter Rates Roundup II

What a difference a year makes.

At this time in 2011, Long Islanders were reaching for the snow shovel, not the sand wedge.  Fast forward to the present and you've got 60-degree weekend afternoons and tee times flying off the board.  Take away the bare branches and the early-morning freeze and it's like swinging a 7-iron in October.

The good weather fortune will surely run out, so now's the time to take advantage.  Here's another sampling of winter rates at Long Island golf courses:

• Mill Pond:  $50 to ride, $40 to walk on weekdays before noon ($40/$30 after 12 noon); $52 to ride on weekends before noon ($41 after) -- all rates cheaper for Brookhaven residents with discount card

• Middle Island Country Club:  $45 on weekends, $35 on weekdays; $25/$20 for nine holes

• Cherry Creek:  $50 to ride on weekends, $40 to walk; $40/$30 on weekdays; half-price nine-hole rounds available on Links Course only

Contact the course pro shops or visit their websites for full details about rates and course conditions.  Note that these do not represent discounted rates at all courses.

For more winter rates, check out 2011-12 Winter Rates Roundup I.

And for offseason rates from previous years and a primer on winter golf in general, refer to Winter Golf on Long Island.

Tallgrass closed until March

The Tallgrass Golf Course in Shoreham is closed for the months of January and February.  If the winter weather cooperates, the course will reopen in the beginning of March.

To read more on Tallgrass, check out the course flyover.

Timber Point Red and White to close for the season this weekend

The famous ball will drop in Times Square this weekend on New Years Eve, and a few hours later, the final balls of the season will drop onto the greens at Timber Point on New Years Day.  Timber Point's Red and White courses are closing for the season at the end of the day on January 1.  The facility is tentatively scheduled to reopen on March 9, 2012.

Timber Point's other nine -- the Blue Course -- has been closed since early October due to repair work stemming from August's Hurricane Irene.

Bay Park, Christopher Morley closed for the season

The Nassau County municipal courses at Bay Park in East Rockaway and Christopher Morley Park in Roslyn have closed for the season.  Sister nine-hole courses at North Woodmere and Cantiague parks will remain open through the winter.

Bay Park and Morley will likely reopen in late March.  Check back as the spring season approaches for information on course reopenings.

2011-12 Winter Rates Roundup I

The 2010-11 winter golf season was over almost as soon as it began.  By the time Golf On Long Island posted its first edition of Winter Rates Roundup in early January, Long Island golf courses were nestled under a blanket of post-Christmas snow.  So this year, fittingly on a day that nearly touched 60 degrees, we'll get the Winter Rates Roundup started a little early.

Golf On Long Island wants local players to know that the golf season doesn't have to end in October, which is why we publish some of the area's offseason deals throughout the winter.  All you need is a warm hat and waterproof shoes.  You can pass on the $100 wind and cold-weather gear, too -- any old turtleneck and zip-up fleece will do.  The winter is a great time to play good courses at low rates and your own leisurely pace.  Crowds are typically sparse.

The following are some of the offseason 18-hole rates at area courses, which in many cases have already been in place since the fall.  For full details about rates and course conditions, contact the course pro shops or visit their websites.  Note that these do not represent discounted rates at all courses:

• Pine Ridge:  $45 on weekdays, $35 after 12 p.m.; $50/$35 on weekends (all rates include cart)

• Tallgrass:  $50 to ride on weekdays, $40 after 12 p.m.; $60/$50 on weekends; take off $10 to walk (NOTE: Course closed for season as of January 2.)

• Great Rock:  $39 to ride on weekday mornings, $29 in the afternoon; $49/$39 on weekends

• Swan Lake:  $45 to ride/$35 to walk on weekday mornings, $55/$44 on weekend mornings (AM rates include breakfast or lunch); $42/$32 PM weekdays, $48/$38 PM weekends

For offseason rates from previous years and a primer on winter golf in general, refer to Winter Golf on Long Island.

Eisenhower Red closed for the season

The Red Course at Eisenhower Park is closed for the season.  The Devereux Emmet-designed beauty in East Meadow will likely reopen sometime in early April.

Until then, check out the course flyover or take a look at Eisenhower Red's ghost greens.

Ride for $29 on winter afternoons at Great Rock

If you have a weekday afternoon free this winter and the weather cooperates, you can play and ride at a top Long Island course for less than two bucks a hole.  The Great Rock Golf Club in Wading River is once again featuring a $29 weekday afternoon rate this offseason ($39 in the morning).  Winter weekend warriors can play 18 for $49 in the AM, $39 later.

At this time last year, Great Rock's staff had just completed an offseason renovation of the par-3 12th green.  (Click here for full analysis.)  More recently, Great Rock's clubhouse -- which includes the Zagat-rated Blackwells Restaurant -- was selected as part of Golfing Magazine's 2011 Long Island Dream Club.

For more on Great Rock, check out the course flyover.

Bethpage Red to close for the season this Sunday, December 4

The Red Course at Bethpage State Park will close for the 2011 season this Sunday, December 4.  Forecasts call for sunny and cool conditions for the Red's final three days, so take advantage while you can.  The course won't be open again until April.

Bethpage golfers can still challenge the Yellow and Blue courses during the winter months.  The Green Course will open sporadically as needed through the offseason.  Bethpage Black closed in mid-November and typically reopens in mid-April.

Lido Golf Club to host annual Turkey Trot this Thursday

Registration is open for the Lido Golf Club's annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, which tees off shotgun style this Thursday, November 24 at 8:00 a.m. 

The $75 entry fee includes cart, range balls, breakfast and a Lido GC winter hat by Under Armour.  There will also be competitions on the course for longest drive, most accurate drive and closest to the pin.  With predicted tee-time temps down around a chilly 40 degrees, warm up early with breakfast and a hot coffee beginning at 7 a.m.  To reserve a spot in the event, contact the Lido pro shop at (516) 889-8181.

The Lido Golf Club is located alongside Reynolds Channel in Lido Beach.  The course was selected by Newsday as one of the Island's best public courses in 2008, and its double-carry 16th hole (click here for a Closer Look at #16) is part of Golf On Long Island's "Nassau 18" and Golfing Magazine's 2009 Dream Golf Club.

Nine-hole Thanksgiving Day Scramble at Timber Point GC

The Timber Point Golf Course in Great River will host an abbreviated holiday scramble on Thanksgiving morning, November 24, complete with food, drinks, prizes and bonuses for all turkeys (no, not the ones you douse with gravy).

Timber Point's Thanksgiving outing -- a nine-hole, four-person scramble -- will begin with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.  The $45 entry fee covers pre-round bagels and mimosas, plus motor cart and range balls.  All players will be in the running for putting and accuracy prizes, high- and low-score honors, and will also have the opportunity to bag a "turkey" -- three consecutive birdies -- for a bonus prize.

Check-in for the tourney begins at 8:00.  Register before Thanksgiving to secure a spot, though you can still enter on the day of play for an extra $5.  Singles, pairs and threesomes are free to enter and will be placed on scramble teams.

To register, send an e-mail to timberpointgolfcourse@yahoo.com or call (631) 581-2401.  For more on Timber Point's Red, White and Blue (closed for the season) courses, click the links to the course flyovers.