Golf on Long Island

Long Island Dream Club: Clubhouse at the Great Rock Golf Club

The Zagat-rated Blackwells Restaurant at the Great Rock Golf Club in Wading River is a veteran of Golfing Magazine's Long Island Dream Club by now, having been selected for a spot in the 2009 all-star cast.  This year Golfing Magazine went ahead and honored the entire clubhouse in its 2011 edition of the Long Island Dream Club.

Great Rock makes every golfer feel like a special guest from the moment they drive up toward the classic brick clubhouse to the downhill 18th tee shot toward the club's outdoor patio, and beyond through a meal or drink in the comfortable, classy Tap Room.  Chances are you won't find a better post-round Reuben at any Island course.

Golf On Long Island noted Great Rock's pampering personality in the course flyover:

"Off the course, Great Rock strives to welcome its guests into a "Country Club for a Day" atmosphere, and it succeeds in doing so.  Staffers unload bags from the trunk and have them loaded on carts before you get your shoes on.  The Zagat-rated Blackwells Restaurant -- also selected to Golfing Magazine's Dream Golf Club -- serves up steaks, burgers and refreshing pints of Blue Point (or a selection of other microbrews) in some of Long Island golf's classiest digs.  Sit back and watch the foursomes behind you battle the 18th and stagger into the mahogany-accented Tap Room themselves."

Now Golfing Magazine has selected the Great Rock clubhouse as the facility to first welcome golfers fresh off the Inwood Country Club's 18th green on its fantasy golf course...

"Completed in June 2001, the 7,800-square-foot Great Rock clubhouse offers a private club experience for the public.  Full men's and women's locker rooms with amenities such as shaving cream, razors, cologne and perfume are offered to all golfers.  After getting spruced up, golfers can dine at Blackwells Restaurant or go to the Taproom bar, which is known as one of the most 'happening spots' in the area."

To view the full 2011 Long Island Dream Club, click here.

Long Island Dream Club: Long Island National #16

Golfing Magazine recently announced its 2011 Long Island Dream Golf Club, this season's collection of the Island's finest 18 holes and top off-course facilities.  Public golf holes make up half of this year's 6,954-yard layout, which begins and ends with lake-jumping shots at the public Sandpiper Course at Spring Lake Golf Club and the historic private club at Inwood.

Every Monday through the winter, Golf On Long Island will feature one public hole from the Dream Golf Club along with commentary from Golfing Magazine editors.  Photographs and additional commentary are provided by Golf On Long Island where available.  To view the 2011 Dream Club's 18-hole lineup, re-visit the original post here. 

Also be sure to review Golfing Magazine's 2008 Dream Club, 2009 Dream Club and 2010 Dream Club by clicking on the links.

GOLFING MAGAZINE'S 2011 DREAM GOLF CLUB

LONG ISLAND NATIONAL -- HOLE #16
466 / 387 / 337 yards
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

"One of the toughest holes on a challenging course, the 16th at Long Island National is a true test for even the most skilled golfers.  The tee shot must be straight, eluding trees to the left.  The fairway slopes right to left, shaping the hole.  If your drive finds the fairway, the approach shot will most likely require a long iron or fairway wood...but carrying the green isn't the only way to get there.  The green is unprotected up front, and usually plays hard and fast.  A bump and run could work, if executed well.  As with so many of the holes on this course, par is an excellent score."

For more on Long Island National, check out the course flyover.

Long Island Dream Club: Calverton Links #15

Golfing Magazine recently announced its 2011 Long Island Dream Golf Club, this season's collection of the Island's finest 18 holes and top off-course facilities.  Public golf holes make up half of this year's 6,954-yard layout, which begins and ends with lake-jumping shots at the public Sandpiper Course at Spring Lake Golf Club and the historic private club at Inwood.

Every Monday through the winter, Golf On Long Island will feature one public hole from the Dream Golf Club along with commentary from Golfing Magazine editors.  Photographs and additional commentary are provided by Golf On Long Island where available.  To view the 2011 Dream Club's 18-hole lineup, re-visit the original post here. 

Also be sure to review Golfing Magazine's 2008 Dream Club, 2009 Dream Club and 2010 Dream Club by clicking on the links.

GOLFING MAGAZINE'S 2011 DREAM GOLF CLUB

CALVERTON LINKS -- HOLE #15
562 / 536 / 420 yards
Designed by Kelly Blake Moran / Cole Hayes

"As you near the home stretch on the back nine, accuracy is required on this par-5 -- the longest hole at Calverton Links.  A straight drive would find a relatively narrow fairway with bunkers right and left.  Trees also line part of the fairway, which will again penalize any shot that strays off line.  Working your way to the flag, you'll reach a two-tiered green that slopes left to right, with bunkers on either side and a small opening up front for those who can run it up.  Longer hitters might get there in two, but most will settle for a birdie putt and tap-in for par on a lengthy and lovely hole."

Golf On Long Island went around the Links and descended the slope of the 15th green (pictured right; click to enlarge) back in May 2010:

"Two of Calverton's final holes are, for most players, three-shot par-5s that require smart planning on the final approach.  Trees form a narrow corridor around the deeper half of the fairway on the 536-yard 15th.  Calling the green "two-tiered" is an understatement; a more accurate description is 'two-storied.'"

To read more about Calverton Links, check out the course flyover.

Junior "SNAG" clinic next week at Spring Lake

Just because it's the middle of winter doesn't mean junior golfers can't get a little professional guidance.  If the sparsely crowded courses dotting Long Island's winter golf scene are too chilly for you and the kid golfer in your family, take them indoors at the Spring Lake Golf Club.

Cristy Jurgens, director of golf and teaching pro at the 27-hole facility in Middle Island, will run an indoor "SNAG" clinic for juniors on Saturday, February 4 at 11:00 a.m.  SNAG (Starting New At Golf) is a comprehensive system that simplifies golf instruction for kids and provides them the opportunity to effectively transition into the game.

The hour-long clinic is open to kids aged 4 to 7 and costs $20 per child.  For more information or to register for the program, call (631) 924-5115.

Long Island Dream Club: Tallgrass GC #11

Golfing Magazine recently announced its 2011 Long Island Dream Golf Club, this season's collection of the Island's finest 18 holes and top off-course facilities.  Public golf holes make up half of this year's 6,954-yard layout, which begins and ends with lake-jumping shots at the public Sandpiper Course at Spring Lake Golf Club and the historic private club at Inwood.

Every Monday through the winter, Golf On Long Island will feature one public hole from the Dream Golf Club along with commentary from Golfing Magazine editors.  Photographs and additional commentary are provided by Golf On Long Island where available.  To view the 2011 Dream Club's 18-hole lineup, re-visit the original post here. 

Also be sure to review Golfing Magazine's 2008 Dream Club, 2009 Dream Club and 2010 Dream Club by clicking on the links.

GOLFING MAGAZINE'S 2011 DREAM GOLF CLUB

TALLGRASS GOLF COURSE -- HOLE #11
384 / 353 / 292 yards
Designed by Gil Hanse

"Perhaps the most scenic of holes at Tallgrass, this dogleg right par-4 is ALL about the tee shot which needs to find the left-center of a downhill fairway.  There is a long waste bunker to the left, and fescue to the right.  With a well-placed drive you have a view to a flag that sits in what appears to be a valley, guarded by bunkers and plenty of 'tall grass' behind it.  A shorter tee shot will require a blind iron approach over a mound to the green, and could very well find trouble with just a bounce or two."

Golf On Long Island last visited Tallgrass early in 2011 and took note of the photogenic par-4 11th in the course flyover:

"One of the highlights is #11, a picturesque par-4 that can quickly turn from beaut to brute if you veer too far from the target line.  You can easily be on in two if you avoid the waste area that runs along the entire left side of the fairway.  On the right, a thin river of sand snakes along the foot of a grassy berm that inhales any ball that comes its way.  This mounding also surrounds the stadium green and will complicate any shots that go long."

To read more about Tallgrass, check out the course flyover and the latest course observations.

Bethpage retains title, edges Rock Hill and Eisenhower in annual "Best of LI" poll

The "Best of LI" hot streak continues at Bethpage, where each of the five courses have a victory medal all their own thanks to readers of the Long Island Press.  For the fifth year in a row, Bethpage bagged top honors in the "Best Golf Course" category of the local newspaper's annual "Best of Long Island" survey.

Readers once again recognized the national golf destination that sits right in their own backyards, clicking it to the top of the charts for its diversity of play, excellent conditions, affordable rates and the presence of the vaunted Black Course -- home of The Barclays tournament later this year.  Fourteen other Island courses, including two private clubs, were unsuccessful in their bids to knock Bethpage from its comfy perch.

Eisenhower Park -- the equally historic 54-hole facility a few miles down the road -- took home the bronze for the second straight year.  Out east, Manorville's Rock Hill Golf Club made the leap in this year's survey and knocked off previous runner-up Harbor Links to grab the first spot behind Bethpage.  Rock Hill is one of Long Island's longest public courses (7,050 yards) and, with its ascending fairways, sticky rough and sky-high slope rating, also one of the area's most challenging.

The Red Course is the centerpiece of the three-course complex at East Meadow's Eisenhower Park.  The Devereux Emmet design is one of a dozen Long Island courses to receive four stars from Golf Digest in the magazine's Best Places To Play listing.

Pictured: The approach to the 18th green on Bethpage Black (click to enlarge)

Long Island Dream Club: Sunken Meadow, Blue Course #9

Golfing Magazine recently announced its 2011 Long Island Dream Golf Club, this season's collection of the Island's finest 18 holes and top off-course facilities.  Public golf holes make up half of this year's 6,954-yard layout, which begins and ends with lake-jumping shots at the public Sandpiper Course at Spring Lake Golf Club and the historic private club at Inwood.

Every Monday through the winter, Golf On Long Island will feature one public hole from the Dream Golf Club along with commentary from Golfing Magazine editors.  Photographs and additional commentary are provided by Golf On Long Island where available.  To view the 2011 Dream Club's 18-hole lineup, re-visit the original post here. 

Also be sure to review Golfing Magazine's 2008 Dream Club, 2009 Dream Club and 2010 Dream Club by clicking on the links.

GOLFING MAGAZINE'S 2011 DREAM GOLF CLUB

SUNKEN MEADOW, BLUE COURSE -- HOLE #9
345 / 331 / 308 yards
Designed by Alfred Tull

"Not the longest of par 4s, but one that requires some accuracy and strategy with an elevated tee area allowing longer hitters to blast it to within a short iron, or even a flip-wedge of the green.  There is a bunker on the left side of the fairway that can snare some shorter tee shots.  The fairway is tree-lined on the right and runs downhill at first, before heading back uphill to a two-tiered green that is open up front, with bunkers to the right.  A 9th hole that can potentially serve as a confidence-builder on the way to your 2nd nine at Sunken Meadow."

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.

Long Island Dream Club: Crab Meadow #8

Golfing Magazine recently announced its 2011 Long Island Dream Golf Club, this season's collection of the Island's finest 18 holes and top off-course facilities.  Public golf holes make up half of this year's 6,954-yard layout, which begins and ends with lake-jumping shots at the public Sandpiper Course at Spring Lake Golf Club and the historic private club at Inwood.

Every Monday through the winter, Golf On Long Island will feature one public hole from the Dream Golf Club along with commentary from Golfing Magazine editors.  Photographs and additional commentary are provided by Golf On Long Island where available.  To view the 2011 Dream Club's 18-hole lineup, re-visit the original post here. 

Also be sure to review Golfing Magazine's 2008 Dream Club, 2009 Dream Club and 2010 Dream Club by clicking on the links.

GOLFING MAGAZINE'S 2011 DREAM GOLF CLUB

CRAB MEADOW -- HOLE #8
481 / 453 / 428 yards
Designed by William Mitchell

"At first glance, this is a relatively short and mouth-watering par-5 ... but looks can be deceiving.  Your tee shot must avoid the trees on the right as well as a 'nature area' that includes water on the left.  If the wind is at your back, you have a chance to hit the dance floor in two -- but only with an approach shot long enough to clear the pond in front of the green, and high enough to hold the green, with bunkers nestled to the right, left and in back.  Anything from an eagle to the dreaded 'snowman' is possible on this memorable hole."

Golf On Long Island lists this par-5 as one of Crab Meadow's "Holes to Remember" in the course flyover:

"The ideal landing area off the tee is choked by marshland up the entire left side and thick rough on the right.  The hazardous left will cost you a stroke; the rough, a shot at the green.  Second shots, conservatively played, must stay straight -- an out-of-bounds roadway pinches into the right side and cuts away valuable hole real estate.  The heroic play, a la "Tin Cup," requires carrying a 40-yard pond in front of the hole.  Four bunkers surround the green, and a small extension of the pond runs around the green's right side to swallow up shots that had the distance but not the accuracy."

To read more about Crab Meadow, check out the course flyover.

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.