Golf on Long Island

Tallgrass closed for aeration, Oct. 7-9

Tallgrass will be closed from Tuesday, October 7 to Thursday, October 9 for aeration. 

Check the course website for updates.

Flyover: Lido Golf Club

[This flyover was updated on October 6, 2017.]

SEE ALSO:
Observations: Lido Golf Club, now under Hempstead Town control (9/13/2017)
A brief look back at the original Lido Golf Club in its "centennial" season
Closer Look: Lido Golf Club #16
Golf On Long Island's "Nassau 18" -- Lido #14 and #16

By Rob Dimino

Sitting on the thin strand of barrier beach between the Atlantic Ocean and Reynolds Channel in south Nassau is the Lido Golf Club, a true test for both the beginning and advanced golfer.  A shade under 7,000 wind-blown yards from the tips, this Robert Trent Jones design will leave you mumbling to yourself with every well-struck shot knocked down by the ever-present ocean gusts, and breathing sighs of relief on every shot that finds land.  Water comes into play on all but seven holes, and one of the toughest five-hole stretches on the Island features the threat of agua on every stroke.  This perilous stretch is undoubtedly one of the main reasons Lido was once ranked by Newsday among the top public courses on the Island.

LAYOUT:
To score well at Lido, you need to take advantage of the first six holes.  The first is the easiest hole on the course – a 470-yard par-5 (from the middle tees) with a slight dogleg right that usually plays downwind, offering no obstacles besides a back-to-front sloping green with several humps and bumps.  A short, sneaky par-4 follows at #2 with perhaps the shallowest green on the course, guarded fiercely by a huge bunker that eats up short shots to the uphill approach.  Water greets you on all sides of the third fairway, but a safely played mid-iron should put you in decent position on a hole that only measures 345 yards.

The fourth and eighth are side-by-side duplicates of one another, short- to medium-length par-4s that fade right and play toward the channel behind the greens.  #5 is the first and shortest of the par-3s, an easy hole that you need to capitalize on.  Water down the entire left side gives it some teeth, but most left-to-right ball-strikers should stay dry.   

Most of the course’s gentler side becomes a thing of the past once you start to get close to the turn.  Finding the green in three on the ultra-narrow ninth is an accomplishment.  The hole is a 575-yard behemoth that features a gigantic fence along the right side that keeps amateurs from peppering Long Beach schoolchildren with stray golf balls. 

Water re-appears – and becomes a constant nuisance – once you reach the 13th tee, the beginning of what I call “Grinder Alley,” one of the toughest five-hole stretches I’ve come across on the Island.  There is nothing but the channel down the right side of this par-4, where the wind whips a bit stronger and the threat of wet toys with your head.  The 15th is a testy par-3 where short-left is OK but anything right goes for a swim.

Fairway aeration at Lido

According to the Lido Golf website, the course will begin aerating fairways this coming Monday, September 29.

Middle Island CC to host Bill Evans Celebrity Golf Outing

One week from today, the Middle Island Country Club -- home of the Spruce, Dogwood and Oak nine-hole tracks -- will host the First Annual Bill Evans Celebrity Golf Outing to raise money for breast cancer research.  If spots remain open, cost for a single golfer to play is $175, or $700 for a foursome.  Registration includes a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start, continental breakfast, lunch at the turn, dinner, cocktail hour, open bar and entertainment.

Bill Evans is the Emmy-winning meteorologist on WABC 7 Eyewitness News.  More information on the tournament can be found here.

Rob and I played Spruce-Dogwood at Middle Island earlier this Summer.  The Spruce apparently went through a major renovation recently, including the addition of a new island-green 7th, and parts of the tighter Dogwood course are currently on the mend.  We're definitely looking forward to going back.

Reader Favorite: Bethpage Red #1

Matt K. of NYC submits the opening hole at Bethpage Red as a personal favorite.  Matt is not alone -- widely considered one of the region's toughest first holes, #1 at the Red was chosen by Newsday readers for the Long Island Dream 18.  The downhill tee shot, sometimes with a half-dozen foursomes looking on as they wait their turn, kicks off one of the more intimidating holes around.

One of my favorite holes on Long Island has got to be the first at Bethpage Red.  Driving the ball from the elevated tee box into a ravine-like fairway gets the adrenaline flowing for the round.  After walking down the steep slope to your drive, you are then faced with one of the toughest shots the Red has to offer - a long approach shot that feels like it is 45 degrees uphill to the small green.  Get out of there with a bogey, and it feels like a birdie.

Flyover: Harbor Links - Executive Course

The Harbor Links executive nine is the kid brother of the 18-hole championship course, shorter by about 5,000 yards and a couple of $20 bills, but longer on "scrap."  The nine may not look like much on the scorecard, but it makes up for its 1,600+ yardage from the tips with some serious bunkering and mounding around the greens, ridges and tiers on the greens, and visual appeal that can steer your concentration away from your tight iron shots from time to time.

While many use it as a practice course, it's no pushover for the experienced golfer to pummel.  None of the holes are all that difficult, but there are legitimate hazards to be wary of.  Thick rough and tall, wispy grasses can suck your ball in if you get careless.  Large mounds complicate simple chip shots.  And the water hole that closes the nine-hole round is no joke -- though it barely breaks 100 yards, you must carry a pond to reach the green, then navigate a pair of steep ridges to get to the hole.

LAYOUT:
The course is made up of five short par-3s and four par-4s that top out at 262 yards.  Most of the holes have several teeboxes and often play much shorter.

Tall fescue-type grass and a couple of ponds sit in the center of the course, and this grass comes into play on the first few holes.  The first two are 150-yard par-3s with large ridges that make their way across the greens.  Hole #1 has tall mounds going up and down around the sides and back of the green, and #2 is protected by three large bunkers.

Your woods finally find daylight at the third tee, but the 241-yard fourth offers a more interesting shot.  The green is tucked away to the left behind the tree-lined course perimeter, requiring a well-played draw to find the putting surface from the tee.  The sixth hole is a 115-yarder that plays shorter from an elevated tee, followed by the two longest holes on the course.  Three bunkers (right) stand guard in front of the seventh green to dissuade (try to, anyway) people from pulling driver from the bag.

Off-Course Destinations: Spring Rock Golf

Known informally to us as "Denton," the Spring Rock Golf Center in New Hyde Park (on Denton Ave.) is where we traditionally try to shake the winter rust from our swings as the spring slowly begins to approach.  The first trip always seems to coincide with The Masters, when the rich green of Augusta reawakens the golf spirit and makes us forget that Long Island nights in early April are still chilly no matter how many flowers are blooming in Georgia.  But Spring Rock has us taken care of -- all of its stalls are heated and covered until the weather warms up.

When the chill thaws and gives way to peak golf season, Spring Rock is a prime destination for local golfers, as evidenced by the crowds it draws on a daily basis.  Its location (between Jericho Tpk. and Hillside Ave.; five minutes from the LIE and Northern State), size (100 stalls) and facilities make it the golf equivalent of a one-stop shopping experience for all your practice needs.  Fine-tune your stroke on the putting green, take advantage of the rare opportunity to work on your sand game by blasting out of a practice bunker, or reserve time for a lesson with one of their pros.  Or simply head to the stalls and fire away. The range is open 18 hours a day, every day.

The facilities have earned Spring Rock a spot in the Golf Range Association of America's ranking of the nation's top 100 golf ranges, and top 25 in the Northeast.  And after some recent remodeling, there is a new, full-scale pro shop, a club fitting and repair shop, and a bakery/cafe.  There are also two mini golf courses on the premises.

Highly Recommended: Lesson at Harbor Links

It's been about six years since I went for some professional instruction on how to actually swing a golf club properly.  A couple of horrific rounds and a general disgust with my swing recently motivated me to do it again.  This time I went to Harbor Links in Port Washington and worked with teaching pro James Hong. 

In one hour, James identified a couple of things I should be aware of with my swing, but didn't impose any massive changes.  Some people are reluctant to seek outside help in fear of having their swing dissected and overhauled, or having their grip or alignment attacked and scrapped.  Everything about the hour at Harbor Links was positive, and I recommend it for anyone either learning the game or looking to fix a flaw or two.

I won't go into personal detail about my swing (we could be here a while), but what I will say is that having your swing recorded and simply seeing it with your own eyes is an incredibly effective way to inspire change.  Fifteen minutes and one simple drill into the lesson, the difference between the "before" and "after" swings on James' laptop was enormous.

Was the difference in ball flight and contact as great as the difference on camera?  Not quite, but that's to be expected.  I have a few things to focus on next time I'm at the range, and hopefully I'll work at it enough to make some substantial improvement on the course.  And if I get lazy, that "before" video will always taunt me from the back of my mind.

You can learn more about each of the instructors at Harbor Links here.

Coming Soon: Lido, Spring Lake, others

In the next few weeks, look for flyovers of the Lido Golf Club in Lido Beach and Spring Lake in Middle Island, as well as some other courses we visit before the season turns frigid. 

With twilight hours growing slimmer and slimmer, I'll also focus on some of the Island's nine-hole courses.  Rob, undaunted by the cold, will be glad to report back to everyone on L.I. golf's cold-weather conditions.

"Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black" -- by John Feinstein

With the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black just about nine months away, John Feinstein's 2003 book, "Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black," suddenly becomes relevant once again.  In fact, it's most timely right this second, because the book is not so much about the U.S. Open golf tournament itself as it is about the preparation and planning that goes into it as soon as the final putt drops on the previous year's championship.

Anyone interested in the history of the Black Course at Bethpage and how it was transformed from a rundown, aged municipal course into one of the most feared Open sites of all time will enjoy it.  Those who like reading about the business of planning for such an event, including local vs. state government haggling, TV network negotiations, and just general local interest should get a kick out of it as well. 

But those looking for a book that is purely about the game of golf should steer clear.  It is heavy on behind-the-scenes glances at the day-to-day workings of the USGA and very light on pars and bogeys -- and even lighter on birdies.