Golf on Long Island

Flyover: Middle Island Country Club - Spruce

[This flyover was updated on January 4, 2017.]

SEE ALSO:
Observations: Middle Island Country Club, 11/26/2011

The Spruce Course at the Middle Island Country Club is one of three nine-hole layouts -- all tree-titled -- that make up the 27-hole facility, which has undergone a gradual renovation that began in the late 2000s under new club management.  Luckily for those who have trouble directing their ball down the middle, Spruce keeps its trunks and branches away from the fairways for the most part and is much more forgiving than its heavily wooded sister courses, the Dogwood and the Oak.   

The newly renovated par-35 allows players to swing away without fear of punch-out after punch-out, making it perhaps the most fun of the three courses and easily the most playable for golfers of all skill levels.  Lightly sloped greens can be attacked from smooth fairways and short rough, though sizable bunkers stand guard on each hole.  The 2008 redesign of the Spruce layout added teeboxes as well as a water hazard that stiffens the challenge on two of its closing holes.

LAYOUT:
None of the holes on the Spruce course, with the possible exception of the very narrow par-4 sixth, inspire much fear or doubt about club selection as you stand on the tee.  There is ample room on nearly all holes for the erratic shooter and pedal-to-the-metal power swinger.  However, course designers seemed to take a liking to fairway bunkers; all of Spruce's non-par-3s featured at least one kidney-shaped trap within reach from the tee. 

These traps await to the right of the fairways on Spruce's first two holes, par-4s of 449 and 345 yards.  Wide landing areas keep these bunkers from becoming too troublesome, but despite the roominess from the tee, balls sprayed too far off course may still find themselves nestled underneath some shot-altering woods.

Hole #3 is a long and snug par-5 -- the only one on the course -- outlined on both sides by rows of trees.  To the left, the thick line of evergreens can be a hindrance, but it also serves as protection from an out-of-bounds penalty.  A band of trees running up the right rough is a bit more sparse, but if you send your ball through to the wrong side, it will take some luck to have a shot at advancing the ball toward the green.

The par-4 sixth (pictured left) is similar to #3, but it's more of a squeeze off the tee, and this time out-of-bounds borders the right side in the form of the course access road.  Send your drive in that direction and a generous kick off the tall trees will be needed to keep your ball in play.  There is some room on the left before patches of trees make an appearance, but overall, the hole plays extremely narrow.

Renovations on the Spruce course provided #7 and #8 with new identities as water holes.  The seventh green now sits comfortably protected on nearly all sides by a pond, forcing some strategic decision-making off the tee on this mid-range par-4.  That same pond pushes its way between your tee shot and the pin on the par-3 eighth.  The closing hole plays back toward the clubhouse, where a slightly elevated and very wide green is protected on the left by a large bunker.

CONDITIONS:
Middle Island is open all year, and for all of our offseason rounds, the courses have held up well against the elements.  One round shortly after the 2008 renovations came on a surprisingly frigid November morning, after an overnight chill froze the greens and some of the shaded teeboxes.  Aside from some cartpath-like bounces on the frozen greens, the course still played fair (maybe even overly fair, as I got a fortunate skip out of an iced-over water hazard on the Oak course). 

Holiday Event at Long Island National

If you're planning to participate in Long Island National's Turkey Trot Shotgun next Friday, November 28, be sure to save some room in the belly from the previous day's Thanksgiving feast.  The folks at L.I. National are going all out, coaxing players out to Riverhead by offering what many golfers might consider three of their favorite things -- golf, buffet, and beer.

For $69, anyone can take part in the event and make a full afternoon of it.  The Turkey Trot Shotgun tees off at 9:30 and is preceded by a continental breakfast and warm-up time on the range.  Once the round is complete, stick around for a full hot and cold buffet, dessert, and an hour of open bar.  Plus, there will be contests during the round for long drives and closest to the flag.

Call (631) 369-3321 (ext. 2) to make reservations.  And be sure to check out our Long Island National course flyover before making the trip.

Lido Turkey Trot Update

The Lido Golf Club has added some details on its website about the annual Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot since we first posted about the event earlier this month.

The entry fee for the event is $60 and covers your reservation, cart, continental breakfast and prizes.  Shotgun start is scheduled for 8:00.

Lido is home to the famed double-carry 16th and one of the toughest (and wettest) back nines on Long Island.  Prepare yourself by checking out our course flyover.

Bethpage: Black closed for season, Red next, Open changes on horizon

The Black Course at Bethpage closed for the season this weekend, and the countdown to the 2009 U.S. Open right here in Nassau County in June will soon begin.  Tiger Woods cruised to a three-stroke victory at the 2002 Open, a tournament fondly remembered for the spirited New York gallery and its birthday serenade to Phil Mickelson, among other highlights.  The world's finest golfer should be delighted that the layout on which only he broke par is slated to undergo just a few minor tweaks.

John Feinstein documented the preparations for the 2002 tournament in "Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black" the following year, a book that is once again relevant now that golf's national championship is returning to Bethpage.

When the 2009 season tees off, golfers will have a limited opportunity to challenge the Black before preparations for the Open shut the course down through June.  Newsday's Mark Herrmann wrote in September that the course will be open to the public for part of the Spring with a reduced number of available tee times:

It will reopen from April 14 through May 31, Tuesdays through Sundays, with half the usual tee times (so as not to wear out the course). In those six weeks, six slots for walk-up foursomes will begin at 8 a.m. The first reservation each day will be for 9:03 with five reservation foursomes and one walk-up foursome allowed every hour through the last tee time at 12:57 p.m.

Meanwhile, Bethpage Red will be open for another two weeks before closing for the season on November 30.

In the Spring, as the tournament draws near, adjacent holes on the other four Bethpage courses will start to undergo some short-term modifications of their own.  The Red course, which begins and ends next door to the Black's 18th hole, will have its first and 18th holes shortened to par-3s, and the par-5 fifth will become a par-4, according to Herrmann. 

The opening hole on the Green course, a downhill par-4 that borders the Black's #1 on the right, will also be converted to a par-3, as will the 18th.  The Blue's opening par-4 will be cut down to a par-3, and #1 on the Yellow will be shortened but remain a par-4.

Special Rates at Long Island National

We are now closer to the start of the winter than we are to the end of the summer, and for many area golfers, the clubs are packed up for the offseason, in hibernation in the back of the garage.  But there are plenty who are not averse to some cold-weather, teeth-chattering golf.  For them, now might be the ideal time to lock down a tee time at Long Island National and take advantage of some sweet November discounts.

Special rates are available on the Long Island National website, some more than 50% off its already discounted offseason greens fees.  Tee times are still available for this week, with cart, for as low as $25.  Weekday slots, regularly priced at $49, can be had for $29 to $39.

Visit the course website and click on "Tee Times," then click on the "Online Specials" link for the list of specially priced tee times.

Turkey Shoot Scramble at Crab Meadow

Take a ride up to Northport on Thanksgiving morning where Crab Meadow, the scenic course a few long irons away from the Sound, will be hosting its own Turkey Shoot Scramble.  This four-person scramble tees off at 8:30, but be sure to arrive early to take advantage of the unlimited range balls and continental breakfast.

Crab Meadow will throw in a sleeve of balls plus some post-round beers and appetizers as part of the $65 entry fee.  Prizes will also be available for closest-to-the-pin and long-drive contests.  Quite an enjoyable way to ease into the rest of the day's holiday festivities.

Singles and pairs can register and will be placed into four-person teams.  Call (631) 757-8800 to reserve a spot.

The eighth hole at Crab Meadow, which greets you upon arrival at the course, is a member of Newsday's Dream 18.  It is a relatively short par-5 with out-of-bounds pinching close to the fairway on both sides, and a pond in front of the green.

Brentwood CC on Thanksgiving

The Brentwood Country Club will also be getting into the Turkey Day act, hosting an event of its own bright and early on Thanksgiving morning.

Brentwood's Thanksgiving Shotgun will tee off at 7:30 a.m., comfortably early for those eager for NFL kickoff at 12:30, and uncomfortably early for anyone who likes to be warm.  But it's worth a little bit of a chill to get some good golf in before the winter.  The $40 entry fee covers registration and cart.

Visit the club website for details and call (631) 436-6060 to register.

Thanksgiving Events at Mill Pond, Lido

In addition to Spring Lake's Thanksgiving Scramble, Mill Pond and the Lido Golf Club will each be hosting turkey-titled events of their own early on the holiday morning, November 27.

Mill Pond, a links-style course in Medford, is putting on a "Turkey Shootout," with two-man scramble teams all teeing off at 8:00.  The $49 registration fee covers the round plus range balls and a continental breakfast.  Prizes will be handed out for lowest team score and closest-to-the-pin holes.  Visit the website for details and registration info.

The course website is light on details, but the Lido Golf Club's "Turkey Trot" is on the slate as well.  Based on last year's info, the event will also start at 8:00 and, like at Mill Pond, the registration fee pays for the round, range, food and prizes.  Call (516) 889-8181 for updated information.

Mill Pond's wide-open layout and Lido's oceanside location make wind -- brisk November gusts, in this case -- a major factor at both courses. 

For GolfonLongIsland.com's Lido Golf overview, click here.

Thanksgiving Scramble at Spring Lake

Thanksgiving Day typically revolves around family, friends, food and football.  The Spring Lake Golf Club in Middle Island is inviting all interested golfers to prepare for a long day of celebration by first enjoying and giving thanks to the great game of golf.

Spring Lake is hosting a Thanksgiving Day Scramble on Thursday, November 27.  The event kicks off at 9:00 a.m. with a shotgun start, early enough to squeeze in 18 holes before the holiday festivities begin.  Registration is $60 and includes a cart, range balls, and a dog and a beer at the turn.

Spots are limited.  Call the course for details or to reserve your slot.