Golf on Long Island

Free golf for juniors at Spring Lake

Beginning Wednesday, junior golfers will have the opportunity to play free golf at the Spring Lake Golf Club in Middle Island.  Players 14 and under can turn their swings loose for free on the Sandpiper course when accompanied by a paying adult this summer.  The deal is valid on Wednesdays and Thursdays in July and August, walking only.

Spring Lake's Sandpiper course is the nine-hole track at this 27-hole facility.  It features a double-carry water hole -- the signature hole at Spring Lake -- to start the round, and a series of doglegged par-4s. 

For more information on Spring Lake's summer special, call the course at (631) 924-5115.

Bethpage courses to reopen on June 27

The Blue, Green, Red and Yellow courses at Bethpage, originally slated to reopen for play on June 24, will now tee off post-Open play on Saturday, June 27.  Reservations are currently being accepted.

After absorbing days of soaking rain and the footsteps of tens of thousands of U.S. Open fans, Bethpage Black will reopen to the public on Monday, June 29.  The course will be closed for the day on July 1.

Holes #1 and #18 on the Red and Green courses, and #1 and #10 on the Blue and Yellow courses, will be playing as shortened par-3s for the foreseeable future.

Public Shotguns at Lido Golf Club

The Lido Golf Club is hosting a series of public shotguns this summer, the next of which are scheduled for this Thursday, June 25 and Monday, June 29.  Golfers will be sent out at 7:30 a.m. and receive lunch at the end of the round.  Keep an eye on the Lido website for future shotgun starts and course events.

The waterside 18-hole course in Lido Beach sits between Reynolds Channel and the Atlantic Ocean, making wind a major factor.  Players must contend with the channel and a series of ponds and inlets throughout most of the back nine.  The course was selected by Newsday as one of the Island's best public courses in 2008, and its double-carry 16th hole is part of Newsday's Long Island Dream 18.

Flyover: Crab Meadow Golf Course

[This flyover was updated on February 5, 2018.]

SEE ALSO:
Long Island Dream Club: Crab Meadow GC #8

Hidden away between downtown Northport and the Long Island Sound sits one of the Island's top golf destinations, a fantastic blend of course quality, conditioning and value.  The Crab Meadow Golf Course may not be the easiest track to reach, but it is certainly one of the most scenic, a steep challenge with a majestic view.  Built atop rolling hills along the Sound, Crab Meadow protects its pins with elevation changes and strategic hazards that leave players debating risk versus reward throughout the 18.

Crab Meadow, a Town of Huntington course, is a par-72 measuring 6,600 yards from the back tees and just over 6,200 from the middle.  Trees dot the rough on all holes but the course still maintains an open feel with wide, inviting fairways and reachable greens.  The scoring, or lack thereof, is in the hills.  Crab Meadow plays up and down, back up, and then down again.  Scoring well hinges on how effectively you attack the generous downhill holes, because the uphill ones are unrelenting.  A few of the flat ones aren't all that friendly either, especially the par-5 eighth, whose hazard-hugged fairway and green-guarding lake helped land the hole on Newsday's Long Island Dream 18.

Like many other municipal courses in Suffolk County, Crab Meadow is the work of William Mitchell, a designer who came to be known as golf's "public defender" during the 1960s for his belief in subtle greens, visible bunkers and other features that made courses more enjoyable for average players.  Crab Meadow debuted in 1965 amid a mid-century course-building boom.  Golf on the property actually dates back to 1921, when Devereux Emmet, the man behind Bethpage Green, Eisenhower Red and many other Long Island courses past and present, laid out the little-known Northport Country Club, which lasted less than two decades.

LAYOUT:
Two of the flatter holes at Crab Meadow open the round.  Both #1 and #2 are straight, mid-length par-4s, good holes on which to loosen the knots in a tight swing.  Miss left on the 379-yard second (pictured) and your ball is likely to careen down a steep drop toward the 14th tee.  The par-3 third is notable because of its length (223 from the blues, 198 from the whites).

The downhill scoring holes on the front are #4, a 531-yard par-5, and #6, a short par-4.  Strong drivers, especially ones that can belt a lengthy draw, will lick their lips on the fourth tee.  Catching the slope of a fairway that runs down and to the left can add 30 to 40 yards to an already healthy drive.  From there, depending on the player's deftness with fairway woods or hybrids, a shot at a partially protected green is possible.  A good tee shot on the 327-yard sixth (311 from the whites) can run down to within a short pitch of the stick, which is guarded by two imposing greenside bunkers.

Foul up those holes and you won't catch much of a break until the par-3 ninth.  The 387-yard fifth is an uphill par-4 featuring a quartet of sand traps hidden from view and covering each corner of a narrow green.  The short par-4 seventh features a sidehill left of the fairway that is better suited for a sled than a 7-iron.  The farther left you drive it, the higher up on the slope you go, and the greater chance you have of being blocked out by trees.  With the ball below your feet, you also run the risk of sending your shot toward a small pond at the right end of the fairway.  Water is the main adversary on #8, a 481-yard par-5 with narrow target areas squeezed by marshland on the left and an out-of-bounds roadway on the right.  Daring players who envision an eagle putt will have to beat a lake in front of the green, while avoiding the hazard left and another bunker foursome around the putting surface.

Start off the back nine from an elevated 10th tee to a wide fairway that curves right.  This 351-yard par-4 is a nice breather before the up-and-down roller coaster begins again -- not only is it designed to be gentle on the scorecard, but it also provides one of the nicest views on the course.  After another slim par-5, Crab Meadow throws out some of its toughest holes before easing you back to the clubhouse.  The downhill 12th can be attacked with a straight drive that speeds down the steep fairway, but anything left or right will either be blocked or covered by dense rows of trees.  The 14th is a par-5 that climbs straight uphill from the tee.  Wave goodbye to any drive sent off to the right.  The right rough falls off under a line of trees, with the poorest tee shots in that direction ticketed for a blocked recovery from below the fairway.  Players who favor the left side can save themselves a lot of trouble -- and probably a stroke or two.

Crab Meadow turns for home with three par-4s hovering around 400 yards -- the flat 15th, an uphill 17th, and a closing hole with a wide landing area and downhill approach. 

CONDITIONS:
Crab Meadow and the nature that surrounds it are pleasures to look at.  The driving range and tenth fairway face out over a vast marshland toward the Sound.  A number of the elevated tees provide impressive views as well.  The sights within the confines of the course include its immaculate fairways, mowed short and perfectly manicured. 

When not taking in the view, put a few balls down in the heavy stuff, if possible, and get a feel for some soft chips.  The rough is cut very close to the greens at Crab Meadow, and shots that run through the fringe will often come to rest within thick, club-snagging turf.  You'll need some touch in these situations to avoid chopping shots well beyond the cup or chunking them far short.

Greens, small to medium in size, seem to roll a bit on the slow side.  According to one GOLI reader and course veteran, the running joke is that balls would stop halfway down a Stimpmeter if they were used to measure some of Crab Meadow's greens. 

Winds off the Sound can blow through the layout and stiffen the challenge on some of Crab Meadow's longer holes.  Rough varies in length but is typically playable from just off the fairways. 

One negative I did notice in past rounds was the rockiness of the sand in a fairway bunker on #11.  This is likely an anomaly, however.  About 50 yards ahead, in one of the greenside traps, sand was soft and pebble-free.

Finally, don't forget bug spray.

HOLE(S) TO REMEMBER:
Crab Meadow's par-5 eighth was selected several years ago as part of Newsday's Long Island Dream 18, and with good reason.  From tee to green, each shot carries a significant amount of risk.  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.

Another challenging par-5 is the 11th.  Like #8, this hole doesn't quite stretch to 500 yards, but it might trigger sweats in those with a fear of tight spaces.  Woods line the entire left boundary, and a patch of tall trees on the right shrinks the landing area.  Rough extends far out from the tee and demands a carry of about 150 yards to reach the fairway.  From there, most approaches (pictured in "Conditions") will have a wide-mouthed bunker perched between the ball and the pin.

AREA(S) TO AVOID:
Uphill or sidehill recovery shots can become a common theme in your round if you aren't careful.  The far left side of #2 and the entire right side of the par-5 14th fall off into trouble spots.  Poor sidehill lies can compound frustration after misses to the left of the the fairway on #7 and right of the green on the par-3 13th. 

Also, beware of a water hazard left of the green on #10.  You may not notice it until you're at the bottom.

NEARBY COURSES:
Northport GC at the VA Medical Center (2 miles)
Sunken Meadow - Red/Blue/Green (6 miles)
Smithtown Landing CC (8 miles)

SIMILAR COURSES:
Cherry Creek - Woods Course
Bethpage - Green Course
Smithtown Landing CC

CONTACT:
220 Waterside Road, Northport 11768
(631) 757-8800
www.crabmeadow.com

SEE ALSO:
Crab Meadow Golf Course celebrating 50 years in Northport
Long Island Dream Club: Crab Meadow GC #8
Crab Meadow honored by Long Island Press readers

Have thoughts and opinions on Crab Meadow?  Share them with other Golf On Long Island readers by posting in the comments section below.

Tour Bethpage Black in Newsday, Golf Digest

This week there is no shortage of print devoted to Bethpage Black.  Long Island's brightest public golf star will be shining in the spotlight of the international golfing community until the 2009 U.S. Open comes to a (hopefully) thrilling end this Sunday.

Newsday has featured Open inserts each day this week, including a 48-page pullout in the Sunday, June 14 edition.  This pullout previews every hole on Bethpage Black, breaking down targets, trouble spots, tips for the pros, and hole-by-hole scoring from the 2002 Open.  You can take a Flash tour of the Black on Newsday.com (UPDATE: this feature has since been removed), which includes a video tour of every hole and an interactive review of how Tiger Woods fared on all 18 in his victory on the Black in '02.

There is a wealth of course information in Golf Digest as well.  A hole-by-hole summary adds commentary from Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of rules and competitions.  A photo tour provides a slideshow of the Black alongside hole diagrams.

Flyover: Glen Cove Golf Club

[This flyover was updated on June 1, 2024.]

[NOTE: Tee-time reservations at Glen Cove Golf Club are available only to residents of Glen Cove and non-residents who sign up as annual tee-time members.  Guests without a membership permit can play the course but must call the course directly to make a reservation.  Walk-ups are not permitted.]

Nassau County golfers have a couple of options when it comes to playing along the waters of the South Shore.  Reynolds Channel and its inlets play a lead role at the Lido Golf Club, and the opening par-5 at Merrick Road Park is a stiff test thanks to the presence of Merrick Cove.  The bays and inlets of the Atlantic serve primarily as a backdrop at North Woodmere and Bay Park, though they do help churn the ever-present winds and gusts.

But public waterside golf up north on the Long Island Sound in Nassau is confined to the Glen Cove Golf Club, a 5,000-yard par-67 that makes up for its short yardage with tiny greens and tough angles for those who venture too far into the rough.  Dosoris Pond comes into play only on #2 (pictured above), but a small creek slithers through the layout and affects shots on a few others.  Glen Cove's length makes it appealing to golfers of all skill levels, but stronger players are likely to eat the short par-4s and flat greens for lunch.

LAYOUT:
The front and back nines each begin with holes playing downhill and fading to the right.  The opener, at 478 yards, is the longest hole on the course and Glen Cove's only par-5.  Nearly identical, the 467-yard tenth tees off right next to #1 and was once Glen Cove's longest par-4 (it's now a par-5). 

The 400-yard second hole starts from an offset tee with the pond dominating the entire left side of the fairway.  An open right side offers plenty of room for the safe play, but mounding and a thin bunker that snakes through the right rough can force awkward lies on shots inside 150 yards.  Following a pair of mid-length par-3s and a 307-yard par-4, #6 brings the creek into play, if only to direct overly cautious tee shots toward a large fairway bunker on the left side.  Depending on how far and left the ball settles, the second shot may be blocked by trees pinching in toward the fairway.  Aggressive players can attack the right side, but any push or slice may wind up in the weeds or water.

Glen Cove's standout hole is #7, a 400-yard par-4 that bends left midway to the green.  The tee is recessed behind a narrow opening framed by the creek, trees and shrubbery.  Players who can't hit a draw are at a severe disadvantage because the close proximity of the trees to the left side of the fairway makes it extremely difficult to reach an ideal spot from which to approach the green.  A trio of bunkers sit poised to intercept long, straight drives.

The back nine begins with the downhill par-4 tenth and a double dose of lengthy par-3s.  The 13th and 14th par-4s give up a significant amount of distance but lure birdie-seekers into subtle traps.  Like on #6, the creek encourages safe shots to the opposite side of the 13th fairway, but players may unknowingly put themselves in a spot where their view of the green is obstructed.  A bunker protects the right side of the green and leaves an approach from the left -- the creek side -- unguarded.  The 14th sacrifices even more distance, but this 242-yarder is dangerously narrow, and three bunkers around the green stand sentinel.

All that prevents a strong finish at Glen Cove is a bit of sand.  The front half of the driveable 17th green is shielded by traps, and the 242-yard closing hole is fronted by a wide and steep bunker (right) that can either be beaten off the tee or with a flop.

CONDITIONS:
Just because Glen Cove is light on yardage and slope rating (113) doesn't mean it won't make you work a little for a satisfying score.  The necks of Glen Cove's greens are slim and strewn with rough, with only a sliver of fairway permitting a ground entrance to the putting surface.  Rolling shots up and onto the green is generally a losing strategy.  The greens themselves are tiny targets, but typically flat and easy to read.  Very few of them throw out any tricky slopes or ridges.

Occasionally a tree or two near a green or fairway might be found to serve no purpose other than to block a view of the stick.  A pair of trees hovering over the right side of the 11th green makes the target on this par-3 appear uncomfortably tight, but they become potential barriers against shots that miss short in their direction.  Whether or not this is a fair use of natural hazards depends on your views on golf course design.  But at only 5,000 yards, Glen Cove can't be blamed for stealing a stroke or two with a little gamesmanship.

Take extra care when determining yardage.  Some holes don't seem to play to the number in the scorecard, and there are no markers anywhere on the tee boxes.  The scorecard lists the par-3 11th as 184 yards, though the board at the tee reads 157.  Yardages from the white tees are not listed in either the scorecard or on the boards.

HOLE(S) TO REMEMBER:
Players with the skill to work a drive from right to left have a big edge on #7 (pictured left), a 400-yard test with a fairway only partially visible through a small opening in front of the tee.  Drives up the left side of the fairway will leave a shorter, more open approach than the alternatives.  Straight and powerful drives can overrun the turn of the fairway and settle into any of three bunkers around 250 yards away.  Shots that leak right will end up in the rough or in the front end of the fairway.  Long approaches from the right side will have to contend with a greenside trap.  The green is small and flat, and run-ups will be cut down by rough.

#2 is the pond hole -- it provides a nice view of the interior Sound waters from the fairway and of the beach from behind the green.  A diagonal tee shot is necessary to clear a corner of the pond and reach the fairway on the right.  From there, the green is a middle iron away.  Mounding and a thin ribbon of sand on the right can penalize anyone who goes too far to avoid the water bordering the fairway's left side.

AREA(S) TO AVOID:
The 15th tee sits behind a park road and is offset from the fairway.  Drives must be sent out to the left.  Careless aiming can result in "straight" drives headed for a cluster of trees in the right rough, leaving either a lost ball or no shot at advancing toward the green on this 334-yard par-4.

With its small target and confusing yardage situation, the par-3 11th is easy to miss long.  However, there are hidden grass bunkers behind the green, and beyond those, a wide dirt driveway.

NEARBY COURSES:
Christopher Morley Park (8 miles)
Harbor Links - Championship (9 miles)
Harbor Links - Executive (9 miles)

CONTACT:
Lattingtown Road, Glen Cove 11542
(516) 676-0550
www.glencove-li.com

SEE ALSO:
Glen Cove Golf Club adds a stroke, now playing as a par-67
Long Island Dream Club: Glen Cove Golf Club #2
Golf On Long Island's "Nassau 18" -- Glen Cove #7

Bethpage courses closed for Open prep

Today is the last day to tee off on the Blue, Green, Red and Yellow courses at Bethpage before final preparations for the U.S. Open shut the complex down to the public.  They will reopen for play on Wednesday, June 24.

Bethpage Black will host U.S. Open championship play from Thursday, June 18 to Sunday, June 21.  The course will reopen to all golfers on Monday, June 27.

Flyover: Sunken Meadow State Park - Red Course

The New York State Parks system operates six golf facilities on Long Island, with Bethpage its most notable and Montauk Downs not too far behind.  In between, up on the Long Island Sound in Kings Park, are the nine-hole Red, Blue and Green courses of Sunken Meadow State Park.  

The Red course, at 3,133 yards from the back tees, is the middle course in terms of length.  It features Sunken Meadow's two shortest par-4s as well as the park's only two 500-yard par-5s.  It is a forgiving course with no water hazards and some light bunkering.  Slope ratings when played in combination with the Blue or Green courses are in the low 110s, meaning bogey golfers have the opportunity to post impressive scores, while advanced players can pick their targets without fear of hazards and feast on the Red's large greens.

LAYOUT:
The Red's opening two holes are the shortest par-4s in the entire complex.  From the white tees they both play under 300 yards, and from the back, they measure 309 and 328 yards, respectively.  The first hole sports a hilly fairway that dips down from the tee, rises back up, and then drops down again before it makes a steep climb up to the spacious green.  Three bunkers loosely guard the putting surface on the much flatter #2.

An elevated teebox on the par-3 third hides the front end of the large green that sits below.  The hole plays much shorter than the listed yardage -- 128 from the middle tees, 150 from the back.  In contrast, the 157-yard par-3 eighth demands a longer club and more precise accuracy to an elevated green with a bit of trouble off the right side.

Long drivers can use the hills to their advantage on #7 and #9, the two longest holes at Sunken Meadow.  The fairways on these par-5s stay level with the tee for about 200 yards until they each begin a long, steady descent toward massive greens.  Blasted tee shots can spin an extra 20 to 30 yards along the slope and set up an aggressive play on the approach.  Of course, dense woods serve as deterrents along the right sides of both fairways.  Players who struggle to control their driver might opt to stay conservative off the tee and use the downhill fairway for extra yardage on the second shot.

CONDITIONS:
Despite the park's location on the Long Island Sound, there is no water in play at Sunken Meadow, and thanks to the trees framing each hole on the course, you won't even know the Sound is there at all.  The trees join forces with thick rough to frustrate players who fail to keep shots in the fairway.  Rough can be quite choppy and uneven in some places, turning bad lies worse with an unlucky bounce.  Dirt cart paths and their rocks and pebbles can be a nuisance in play around some greens, and lies in other unkempt areas are left in the hands of the golf gods.

Putting surfaces on the Red course are spacious and slow.  The first and last holes are examples of the Red's flatter greens, while the par-5 seventh is one surface that features a significant tilt.

HOLE(S) TO REMEMBER:
The Red's opener is a fun hole thanks to a pair of downslopes.  This 297-yard par-4 drops off from the tee, rises again midway to the hole, then falls down a deeper slope before climbing sharply to the green.  Ideally, the tee shot will be placed in the elevated portion of the fairway and set up a short-iron approach.  Greedy players risk overshooting this area for the sake of driving distance and wind up with an uphill pitch.  The green (pictured right) is flat and inviting but cannot be missed short, otherwise it will settle into the sloped rough.

AREA(S) TO AVOID:
#8 is an uphill par-3 that requires a well-struck middle or long iron and offers little room to miss on the right.  A push to that side will likely trickle down the slope and either nestle into the heavy rough or come to rest on a dirt path littered with rocks and branches.  Worse, a shot can go beyond the path and farther downhill.  What's left is most likely an uphill recovery shot from an awful lie.

NEARBY COURSES:
Sunken Meadow - Blue/Green (on site)
Crab Meadow (6 miles)
Smithtown Landing (6 miles)

CONTACT:
Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Park 11754
(631) 544-0036 (pro shop); (631) 269-0707 (reservations)
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/golf/

SEE ALSO:
Cart-path improvements planned at Sunken Meadow golf courses

Have thoughts and opinions on Sunken Meadow Red?  Share them with other Golf On Long Island readers by posting in the comments section below.

Reader postcard from Merrick Road Park

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." 

Bethpage Black closed until June 27

Bethpage Black's abbreviated spring season came to an end this weekend as final preparations begin for the return of the U.S. Open to Long Island.  The course will host golf's national championship from Thursday, June 18 to Sunday, June 21, and will reopen to the public on June 27.

The other four Bethpage courses will remain open until June 11.