Golf on Long Island

Flyover: Heatherwood Golf Club

[NOTE: Heatherwood Golf Club closed in 2020 to make way for a residential development.  A redesigned nine-hole public golf course is scheduled to open as part of the complex in 2023 or 2024.]

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Golfers on Long Island have a lengthy list of courses to choose from, a roster that is deep enough to suit any mood.  Feeling rusty and want to loosen up on a familiar course?  Chances are there's a nearby nine-holer that will fit the bill.  High on confidence and craving a battle with the elements?  Head east to gusty Tallgrass, Long Island National or Montauk Downs.  Looking for a test of accuracy and positioning?  Tee it up at Great Rock or Spring Lake. 

But for those in the market for a low-key, 18-hole round on an executive-length course -- whether for practice or simply a relaxing afternoon with friends or family -- there's not much to choose from.  In fact, there's really only one option (other than repeat rounds on your neighborhood nine-holer) -- the par-60 Heatherwood Golf Club in Centereach.

LAYOUT:
Coming in just short of 4,100 yards, Heatherwood is made up of a dozen par-3s and six par-4s.  With only three of its par-3s playing shorter than 150 yards, it will certainly give your middle and long irons a workout.  Early in the round, following the 158-yard opener and a short left dogleg, Heatherwood tests your mettle (and fairway metal) with 200- and 194-yard holes at #3 and #4. 

The par-4 fifth rips a page from the Bethpage Blue playbook, dipping straight down from an elevated teebox and back uphill to a wide fairway.  Inside the landing area of the #8 fairway, another small valley impacts the setup to the approach on this 379-yard two-shotter.  A great tee shot could leave just a downhill pitch; a shorter or unlucky tee shot could net a blind iron approach.  Climb a hill to the elevated tee of Heatherwood's "signature" hole -- the par-3 ninth, a 148-yarder that uses a small pond to distract players from its more significant feature, a green that stretches more than 30 yards deep. 

The 13th and 14th -- both par-4s -- are the most interesting holes on the back side.  The fairway of the 278-yard 13th ends abruptly 60 yards short of the green.  From there the hole turns left, and the flag waves atop an elevated green.  A small pond sits between your ball and the pin.  A drive of about 230 yards will catch a downhill slope in the 14th fairway and tack on some extra distance.  Rough on the right side of this hole is blanketed over undulating sidehills that cause an uneven stance and obscure the view of the green.  Stay to the left side of this fairway if possible.

CONDITIONS:
Heatherwood's par-3s differ very slightly from one hole to the next, and the same can be said for their defenses.  Almost all of them are protected by a pair of large and steep sand traps.  And with plenty of trees on the course, shadows serve as a more mental barrier between the ball and the bottom of the cup.  

There is one other defender of the cup, one that's not really present by design.  Putts on a line to the center of the hole have a tendency to juke and jive in all directions as they roll over Heatherwood's choppy greens.  But other than a few bumps on the putting surfaces, Heatherwood is in good condition for a course that caters to all skill levels.

HOLE(S) TO REMEMBER:
The 148-yard ninth asks players to account for several factors -- a downhill shot, above-the-trees wind effects and the green's 30-yard depth, all while ignoring the highly visible yet largely insignificant water hazard down below.  A crisply struck short iron will set the stage for par or better.  However, those fooled by the distance or faulty depth perception may find themselves with a longer-than-necessary putt or chip.

AREA(S) TO AVOID:
At 388 yards, the par-4 14th is Heatherwood's longest hole and one of the few containing any element of strategy.  It's important to keep out of the right rough, an undulating mess that slopes up toward the adjacent 16th fairway.  Not only will it snag your clubhead on the approach, but it will also set you up with a pesky sidehill or uneven lie.  And it doesn't let up as you get closer to the green.  An awkward chop pitch from a mound of thick stuff is likely if you wind up short and right. 

NEARBY COURSES:
Hamlet Willow Creek Golf & CC (5 miles)
Pine Ridge Golf Club (5 miles)
Rolling Oaks (8 miles)

CONTACT:
303 Arrowhead Lane, Centereach 11720
(631) 473-9000

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

Greens aeration at Timber Point

The greens on the Red and Blue nines at the Timber Point Golf Course in Great River will be aerated this week.  The Blue Course will be closed on Tuesday, August 31; the Red will be closed on Wednesday, September 1.

Call the pro shop at (631) 581-2401 for course information.

Great Rock introduces $49 "All the Time" weekday rate; aeration scheduled for September 7

It's still toasty on Long Island, but out east in Wading River, the Fall season has arrived a few weeks early. 

Beginning today, the Great Rock Golf Club is offering a $49 "All the Time" rate valid on weekdays through the end of the season.  As an added bonus, the special rate is also available after 1 p.m. on weekends.  All rates include a motor cart.

The course will be aerated on Tuesday, September 7.

Opened for play in 2001, Great Rock is a hilly shotmaker's course on Suffolk County's north shore.  The uphill par-4 10th, with the course's namesake rock next to the green, is a member of Golfing Magazine's Long Island Dream Club and Newsday's Dream 18. 

Call the course at (631) 929-1200 for updated information on rates and conditions.  For a detailed look at the layout, check out the Great Rock flyover.

Observations: Bethpage - Black Course

SEE ALSO:
Flyover: Bethpage - Black Course

Golf On Long Island launched two years ago this month with a flyover of my original "home" course, the nine-hole muni at North Woodmere Park.  One of the goals of the site was to drop by and discuss every public course in this two-county hotbed of fairways and flagsticks, and eventually put our skills to the test at the main attraction -- the Black Course at Bethpage.

Not only did we challenge the beast earlier this summer, but we did so at a leisurely four-hour pace, with no wait, no group in front, no group behind, and beneath a warm afternoon sun and ocean blue sky.  It was a slice of tranquil eastern Suffolk golf at the Island's most heavily trafficked golf complex.  The trick....

...well, we'll keep that to ourselves.  Yes, the course was open to the public -- no closure, no outing (and no trespassing). 

Before we post a Bethpage Black flyover later this summer, here are some observations and first impressions from our initial round at the home of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open:

• The size and scale of the course is unmatched by any other course on the Island and unlike anything most players have ever seen before.  The Black Course makes you feel like you're about a foot tall in some spots.  #4 comes immediately to mind.
• Photos do little to show off the course's elevation and contouring.  In a region of mostly flat, paved suburbia, Bethpage State Park as a whole clings to its hills and valleys.  The physical rises and falls of the Black Course are startling.  One needs only to drive down Round Swamp Road to observe the 15th green perched way up, almost suspended in the air.  But only those marching up and down the Black's fairways will be able to take in firsthand the drop from the par-3 eighth tee to the green below.
• In terms of the degree of difficulty, I was expecting nothing less than blunt force trauma -- especially after arriving with a fresh new swing flaw in tow.  Instead, I found the course to be much more subtle in its defenses than I had anticipated.  With its diagonal bunker and offset fairway, the par-4 fifth -- harmless at first glance -- requires a fade off the tee and a draw to a shallow, elevated green.  Of course, with that said...
• ...if you can't drive the ball with some authority and control, it's almost impossible to score well.  That might seem self-evident, but on many courses you can overcome a bad day with the driver or get by with average ability off the tee.  But the Black doesn't have much sympathy for short or wayward drives.  You'll be cut off by poor angles, marooned in cross bunkers or rough, or left to aim at strategically contoured greens with your most imprecise weapons.  Sure, you may string a few nice shots together, but chances are you'll be penciling in a number that's one or two digits higher than you feel you deserve.
• No hole on the course feels like a throwaway.  Each has its own unique challenge.  You may grow to dislike a couple of them, but probably not out of boredom.
• I expected fast greens.  This was obviously skewed by the USGA conditions seen on TV.  In reality, for the rest of us, the greens are surprisingly moderate in speed and incredibly smooth.
• There's something charming about having to walk the course.  Carts would obviously neutralize the effects of the terrain.  The charm, however, begins to dissipate around the par-3 14th.  It's a long walk down to the 15th tee and then back up again to the 15th green.  
• Whether you're on the course for the first time or the hundred-and-first time, take a few minutes during your round to enjoy the scenery.  There aren't too many places like it.

Bethpage Black closed for Met Open

The Black Course at Bethpage State Park will be closed this week, beginning Monday, August 23, for the Met Open.  It is scheduled to reopen for public play on Saturday, August 28.

August aeration at Bethpage Yellow

The Yellow Course at Bethpage State Park will be aerated on Monday, August 30 and Tuesday, August 31. 

Call (516) 249-0701 for updates on the conditions and availability of all five Bethpage courses.

Oyster Bay GC to host Massapequa Mustangs Golf Outing on September 20

The Massapequa Mustangs Football Foundation, one of Long Island's largest and most recognizable youth football organizations, will hold its sixth annual golf outing on Monday, September 20 at the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course in Woodbury.  Town Supervisor John Venditto and longtime coach and contributor Joseph Trainor will be honored at the event.

The outing is limited to 120 participants and includes breakfast, lunch, buffet dinner, cocktail hour, open bar, golf cart and range balls.  Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a shotgun start scheduled for 11:00.  Entry fee for the outing is $190 per person.  Players can enter their own foursomes or register as individuals.

Proceeds benefit the Massapequa Mustangs Football Foundation, which strives to provide all of its members with the best training, equipment and facilities. 

To sign up as a participant or an event sponsor, download the outing brochure at www.mustangpride.com or contact Joe Gillespie at (516) 799-5422.

Poxabogue problems continue as restaurant owner pulls plans for new eatery

You can still play golf at the Poxabogue Golf Center -- for now.  Just don't arrive at the Hamptons-area course on an empty stomach.

The latest twist in the municipal dramatics that have put the "saga" in this Sagaponack nine-holer was announced last week in the East Hampton Press.  Citing town restrictions and a recent mold problem, Michael Avella, owner of Love Lane Kitchen in Mattituck, has abandoned his plans to open a branch of his North Fork eatery at Poxabogue.  Avella announced his withdrawal last Friday.

Poxabogue will likely finish the 2010 season without a new restaurant on site, according to Will James of the Press.

The Town of East Hampton is still seeking an appraisal of its half of the golf facility, said Jennifer Landes of the East Hampton Star, leaving the ownership status and eventual fate of the course itself up in the air.

Golf On Long Island first addressed the ongoing issues at Poxabogue in February 2009 when safety upgrades at the driving range and eventual expansion of the facilities were delayed due to economic concerns and disagreements between the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton and local villages.  The situation was updated in July 2010 when the mold problem was discovered at the facility.

Tallgrass to host open outing on August 25

The Tallgrass Country Club is holding an open golf outing on Wednesday, August 25, with shotgun start scheduled for 9:00 a.m.  All golfers are invited to participate.

The event includes motor cart on the course, continental breakfast and range balls before the round, barbecue lunch at the turn, and prizes throughout the day.  Entry fee for the outing is $75.

Call the course at (631) 209-9359 to register, or sign up in the pro shop.  For more information on Tallgrass -- one of four Long Island courses selected to Golfweek's 2010 Best Courses You Can Play listing -- check out the course flyover.

Back To School Junior Golf Program at Dix Hills Park

Registration is open for Dix Hills Park's "Back To School" Junior Golf Program, a five-session instructional series designed to keep young golfers swinging through the fall while introducing them to and teaching the basic aspects of the game. 

The program is open to junior golfers from age 5 through 14 and is limited to the first 50 registrants.  Sessions take place on Thursday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:30, beginning September 16 and ending on October 14.  Practice time also includes on-course instruction.  Enrollment in the program is $300 per golfer.

For more information or to enroll in the program, contact the Dix Hills Park pro shop at (631) 499-8005.  To read more about the golf course at Dix Hills Park, check out the course flyover.