When we visited the Tallgrass Golf Course last July (still known as Tallgrass Country Club at the time), a scorching heat wave helped the course play firmer and faster than Long Island public golfers are accustomed to. Fast forward to a cool, windy late-March morning and Tallgrass is still allowing plenty of bounce and roll across the layout.
The firm conditions are fun to play and fit the course's Scottish-links model. When a three-club wind speeds through the wide-open, tree-free property as it did during this recent visit, there is a British Open-type feel to a round in Shoreham. You can be creative with shots and mount a ground attack when the opportunities present themselves. At other times, you'll have to put the ball in the air and let the elements take control.
Ground game isn't an option on the par-5 opener, whose green is separated from the fairway by a stretch of thick rough, a perilously deep bunker and a false front. Most players will have to lay up around 75 to 100 yards out and do whatever it takes to not miss short. Note all of these elements (plus the three-club headwind) in the video below.
While the narrow, hard-to-hit green on #2 is exposed to any sort of approach, a poor uphill lie on the grassy face of a fairway bunker left me with few options and put the fate of the next shot in the hands of the fierce tailwind. (Not surprisingly, it blew my ball over the green and into the backside trap.)
Thankfully we visited early enough in the season to avoid the namesake fescue still hibernating around the fairways and greens. But not for much longer.
Tallgrass was selected by Golfweek as one of the "Best Courses You Can Play" in 2010 and 2011. For more information, check out the course flyover and previous observations.
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