Golf on Long Island

Great Rock GC to host fifth annual Pink Rock Golf Classic on October 6

Head to the Great Rock Golf Club in Wading River next week to "take a swing in the fight against breast cancer" as part of the fifth annual Pink Rock Classic.  The event will take place on Thursday, October 6.  All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Fund For Uninsured Women at the Fortunato Breast Health Center at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson.

Participation in the Pink Rock Classic is $275 for an individual and $1,000 for a foursome.  Registration, lunch and practice on the range will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. shotgun start.  Cocktail hour and a grand buffet dinner will begin immediately after the conclusion of the tournament.  An awards ceremony, live music and silent auction will also be part of the festivities. 

Those who can't make it to Great Rock on event day can still raise money for breast cancer patients and their families through sponsorships or donations.  Last year's Classic raised more than $78,000.  Register as a player or sponsor at the Pink Rock Classic website or call (631) 476-2723.  The rain date for the event is Wednesday, October 12.

Great Rock requires precision and accuracy over the twists and turns of its fairways and fast greens.  Its tenth hole, a par-4 with an uphill climb nearly 450 yards long, is rated among Long Island's finest holes by both Newsday and Golfing Magazine.  And its redesigned 12th green was featured by Golf On Long Island earlier this season.

For more information on Great Rock, check out the course flyover.

Newsday: Eisenhower Red still one of Long Island's gems

In his Golf Beat column this week, Newsday's Mark Herrmann delves into the history of the Red Course at Eisenhower Park and how the East Meadow layout remains one of Long Island's finest golf treasures.

There is a big sign above the ticket office at Eisenhower Park: HOME OF THE 1926 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP.  It is a lasting tribute to the fact that 85 years ago this week, the course in East Meadow was the center of the golf universe.  Walter Hagen won his third consecutive PGA, a feat not done before or since.

A more profound tribute, though, is the steady parade of golfers coming in and out below that sign.  All these decades later, the place is alive and open for business. The Red Course, which was called Salisbury Golf Club No. 4 in 1926, is closed for a few days, but that is merely a sign of life. The greens are being aerated, a standard procedure that pokes holes in the turf to let the soil breathe.

Eisenhower Red will reopen this weekend, a living, breathing testimony to the resilience of a quality course and Long Island golf in general. -- Mark Herrmann, Newsday, 9/29/2011

For more on the Red Course at Eisenhower Park, check out the Golf On Long Island flyover.  And for a historical perspective, visit this June 2010 post on The Forgotten Greens of Eisenhower Red.

Fairway aeration begins today at Timber Point

Aeration of the fairways on Timber Point's Blue, White and Red courses begins today and will be conducted through Friday, September 30.

Call the pro shop at (631) 581-2401 for more information on the aeration schedule.

October aeration at Bethpage

The Yellow Course at Bethpage State Park is scheduled for aeration on Monday, October 3 and Tuesday, October 4, followed by the Red Course on Tuesday, October 25 and Wednesday, October 26.

Bethpage Black will be aerated this week from Monday, September 26 through Thursday, September 29.

Wednesday "Nine and Dine" at Harbor Links Executive Course this Fall

Golfing on autumn Wednesdays just got a lot more delicious now that Harbor Links has announced a "Nine and Dine" special at the Executive Course.  Before or after a round, choose from some grill room specials and a drink to wash it down.  The golf-and-grub deal is just $29.  Call (516) 767-4828 for more details.

The Executive Course at Harbor Links in Port Washington is a pleasant nine for practice and scenery.  It also greets golfers with much of the same natural beauty and appeal as the Championship Course does next door.  For more on the Executive Course, check out the course flyover.

Observations: Pine Hills Country Club

Picture a 498-yard dogleg par-5 that turns hard to the left at almost a 90-degree angle only 200 yards from the tee.  Now imagine a small pond jutting into the fairway's left flank just before the turn.  Then add three tall trees swaying in the breeze directly over the hazard.

Until this year, that was what golfers saw when they looked out from the 15th tee at the Pine Hills Country Club in Manorville.  Players had three options off the tee: clear the hazard and its guardian trees with a high-trajectory drive anywhere from 200 to 250 yards (depending on tee location) to the far fairway, lay up with a sub-200-yard tee shot on a par-5, or try to squeeze around the right side of the hazard without getting lost in the woods.  For confident drivers, there was little debate.  Others, though, found themselves on the defensive from the very start.

Today, more players have the advantage on #15 now that Pine Hills has filled in half of the pond and removed one of the three trees.  The change "makes it easier for players to lay up," says a Pine Hills staffer.

The remaining portion of the hazard and its two tall trees still serve as a deterrent but moreso for those looking to cut the corner of the dogleg.  Play straight out or along the outside of the turn and the hazard will not come into play.

[Pictured: As of September 2011, the filled-in portion of the hazard is in the seeding process, while the trees and hazard guard against shortcuts to the far fairway.]

Closer Look: Stonebridge Golf Links #7

About 30 minutes after you determine the best method of attack on Stonebridge Golf Links' redan par-3 -- the subject of a previous Closer Look post -- it's time to draw up a gameplan on another demanding one-shotter.  This hole, Stonebridge's "Biarritz" seventh, is a design that will be new to many players when they first visit this 18-hole tribute to celebrated designers C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor and Charles Banks.

Biarritz greens have their roots in Europe, and a handful live on today on this side of the pond.  Public golfers might not encounter them very often.  They generally have three defining characteristics: an elevated green, strips of sand running vertically along the sides and, most notably, a depression or swale cutting across the green complex.  Combined with typically long hole distances, these ingredients form a strong line of defense that can be lenient with underclubbed shots but merciless on off-line approaches.

Stonebridge's biarritz measures 194 yards.  A hole that demands an accurate tee shot forces you to pull off precision with your longer clubs in hand.  (Note: The scorecard lists the back-tee distance at 234 yards, but I don't recall a teebox in use from that length.)  Perfectly struck shots will find the elevated green, followed by a birdie putt over one of Stonebridge's flatter surfaces. 

But for most players, a 4-iron or hybrid to a 50-foot-wide target is a tall order, which is what makes the biarritz such a challenge.  Once a tee shot sails wide of the green, the player must continue on in recovery mode.  Any miss to either side will run down or plop directly into long strands of sand that run the length of the putting surface.  One poor blast from well below the green -- either left short to trickle back down to your feet, or slapped long and into the opposite trap -- sets you on a bumpy road to Double Bogey Town.

[TOP: View from the back of the green.  RIGHT: Thin bunkers will collect off-line shots and require an uphill escape. There's a good chance you'll need to take an awkward stance over balls near the lip since the traps are so narrow.  LEFT: From the apron, a two-putt would put a strut in your step.]

The most unique characteristic of the biarritz is the swale.  In this case, it's a 10-yard-long depression that separates the green from a raised apron in front (think your throat separating your chest from your face -- with a nostril as the hole location).  Here, the grass on the apron and in the swale are shaved down close to green height, making the apron both a short bailout area and an extension of the putting surface.  One way to challenge the hole is to play short with a more manageable club, then putt down the swale and back up onto the green.  Not exactly the type of putt you can practice before the round, so don't go this route banking on a two-putt.

Of course, even the bailout area has traps -- literally.  The apron is also paralleled by the same type of bunker strips that border the green.  So while playing to this closer target may take the edge off the tee shot, the penalty for inaccuracy here is much worse.  An awkward diagonal bunker shot from below the hole will have to hurdle the sidehill and still clear the swale to get to the green.

[RIGHT: A miss into one of the front bunkers sets up a difficult diagonal sand shot.]

The biarritz at Stonebridge is unlike almost all par-3s the public golfer will encounter when traversing Long Island courses.  Most players will step up with their long irons and go for the gusto no matter the danger involved.  Some will explore the available options and the unique contours.  If you find yourself unencumbered by time constraints or trailing groups, take a few extra shots and see what works.  Send a runner through the slope and onto the green.  Sky a hybrid and try to keep it straight.  Practice out of the four narrow bunkers.  At least you'll be prepared for your next encounter.

For more on Stonebridge, check out the course flyover.

PREVIOUS CLOSER LOOKS:
Lido Golf Club #16 -- (8/25/2011)
Stonebridge Golf Links #4 -- (7/29/2011)
Great Rock Golf Club's new 12th green -- (6/6/2011)
See all Closer Look posts

Lido GC to host Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church outing on September 20

Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church will hold its first annual golf outing at the Lido Golf Club on Tuesday, September 20 at 1 p.m.  The outing will benefit the Freeport Emergency Food Pantry.

Golfers will enjoy an on-course lunch plus a barbecue buffet dinner after the round.  The $130 entry fee includes food, motor cart and a gift pack.  Sign-in begins at 11:30 a.m.  For more information or to register for the outing as a player or sponsor, contact the church at (516) 785-1829.

Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church supports the Freeport Emergency Food Pantry, which strives to meet the needs of individuals and families in crisis who do not have money to cover necessities, including food.  The pantry provides a short-term supply of food while helping people find more lasting solutions to fulfill their needs.

For more information on the Lido Golf Club, check out the course flyover.

Register for a spot in Hempstead's annual Supervisor's Cup Golf Classic, October 5 at Lido GC

The fourth annual Town of Hempstead Supervisor's Cup Golf Classic will tee off on Wednesday, October 5 at the Lido Golf Club, but there's limited time to enter your name into the drawing for tournament spots. 

Hempstead Town residents are eligible to participate and must submit an application before September 9.  A lottery for the 144 open spots in the event will be held at the Merrick Road Park Golf Course on Friday, September 16.

Supervisor's Cup participants receive range balls, cart, continental breakfast, barbecue lunch, prizes and refreshments in addition to 18 holes at one of Nassau County's most popular courses.  Shotgun start is scheduled for 10 a.m.  Awards will be given out for top team score, longest drives, accurate drives and closest to the pin.  The winning four-person team (scramble format) will receive the Supervisor's Cup.  Entry fee for lottery winners is $15.

Applications can be downloaded from the Town of Hempstead website.  Completed applications must be faxed, mailed and postmarked, or dropped off in person at the Town of Hempstead offices by Friday, September 9.

For specific details and instructions regarding the registration process, and for additional information on the tournament schedule and format, visit the Town of Hempstead website or call (516) 292-9000, x-227.

And for more on the Lido Golf Club, check out the course flyover.

Golf with the Islanders at their Children's Foundation Golf Outing, September 14 at Bethpage Red

A popular gag among rival fans and the most cynical team supporters is that just about anyone could suit up and take the ice with the New York Islanders.  While that's certainly not the case, it is true that anyone could tee it up and hit the links with the Islanders -- some of whom are reportedly quite skilled with the sticks.  Golf sticks, that is.

The fourth annual Islanders Children's Foundation Golf Outing will take place on Wednesday, September 14 at the Red Course at Bethpage State Park.  The outing benefits the Islanders Children's Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting a number of Long Island-based charities providing opportunities for children.  All participants will have a celebrity golfer in their group.  Registration is $650 for individual golfers and $2,500 for a foursome.

Shotgun start is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.  A pre-round brunch at Carlyle on the Green is included, as well as a BBQ lunch on the course and a cocktail hour and dinner reception after the round.  Prizes will be awarded and all players will take home a gift bag.

For registration and sponsorship information, see the event brochure on the Islanders website or contact Michelle Winter at (516) 501-6764.