Until the first substantial snowfall of the offseason, fairways and greens around Long Island typically remain in very good condition even as the players driving over and stomping on top of them add layers of apparel to block the chill. Plenty of layers were shed on Friday at the Middle Island Country Club during a post-Thanksgiving round that began with a frost delay then ended under a warm, spring-like November sun. Fairways were smooth, soft and lush at the 27-hole course, where conditions continue to improve overall thanks to an ongoing rehabilitation under new ownership over the past four years.
"This place had fallen into pretty bad shape," an MICC veteran of more than 20 years said yesterday while waiting to tee off on the Spruce nine. "But these new owners have turned it around."
The course renovation has included extensive tree removal, addition of water hazards on Spruce, rebuilding of tee boxes and other enhancements. One minor addition is a large bunker shared by Spruce #2 and #5. In previous seasons, this area between the two holes was cluttered with trees. A sandy pit was left over briefly once the trees were cleared. Now a trap nearly 50 yards long occupies the open space. (The bunker appeared to be under repair during our recent round, however.)
Over on the Dogwood and Oak nines, finding our balls was a breeze since the fairways and most of the rough were completely cleared of leaves, an impressive feat considering the course's volume of trees. "I'm impressed," the MICC vet said of the decluttered playing area.
Also noted since our previous visit to Middle Island: There are no more GPS units in the motor carts.
I have had tee time at Middle Island the last 2 years after i swore that i would never play there again. The old owners had not touched the place in many years and it showed. The new owners have spent a lot of money and returned all 3 nine hole courses back to their almost former glory...especially spruce
steve cowit, merrick
Posted by: steve cowit | December 30, 2011 at 10:14 PM