Golf on Long Island: Flyover: Eisenhower Park

[This flyover was updated on October 5, 2017.]

SEE ALSO:
Observations: Eisenhower Park - White Course (10/2/2017)
Observations: Eisenhower Park - White Course (8/5/2015)

Everyone seeks the comforts of familiarity at one time or another. Some might revisit the pizza place they haven't been to in years, the one with the Sicilian slices they once could eat by the pie. Others might find themselves struck by the mood to settle in at that old dive again for nostalgia's sake, a place "where everybody knows your name," so to speak.

For some Long Island golfers, especially ones who grew up with a Nassau County Leisure Pass in their pocket, comfort has long been that course "where every hole is the same" -- as one fellow player described the White Course at Eisenhower Park a few years ago. Eisenhower White, a Robert Trent Jones design and companion to the Blue Course, is that delicious Sicilian pie -- no frills, just function. However, in 2017, park staff made huge strides in introducing some variety to a layout that we previously compared unfavorably to Phil Connors' plight in "Groundhog Day."

The par-72 White Course is known for its bunkers and elevated greens, and its the nature of these elements that has been modified for the better. Sand traps once were confined to the midway point of every hole, followed by one or two larger bunkers carved in front of every raised surface. Today, the addition of dozens of fairway hazards and sod-walled pot bunkers at least provides the illusion of shape and movement on otherwise straight holes. Rough around the greens has been mowed way down to fairway height on about a half-dozen holes, allowing for a bit of creativity near the surface rather than a testy gouge out of a heavy greenside lie.

Still, if consistently getting the ball airborne or out of a trap is a problem, the White can be a long, monotonous 6,932-yard slog. If you like to tote your bag around, the flat fairways make the White a good walking course. Beginners might relish the step up in difficulty without fear of water and other penal design aspects.

LAYOUT:
Eisenhower White is nine holes straight out and straight back, times two -- with emphasis on straight. Unlike the Blue Course with its occasional twists and turns, there's not a dogleg to be found on the White.

The opening two holes introduce the White's personality without delay. Both are 366 yards from the middle tees and present at least two traps inside a driver's landing zone. The right side of #2 is sand-free, but the greenfront trap is set up to intercept approaches from that angle. White's longest hole (from the middle tees) is the 518-yard third, an imposing par-5 with the course's shallowest green. Only the most skilled players with power and ball control will be able to reach and hold this green in two.

Another characteristic quirk of the White Course (and Blue) is the twin par-3s. When you turn back toward the clubhouse at the 178-yard fifth, you'll find two nearly identical holes sitting side by side. The intent, apparently, is to avoid backups at the par-3 tees by allowing groups to play on the alternate hole. The only difference between the two is the style of the bunkers. To date, only one twin on each hole has received the recent sand-trap facelift. (Imagine the therapy.)

The addition of fairway traps is most noticeable as you step to the sixth tee. Players once looked out at the 386-yard par-4 to find a single fairway trap less than 200 yards away, too short to affect most solid drives. Today, the hole features a collection of seven right-side fairway traps, a deterrent that forces players to hug the hole's left side, where they will soon encounter three new traps on the green's left front. In total, the number of bunkers on the hole has jumped from three to 12. The par-5 seventh riddles the long route to the pin with eight fairway bunkers and another four short of the green.

The next par-5 at #12 is one of the few White holes with any bend, and a single wide trap has long protected the turn of the fairway. In its place today is a chain of four bunkers that create more of a diagonal hazard. Ahead, five sod-walled bunkers protect the approach to the green.

Small pot bunkers come into play in spots around the course. At the par-3 fifth, a trio of sand traps on the green's left side includes a deep, circular bunker with two steps down to the sand. Recovery shots require highly lofted blasts over the other two traps and onto the green. On the 18th, decent drives should fly by a small batch of fairway bunkers, but hidden about 50 yards short of the green are two deeper hazards that strive to wreck approaches on the 477-yard closer.

CONDITIONS:
Eisenhower White's 18 holes play in two directions -- tee off east away from the starter's booth, then back west to complete each nine. Gauging the wind's impact on each hole is not rocket science. If you have a breeze at your back to start the round, you're ahead of the game, as the course's two longest par-5s and par-4s (middle tees) point your driver in the same direction. And, fittingly, on a course that's a bit lacking when it comes to variety, the four par-3s all play back toward the western sky. Counting their fraternal twin holes, that's eight par-3s in total, all similar in style, all nearly identical in orientation.

All of the greens, except for one (see below), are medium-sized and round in shape. The back and sides of each elevated putting surface slope down to level ground, some with rough that typically prevents balls from trickling too far, and about a half-dozen others with low-cut runoffs. There are few traps behind any of the greens, and open space off the back is often plentiful, especially around the par-3s.

The White is a high-traffic course. Rounds often get frustratingly slow during peak times.

HOLE(S) TO REMEMBER:
#3 is the most unique hole on the course solely because of its wide, oval-shaped green. The fact that this shallow green resides at the end of the course's longest par-5 makes #3 the White's most remarkable and demanding hole, as well. A 300-yard blast still leaves 210-plus into the perched putting surface. And the hole is even more unique now that it's among the handful around the course that features fairway-cut runoffs instead of greenside rough. A tip of the cap to those who can reach this green and hold it in two. The rest of us will be farther back in the fairway, trying to pitch over a mammoth bunker that covers nearly the full width of the green.

AREA(S) TO AVOID:
It would be too easy to recommend avoiding the dozens of sand traps that muck up the fronts and sides of the White's 18 greens. Instead, at the beginning of your round, pick your least favorite approach distance and consider that your zone to avoid. Whatever that distance is and whichever two clubs it sits in between varies from player to player. But what holds true for all players is that if you're uneasy from that distance normally, you'll be even more queasy when the green is elevated behind a big fat trap.

NEARBY COURSES:
Eisenhower Park - Blue/Red (on site)
Cantiague Park (3 miles)
Merrick Road Park (8 miles)
Bethpage -- Black/Blue/Green/Red/Yellow (8 miles)