Golf on Long Island

USSSA preparing to launch its 2013 Junior Golf Tour on Long Island

The road to Florida for the USSSA Junior Golf Championship begins in just a few weeks for Long Island golfers between the ages of 9 and 18. 

The 2013 USSSA Junior Golf Tour launches this April, and once again, local boys and girls will have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the national stage in Orlando.  Its first event is scheduled for April 6-7 at Spring Lake Golf Club in Middle Island.

Registration is open through the Global Recreation Network, which operates the Long Island branch of the USSSA Tour.  Global Recreation's first full year running the local Tour was a success, and president and CEO Ray Coyne is hoping to build on that momentum in 2013.  After the Tour opener at Spring Lake, GRN will hold five more tournaments at several Long Island courses from the end of April through September.  Winners of the qualifying tournaments receive a berth in the Junior Golf Championship this summer at ChampionsGate Golf Club, a Greg Norman design just 15 minutes from Walt Disney World in the Sunshine State.

In addition, all junior players that participate receive pro-style treatment courtesy of the GRN staff.  "Our mission with every sport we organize is to treat amateurs like professionals," Coyne says.  "We want every kid that participates in our events to have an incredible experience no matter what skill level."

Videographers and staff reporters are on hand at the events to conduct interviews with each player, some of which are streamed live on the GRN website, and photographers capture memorable images on and off the course.  Last season, Coyne recalls, a player's grandparents were unable to attend an event, but instead watched their grandson play the final three holes live on a GRN web stream.  "This brought smiles to their faces and turned the grandson into a celebrity for just one day," Coyne says.

Players can register in three age groups: 9-11, 12-14 and 15-18.  Entry fee for the Spring Lake tournament is $145 for the 12-14 and 15-18 age groups (36-hole event) and $90 for the 9-11 group (18-hole event).  In 2012, three Long Island participants advanced to the national tournament -- Ted Sieban (15-18), Matthew Galindo (12-14) and Ryan Katiraei (9-11).  Photos, videos and player profiles from the 2012 Tour can be seen in the Junior Golf section of the GRN website.

The next qualifier is scheduled for April 27-28 at Mill Pond Golf Course.

GRN is also offering a new option for first-time junior golfers, a combination of lessons and recreational competition designed, Coyne says, to allow "every participant to enjoy the game and always want to return."

For more information on the Junior Tour and all its offerings, visit GlobalRec.net or contact Ray Coyne at (631) 482-3264, ext. 701, or e-mail [email protected].

USSSA, a leading national sports association best known for slow-pitch softball, gives amateur athletes the chance to compete in local and national championships in a growing number of sports.  USSSA's Junior Golf Championship Tour is one of the association's newest offerings.  Based in Mount Sinai, Global Recreation Network runs USSSA events and tournaments on Long Island, including adult softball, youth baseball and junior golf.

Golfing Magazine's Free Golf Program adds indoor play at Bay Shore's Eagle Golf

Golfing Magazine's Free Golf Program is no longer confined to the great outdoors. 

The local mag has partnered with Eagle Golf of Bay Shore to include in this year's program an hour of indoor simulator time, a fun practice session that should come in handy between discounted rounds.  Early Bird registration is currently $39 -- even more of a bargain than usual considering an hour in the Eagle Golf simulator typically starts at $50.

Sign up for the Free Golf Program for $39 through April, $49 thereafter.  Members of the program receive a certificate good for one "free" round during designated times at nearly a dozen area courses.  (Only cart fees are required.)  Participating courses will be announced in May.

Golfing Magazine's 2012 program included eight Long Island courses -- Brentwood Country Club, Dix Hills Park, Glen Cove, Gull Haven, Harbor Links - Executive, Holbrook Country Club, Tallgrass and Island's End.  The certificate also includes rounds at dozens of courses upstate and throughout New England.

Eagle Golf is located at 53 W. Main St. in Bay Shore.  Its two Full Swing Golf simulators recreate play on nearly 70 international courses.  For more information, stop by the Eagle Golf website.

Visit the Golfing Magazine website or call (516) 822-5446 to sign up for the 2013 program.

Timber Point to open new season with St. Patrick's Day scramble

Timber Point Golf Course is celebrating St. Patrick's Day and the start of another new golf season with a scramble and dinner outing on Sunday, March 17.  The full-day affair will be hosted at the Great River course before moving on to the nearby Snapper Inn for food and drinks.

The nine-hole, four-person scramble will include several holiday-themed contests, including a pre-round longest-putt competition using a shillelagh.  On the course, compete for prizes in nearest to the leprechaun (pin) and "Luck of the Irish" birdie bonuses.  The $50 entry fee covers all contests and also includes cart and unlimited range balls with tips from the staff.

Check-in and pre-round events begin at 10:00 a.m., with the scramble to follow around 11:00.  After the round, the festivities relocate across the river to the Snapper Inn for Irish food, Guinness pints and live music (not included in the entry fee). 

Sign up at the Timber Point pro shop or call (631) 581-2401.  Players can also register on the day of play.  Groups with less than four players will be teamed with others.  For full information about the St. Patrick's Day outing, visit the Timber Point website's March calendar page.

February golf simulator specials at 1st Tee Fitness & Performance

Central Suffolk County took a beating from last week's snowstorm, but there is one spot where slowly melting Long Island looks just like Pebble Beach.  1st Tee Fitness & Performance in St. James is running specials this month for time in its High Definition Golf simulator, including $10 off a two-hour block and 10 total hours in the sim for $250.

Co-owner and certified golf fitness instructor Jason Greco, who opened the center in December 2011, says simulator rates this winter season are $40/hour and $25/half-hour on weekends, $30 and $20 during the week.  Local pros still give private lessons and instruction in the facility's practice area, as well.

The latest specials can be found on the center's Facebook page and on the 1st Tee website.

For more information on the facility, check out this Golf On Long Island profile from December 2011.

Mill Pond to host St. Patrick's Day scramble

The annual St. Patrick's Day Golf Classic returns to Mill Pond Golf Course next month, a pre-holiday scramble to cap the week and relax in preparation for Saturday night and Sunday celebrations.  The event is scheduled for Friday, March 15, with a 10 a.m. tee time. 

Foursomes will compete for gold, silver and bronze prizes, plus goodies for close-to-pin and long-drive contests.  Check-in and practice begins at 9 a.m.  Following the scramble, a full Irish buffet and open bar will be available until 4:30.  Entry fee is $69 per player.  Individuals or groups with less than four players will be teamed up with others.

Mill Pond events typically sell out, so register for the early-season scramble (pre-payment required) by visiting the Medford course or by calling (631) 732-8249.  In the event of inclement weather, all registrants will be issued a full refund. 

For more information on Mill Pond, check out the course flyover.

Newsday: Poxabogue sale still tangled in real estate snags

For such a little layout, Poxabogue Golf Course often finds itself in a large municipal mess.

It turns out, according to Newsday, that the sale of East Hampton Town's stake in the course to the Town of Southampton -- approved last March by the Southampton Town Board -- has been held up by a "technical snag" and will now head north to Albany for re-approval by the New York State Legislature.  The two towns have jointly owned the course since 2004.

Newsday's Mitchell Freedman explains some of the particulars:

When the deal to sell the town’s share of the golf course to Southampton was first struck more than a year ago, it had to be approved by both houses of the State Legislature, because the property is considered parkland used for recreational purposes.

But the bills passed by the legislature to let East Hampton sell its share of the golf course did not precisely reflect the property lines — the metes and bounds — of the site. -- Mitchell Freedman, Newsday, 2/12/2013

Meanwhile, the Poxabogue website has been down for several weeks.

Registration open for pre-St. Patrick's Day Shotgun at Spring Lake

Spring Lake Golf Club in Middle Island will host a shotgun outing next month to kick off St. Patrick's Day weekend and help usher in the 2013 season.  The first annual St. Patrick's Day Scramble will tee off on Spring Lake's Thunderbird Course at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 15.  Registration is now open to interested players and groups.

The outing will be followed by an Irish buffet with all the traditional fare -- corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and beer.  Each player's $58 entry fee covers 18 holes, practice on the range, motor cart, buffet and two cold brews.  Format for the event is four-person scramble.  The winning team receives a free round at Spring Lake.

Register for the scramble by calling (631) 924-5115 or by visiting the Spring Lake clubhouse in Middle Island.  And for more information on Spring Lake's Thunderbird Course, check out the course flyover.