Golf on Long Island

Tee off with Dad at Mill Pond's annual "Friday Before Father's Day" outing

Perhaps the best way to pamper Dad on Father's Day is by sinking that 20-footer for birdie yourself and letting him keep his putter in the bag.  You'll have your chance at Mill Pond Golf Course's third annual "Friday Before Father's Day" outing on Friday, June 14.

The "Friday Before Father's Day" event is a modified scramble tournament pitting you and Dad against other golfing families from around Long Island.  Tee time is 8:00 a.m.  The outing includes cart, range balls, BBQ lunch and a raffle ticket. 

All participants have an opportunity to win goodies for on-course achievements -- including low team, low individual, longest drive and closest to the pin -- and the grand-prize raffle drawing for a set of TaylorMade irons.  Entry fee is $99 per player, and the deadline to register is Tuesday, June 11. 

Get on the tee sheet by calling the pro shop at (631) 732-8249.  There is limited space available.

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

Lido Golf Club letter details extent of course and clubhouse repairs

Lido Golf Club put on a little weight in the offseason -- 7,000 pounds, to be precise.  And that's just in grass seed. 

Then, speaking of thousands, there's 4,000 -- as in the amount of square footage rebuilt to bring back a working clubhouse.  These figures and other course updates were distributed in an e-mail letter from Lido staff to "loyal customers and neighbors" via e-mail and website over Memorial Day weekend.

Lido reopened for play in March, a remarkable feat given it was a mere four months since the course was submerged by the Atlantic Ocean and Reynolds Channel during Hurricane Sandy.  Saltwater damaged areas of the course, destroyed the clubhouse and wiped out Lido's fleet of golf carts.  Today the greens are "healthy and in excellent condition," according to the staff, and the fairways -- slowed by a cold season unkind to all spring growth -- are rebounding fast enough for a summer revival.

Also around the course:

• The staff is renovating two to three bunkers per day, filling each with new sand.
• Fairways, collars and rough have been core aerated and seeded.  This process will likely be repeated later this season.
• The course's three wooden bridges were repaired.
• Golf carts have been replaced with new models.

Extensive repairs to the clubhouse included rebuilding the pro shop, bathrooms, offices and kitchen, and replacing all computers and kitchen equipment.

Golf On Long Island's Anthony Dimino revisited Lido earlier this month.  "Out of everything around the course," he said, "the greens were in the best shape."

Lee & Aidan McMahon Foundation Golf Outing, June 15 at Middle Island CC

The Lee & Aidan McMahon Foundation will hold its 14th annual McMahon Family Golf Outing and Auction on Saturday, June 15 at the Middle Island Country Club.  Event proceeds will benefit the Hospice Care Network, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and American Liver Foundation.  The McMahon Foundation has raised nearly $1 million through its charity events to date.

Shotgun start is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., preceded by lunch and the start of a silent auction.  After the round, event participants can stay for a cocktail hour, dinner, raffles, and silent and live auctions.  Entry fee is $225 per golfer.

Visit the Foundation website to sign up for the outing or to learn about the McMahon family, its mission and its charitable efforts.  For more information, contact Joe McMahon at (516) 603-7700. 

Middle Island Country Club is a 27-hole facility sporting three nine-hole layouts in Middle Island.  Click the following links for the Golf On Long Island flyovers of Middle Island's Spruce, Dogwood and Oak courses.

Pitch & Putt update: Robert Moses State Park Golf Course open again, Cedar Beach open, Jones Beach closed

Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island reopened this morning for the first time since the grounds and its main traffic circle were heavily damaged last October by Hurricane Sandy.  Included in the grand reopening is the pitch-and-putt golf course at the west end of the barrier-beach park.  The golf course, accessible at Field 2, is now available for play.

Also open is the pitch-and-putt course at Cedar Beach, just across the channel from Robert Moses.  The 18 holes at Cedar Beach range from 55 to 100 yards through thick oceanside vegetation.

Farther west along the barrier island, unfortunately, the golf course at Jones Beach State Park is closed indefinitely.  The course, laid out next to the iconic tower and just behind the damaged boardwalk, "hasn't been touched" yet according to a park staffer.  There is no timetable for its repair.

Willow Creek G&CC to host St. Louis de Montfort and Pete DeVito Memorial golf outings

Willow Creek Golf & Country Club in Mount Sinai will host the ninth annual St. Louis de Montfort Golf Outing on Friday, June 7 and the third annual Pete DeVito Memorial Foundation outing on the following Friday, June 14.

The St. Louis de Montfort outing will honor parishioner Carol Landy and the Sound Beach Fire Department.  The $190 entry free includes range balls and cart, a buffet lunch and all-day barbecue and beverages on the course.  Lunch begins at noon with a shotgun start scheduled for 1:30.  Dinner and cocktails follow the round with prizes for on-course contests and a silent auction.

Proceeds benefit the Miller Place church's parish outreach program, which worked hard alongside the Sound Beach Fire Department to provide food, shelter and support last fall after Hurricane Sandy.  To register as a golfer or sponsor, call Jim Brennan at the parish office at (631) 744-8566, or print and submit the outing brochure.

On June 14, the Pete DeVito Memorial Foundation will raise money for the fight against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis when its third annual outing tees off at 1:00 p.m. 

Lunch, registration and open practice on the range begin at 11:00 a.m.  After the round, the event continues with an open-bar cocktail hour, dinner, awards, raffles, auctions and prizes for course competitions.  Entry fee is $175 per player.  Sign up as a player, sponsor or dinner guest by visiting the Pete DeVito Memorial Foundation website for a registration form.

The Pete DeVito Memorial Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness and funding research in the hopes of finding a cure for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).  Visit the Foundation website for more information on Pete and this rare disease.

Willow Creek Golf & Country Club is a Stephen Kay design known for its speedy greens and gorgeous, hazard-heavy layout.  The course boasts nearly 100 sand traps and an "island"-green 16th.  For more information on the course, check out the Willow Creek flyover.

Annual Rev. Msgr. Thaddeus Rooney Memorial Golf Outing scheduled for June 6 at Timber Point

The annual golf outing held in memory of Rev. Msgr. Thaddeus Rooney of Ss. Cyril & Methodius Church in Deer Park will take place on Thursday, June 6 at Timber Point Golf Course in Great River.  The event is sponsored by Mangano Funeral Home, Inc. of Deer Park.  Shotgun tee time is 2:00 p.m.

Entry fee is $150 per golfer and includes a barbecue lunch at noon, beverages on the course and dinner with cocktails after the round.  Prizes will be given away to winners of close-to-the-pin and long-drive competitions.  Dinner-only guests can reserve a spot for $55.

To register for the event or participate as a sponsor, print and submit the outing sign-up sheet or contact Deacon Phil Mills at (631) 667-4044, ext. 110. 

For more on historic Timber Point, check out the Blue, Red and White course flyovers.

Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course to be renamed in honor of Joseph Colby, former town supervisor

The Town of Oyster Bay will rename its golf course at a ceremony this weekend to honor Joseph Colby, the town supervisor who was influential in the preservation of the 120-acre Woodbury estate and its transformation into the present-day municipal course.  The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 18 at 11:30 a.m. at the course entrance on Southwoods Road.

Colby was the 56th town supervisor and was elected to the position five times between his 1977 appointment and his election in 1988 as New York State Supreme Court Justice.  During his time in office, Colby pushed to maintain and showcase the former Bruce Estate at the corner of Jericho Turnpike by creating a golf course for all residents to enjoy.

“While supervisor, Joseph Colby’s vision was to protect and preserve this impressive expanse of beautiful property,” Supervisor John Venditto said.  “Just as Colby envisioned, this golf course was a perfect example of both aesthetics and function.”

Read the entire press release at the Town of Oyster Bay website.

The Honorable Joseph Colby Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course is a Tom Fazio design known for its very tight, challenging front nine and heavily contoured greens.  The property is also home to the Gold Coast Golf Center for instruction, lessons and camps. 

For more on the course, check out the Oyster Bay flyover.

Observations: Holbrook Country Club

There's no shortage of trees at Holbrook Country Club, a course where all 18 holes are ringed by a dense collection of limbs and leafy branches.  Aside from an occasional generous kick toward the fairway, these trees offer little that's of any aid to golfers. 

One tree, however, does serve a beneficial purpose to Holbrook players.  Rather, it did serve a purpose.  The tree, all alone on the inside of the dogleg on the par-4 ninth, is gone.  It was there on our previous visit in May 2011, but no more.  It served as an important landmark for players unable to see the far half of a fairway obscured by a water hazard and surrounding reeds.  A strong drive launched over the tree would cut the corner of the sloped fairway and tumble down within a short iron or wedge of the green.

All is not lost -- you can still use the edge of the hazard to set your aim. 

While the tree may be gone, still active at Holbrook are the infamous crows that cackle and caw from first hole to last.  Turn your back and they'll make off with that bag of chips you left in the cart.  Lip out on a birdie putt and their well-timed jeers head straight for your last nerve.

[PICTURED: Looking back from beside #9 green (in May 2011), the lost tree can be seen on the right inside the turn of the fairway.]

Bethpage Black is Golfweek's Best Municipal for fifth straight year

There is rarely any suspense when it comes to the Long Island imprint on Golfweek's annual ranking of America's Best Municipal Courses.  Bethpage Black is usually at the top, followed a few tiers below by neighbor Bethpage Red and Montauk Downs.   Change is found only in the number next to the latter two.

Golfweek published its 2013 Best Municipal list this month, and Bethpage Black is again #1, making it five straight years atop the government-owned heap.  The crowning comes only a couple of months after Golfweek ranked the Black Course #21 in its Best Classic Courses list and #1 among the Best Courses You Can Play in New York. 

Chambers Bay (Washington) and Butterfield Trail (Texas) take silver and bronze behind Bethpage Black; Torrey Pines (South) and the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale round out the top five.  Bethpage Red comes in at #27, with Montauk Downs dropping two spots to #42.

Golfweek's Best Municipal Courses list rates the top 50 government-owned layouts nationwide.  Courses are evaluated and ranked based on conditioning, routing, variety, memorability and other categories.

Golfing Magazine partners with 11 courses for its 2013 Free Golf Program

Starting this week, Long Island golfers will receive a Golfing Magazine certificate that allows them to play for "free" at nearly a dozen golf courses Islandwide.  The magazine's 2013 Free Golf Program includes 11 local courses -- seven full-length and four nine-hole layouts -- plus dozens more upstate and across the Northeast.  Also, this year's program sets aside for certificate holders some much-needed tune-up time, specifically a half-hour lesson at the Town of Oyster Bay's Gold Coast Golf Center and an hour in the simulator at Eagle Golf in Bay Shore.  The $39 Early Bird Special has come and gone, but interested golfers can still sign up for the program for $59.  

Seven of the eight courses in last year's program are returning again in 2013 -- Brentwood Country Club, Dix Hills Park, Glen Cove, Gull Haven, Holbrook Country Club, Tallgrass and Island's End.  Added to the selection this year are The Woods at Cherry Creek and Sandy Pond Golf Course in Riverhead, Spring Lake's nine-hole Sandpiper Course in Middle Island, and Willow Creek Golf & Country Club in Mount Sinai. 

The Free Golf Program certificate entitles you to one "free" round at each of the above courses.  All you pay for on the day of play is a cart fee (and reservation fee where applicable).  The certificate will only be honored at certain times during the week and on weekends, and availability varies by course.  Be sure to check all terms and conditions when reserving your round.  Tee times must be made in advance.  Once that's done, it's great local golf at a steep discount.

As always, a one-year subscription to Golfing Magazine (five issues) is part of the program.  If you're heading up the Thruway or into New England sometime this summer, the certificate makes a valuable travel companion, as it's valid at a variety of participating courses in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and upstate New York.

To subscribe, contact Golfing Magazine at (516) 822-5446 or visit online at www.GolfingMagLI.com.  And for descriptions of the participating Long Island courses, click the links above to read the course flyovers.