Golf on Long Island

Great Rock Golf Club has closed

Stunning development out of Wading River.  Great Rock Golf Club, the popular semi-private course known for its lightning-fast greens, will not open this March.  Great Rock and its on-site restaurant, Blackwells, are out of business.  The fate of the golf course is uncertain.

[UPDATE:  Great Rock Golf Club reopened in June 2014 under new ownership.]

With the 2014 playing season only a few weeks away, the public golf scene on the East End is in a state of upheaval.  Long Island National has completed its transformation into a private club, and Calverton Links, which abruptly closed for the season last fall, will likely not reopen.

The Great Rock news comes as a shock given its popularity, course quality and its above-and-beyond approach to service and maintenance. 

Opened in 2001, Great Rock earned a reputation for providing an elevated, club-style level of service, from the bag drop at the start of the day to its conclusion in a classy, wood-accented tap room.  Several of its holes -- most notably the 10th, with the namesake rock overlooking the green -- were highlighted by Newsday and Golfing Magazine.  The staff routinely responded to feedback and redesigned some of its greens in recent years to make them more player-friendly while maintaining their challenging nature.  The staff was also featured in a Newsday column in 2010, which emphasized the club's focus on customer service.

UPDATE (3/19): The Riverhead News-Review has some background on the property.

Brentwood, Holbrook scheduled for March 14 reopenings

The Town of Islip courses at Brentwood Country Club and Holbrook Country Club are tentatively slated to open for the 2014 season on Friday, March 14.  Lingering winter weather could delay the start of the season, however, the way early-arriving winter weather ended the 2013 season a few days ahead of schedule.

For more on each course, visit the Brentwood and Holbrook flyovers.

Pre-holiday St. Patrick's Day scramble at Mill Pond

[UPDATE:  The date of this event has been changed to Friday, March 28.]

The winter golf season is winding down on Long Island, not because the weather is any warmer, but because the annual St. Patrick's Day golf outings are looming.

Mill Pond Golf Course in Medford will get a headstart on both St. Patrick's Day and the spring season in general when it hosts its annual pre-holiday scramble next month on Friday, March 14.  Tee time is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. 

Four-person teams will compete for top-3 prizes as well as goodies for closest-to-the-pin and long-drive contests.  Check-in and practice begin at 9 a.m.  After the outing, an Irish-themed buffet complete with corned beef, cabbage and an open bar will be served until 4:30.  Entry fee is $74 per player (pre-payment required).  Individuals or groups with less than four players will be teamed up with others.

Mill Pond's holiday events typically sell out, so register for the early-season scramble as soon as possible by visiting the Medford golf course or by calling (631) 732-8249.  In the event of inclement weather, all registrants will be issued a full refund.  There is no rain date.

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

Bethpage Black cracks top 40 in Golf Digest's world course rankings

The Black Course at Bethpage State Park doesn't get any action during the winter season, but it does get plenty of accolades. 

Around the same time that the Long Island Press announced Bethpage as the "Best Golf Course" survey winner for the seventh straight year, Golf Digest put out another of its offseason course rankings, and the Black Course, as usual, was right in the thick of it.

In its February issue, Golf Digest released its first-ever "World's 100 Greatest Courses" listing.  The Black Course made it into the top half with room to spare at #35, just behind South Africa's Fancourt (Links) and one slot ahead of Prairie Dunes CC in Kansas.  Pine Valley in New Jersey topped the list, followed by Cypress Point in Pebble Beach and Augusta National.

A number of Long Island's prestigious private clubs made the list, including top-20 rankings for Shinnecock Hills (#5), National Golf Links of America (#13) and Fishers Island (#17).

According to the Digest, more than 800 panelists and golfers in the U.S. and overseas took part in the survey, rating each course they were familiar with on a 10-point scale.  For a look at Golf Digest's World 100, visit the magazine website.

Reader e-mail: Favorite Long Island courses

Long Island's 2013-14 winter golf season has been a complete bust, so local golfer and Golf On Long Island reader Ryan Stewart has his eye on the spring.  Stewart e-mailed us on the heels of last week's snow/slop storm to ask some questions and share some thoughts on the local golf scene.  He also credited Golf On Long Island with inspiring him to set out and play every 18-hole course on the Island, a goal that he needed only one summer to reach.

So with all those courses under his belt, Stewart filled us in on his favorites.  It seems that, like us, Stewart enjoys teeing it up out east:

• Tallgrass:  "Fair yet challenging course, and it has a grass driving range, which is a huge plus.  I also think Tallgrass has the hardest three closing holes on Long Island (besides Bethpage)."

• Great Rock:  Stewart says the course plays much tougher than the scorecard indicates.  "The hard fairways and the super-quick greens take a lot to get used to."

• Rock Hill:  "I like the drastic change after nine holes...it's like playing at two different golf courses."  And with Rock Hill's length, Stewart says, "it makes me feel like I'm playing 20 holes instead of 18."

As far as his ideal Long Island golf course:

"If you could take the back nine at Calverton Links and combine it with the back nine at Mill Pond, you would have my favorite course on Long Island.  If you could sprinkle in a waterfront hole from Timber Point Blue, it would make it even better."

Golf On Long Island always welcomes reader commentary -- especially when winter weather halts all action on the course.  Have any local-course comments or observations to pass the time until tee time?  Send them along.

Bethpage, Rock Hill, Eisenhower make it a "Best of LI" threepeat

In the spirit of the Winter Olympics currently underway in Sochi, Bethpage State Park and its famed Black Course have taken home the gold yet again in the annual Long Island Press "Best of LI" poll, with Rock Hill Golf & Country Club and Eisenhower Park occupying familiar spots on the medal stand. 

Long Island Press readers voted Bethpage the "Best Golf Course" on Long Island for the seventh consecutive year (results were announced last month).  The 90-hole golf mecca -- headlined by the Black Course and the challenging Red Course -- beat out 11 other public courses and three private clubs thanks to the dedicated mouse-clicking of golfers among the Long Island Press readership.

A consistent top-3 finisher in the "Best of LI" poll, Eisenhower Park settled for the bronze in 2014.  The Devereux Emmet-designed Red Course.is one of the Island's most popular courses, and its Robert Trent Jones-designed neighbors -- the White and Blue courses -- draw golfers year-round.

Courses like Crab Meadow, Harbor Links and Montauk Downs have joined Bethpage and Eisenhower in the winners' circle in years past, but Manorville's Rock Hill Golf & Country Club has become a mainstay in the poll, now finishing as runner-up three years in a row.  Press readers seem to vote with yardage in mind, and Rock Hill is among Long Island's longest public courses.  With its tall, thick rough, Rock Hill plays much longer than the 7,050 yards listed on the scorecard.

PICTURED ABOVE:  Eisenhower Red #15 (click to enlarge)

2013-14 Winter Rates Roundup II

If you want to play golf in the 2013-14 winter season, it seems you either need a plane ticket or a very vivid imagination for daydreaming.  This offseason has been more about polar vortexes than putting practice.

In the event there is ever an available day to play golf before the 2014 regular season arrives, here are a few courses to consider with winter deals.  For full details about rates and course conditions, contact the course pro shops or visit their websites.  Note that these do not represent discounted rates at all courses:

• Mill Pond:  $50 to ride, $40 to walk on weekdays before noon ($40/$30 after); $52 to ride on weekends before noon ($41 after) -- all rates cheaper for Brookhaven residents with discount card

• Cherry Creek Links:  $40 to ride, $30 to walk on weekdays; $50/$40 on weekends (Woods Course closed during winter)

• Pine Hills:  $45 to ride, $35 to walk on weekday mornings, $55 on weekend mornings (riding only); $35/$25 PM weekdays, $45/$35 PM weekends

For a primer on winter golf in general and a sampling of offseason rates from previous seasons, refer to Winter Golf on Long Island.  Also check out 2013-14 Winter Rates Roundup I for other offseason specials.