Golf on Long Island

Spring aeration on the schedule at Bethpage

Now that the golf courses at Bethpage State Park are finally reopening for early-season play, they'll each be shutting down briefly in April for spring aeration.

First up is the Blue Course, which will be aerated next week on April 6 and 7.  The rest of the schedule is as follows:

Red Course:  April 13-14
Yellow Course:  April 15-16
Black Course:  April 20-21
Green Course:  April 22-23

Some temporary greens are currently in use on the four courses open for play (Black opens on April 13).  Call the park for the latest updates on course conditions.

2015 Summer Golf Camps on Long Island

[Looking for this year's camp info?  See the Guide to 2024 Summer Golf Camps on Long Island.]

The 2015 Long Island golf season has gone through a couple of weather-related false starts, keeping golfers of all ages confined away from local courses.  Unaffected, thankfully, by the endless transition from winter to spring is the summer season, when players are more concerned with cramming in a weekend full of tee times than jamming newspaper into their water-logged shoes.  While longtime players bask in warm sunlight either on the course or with a beer in hand on the 19th hole, many young golfers -- from brand-new beginners to advanced types with course experience -- use the summer months to elevate their game to the next level under the watchful eye of Long Island pros.  

Teaching pros across Long Island -- including some who've been recognized nationally for their work as golf and junior-golf instructors -- have developed summer camp programs that school young players in key fundamentals, the swing, etiquette and other aspects of the game.  These golf camps offered at a handful of Long Island courses are designed to either put the first building blocks in place for newcomers or provide expert guidance for skilled juniors looking to enhance their abilities, all in a fun environment with contests, prizes and more. 

The following is a basic overview of 2015 summer junior golf camps available and open for registration at various public courses around Long Island.   For more information, follow the links below to the course websites and junior camp pages. 

(Please note that this is not a complete list of Long Island summer golf camps.  If courses or facilities in your area are not included here, contact them directly to learn about any available camps, clinics and instructional programs.)

Cedars Golf Club:  The Cutchogue course offers separate programs in July (7/6 to 7/30) and August (8/3 to 8/27) open to boys and girls age 5 to 15.  Campers meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for instruction, and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for course play.  Instruction focuses on the full swing, short game, rules and etiquette.  Cost is $500 per monthly session, which includes a hat, handbook and club rental.  Extended instruction is available for an additional $100.  Call (631) 734-6363 or e-mail [email protected] to register.

Crab Meadow:  The High School Development Program is a unique instruction and competition experience designed for the intermediate player looking to advance his or her game.  On-course play includes lessons in course management, short game, reading greens, club selection and bunker play, as well as head-to-head match competition.  Three-hour sessions take place on Thursdays in July and August.  Cost for the program is $375 (green fees included).  Call (631) 499-8005 for additional program info.

Dix Hills Park:  Basic Program is open to junior players from age 6 to 14 with limited or no golf experience.  The program stresses safety, rules and etiquette through games and contests in a fun atmosphere.  Club Division is open to boys and girls who are ready for on-course instruction and play.  Campers in this program receive advanced instruction and are introduced to various competition formats.  Separate six-week Basic sessions take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning in early July.  (Club Division meets on Thursdays only.)  Cost is $325 (Basic)/$350 (Club).  Visit the junior golf program page for more info.

Gold Coast Golf Center at the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course:  A total of 12 weekly sessions are available beginning in June.  Half-day camps (9:00 to 11:00 a.m.) for kids age 5 to 7 focus on fundamentals in an environment designed to foster development and interest in the sport.  A transitional camp (noon to 4 p.m.), which includes one hour of on-course play each day, is open to golfers from age 8 to 10.  Full-day camps (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) include on-course instruction and are open to juniors age 10 and up.  Also available is a travel camp that is geared toward intermediate players and those who compete in tournaments or school play.  Other programs and discounts are available.  Call (516) 682-4776 or visit the registration page for full camp info.

Great Rock Golf Club:  Half-day and full-day camps are open to boys and girls age 7 to 17, with seven separate sessions available in July and August.  All sessions are Monday to Thursday.  The half-day camp runs from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.; full-day camp is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Instruction covers swing fundamentals, chipping, pitching, rules and etiquette, plus video analysis and on-course training.  There is a pizza party and awards ceremony on the final day.  Cost is $249 for the half-day camp and $399 for full-day.  

Harbor Links Golf Course:  All camps begin the week of June 29.  Weekly programs for kids age 6 to 9 run Tuesday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and include games and drills that help develop important skills and fundamentals, in addition to a skills competition and gift packet.  Separate programs for teens age 10 to 16 are split into four-hour AM and PM sessions and run Monday to Friday.  These cover the full swing, short game, course management, rules and etiquette, and conclude with a two-day "Junior Scramble" team tournament.  Cost is $450 for the 6-9 camp and $585 for the 10-16 camp.  Weekly sessions are offered through August.  For all program information, schedules and registration forms, visit the Harbor Links website.

Indian Island Country Club:  Weekly full-day camps include lunch, prizes, skills contests and on-course competition.  Camps are open to boys and girls of all skill levels between the ages of 7 and 16.  Fees are $495 per week, per camper, with family, returnee and multi-week discounts available.  Sessions begin June 29 and continue until Labor Day weekend.  See the Indian Island camp brochure for all details.

Island's End Golf & Country Club:  Weekly sessions begin July 6 and are open to intermediate and advanced junior golfers age 10 and up (younger players with high skill levels will be accepted).  There are seven total sessions in July and August, each with a maximum of five campers.  Programs run Monday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., with an extra hour on Friday for on-course instruction.  All campers receive a junior golf gift.  Cost is $200 for each week-long session.  Visit the Island's End website for more information.

Long Island Golf Camps / Mike Reilly Golf Academy:  Long Island Golf Camps runs programs at three public courses -- Peninsula Golf Club (Massapequa), Sumpwams Creek/E. Donald Conroy Golf Course (Babylon) and Cantiague Park (Hicksville).  The Peninsula camp is a week-long, full-day program (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with sessions beginning June 29.  It includes instruction on different aspects of the swing, daily lunch, on-course play and a Friday tournament.  Babylon camps run Monday to Friday and are split into three-hour AM and PM programs.  Instruction takes place on the course and in the short-game area.  Enrollment is $550 for the Peninsula camp and $239 for the Babylon camp.  Call (631) 889-1523 for information on the Cantiague camp.  For schedules and registration, and for information on a fourth camp program held at the private Colonial Springs Golf Club in East Farmingdale, visit the Long Island Golf Camps website.

Mill Pond:  Camps are available in 3-day and 5-day sessions beginning in early July.  The shorter programs are beginner-oriented with a focus on fundamentals for new players.  Juniors with some playing experience will receive instruction on course management, rules and etiquette.  Week-long programs are geared to more experienced juniors, with course instruction included during the last two days.  Visit the Mill Pond website or call (631) 732-8249 for info on registration, pricing, schedules and program format.

Poxabogue Golf Center:  A total of ten sessions run from the week of June 22 to the week of August 24.  Sessions are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and are open to boys and girls from age 7 to 16.  Campers will learn basics of the full swing, short game, course management, rules and etiquette, and will receive a hat, snacks and giveaways.  Cost is $349 per session.  See the camp application for details.

Smithtown Landing Country Club:  Camp programs led by PGA professional and Hall of Famer Michael Hebron begin in late June and run through August.  Morning and afternoon sessions are available.  Call (631) 979-6534 or visit the course website for details on program schedules, prices and format.

Spring Lake Golf Club:  Four-day camps will take place on July 28-31 (age 11 to 13) and August 4-7 (age 7 to 10).  Cost is $229.  Contact Spring Lake pro Cristy Jurgens at (631) 924-5115.

Stonebridge Golf Links:  Full- and half-day programs are available for beginners through intermediate players.  Half-day sessions (9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.) are geared to beginners age 6 to 9 and focus on fundamentals, rules, etiquette and course/club basics.  Full-day camps (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) help experienced players age 10 and up improve on skills and knowledge through on-course play and instruction.  Cost is $210 for half-day and $365 for full-day.  All campers receive a Nike sports bag.  See the camp brochure for session schedules and registration info.

Tallgrass Golf Course:  Beginning July 6, the Shoreham course will offer five Monday-Friday sessions, each open to ten campers.  Daily instruction (2 p.m. to 7 p.m.) focuses on chipping, putting and the full swing, with on-course lessons and play also featured.  Cost is $300 per weekly session.  Call (631) 209-9359 for additional details or to register.

West Sayville Golf Course:  A total of eight week-long programs (Tuesday to Saturday, four hours per day) begin on July 7.  Campers receive instruction at the range and on the course, with instruction concentrating on all aspects of the swing, including grip, stance and alignment.  The Saturday session consists of nine-hole play, an awards ceremony and pizza party.  The $400 fee also includes shirt, hat and rule book.  Visit the course website and download the camp registration form for more information.

Bethpage Black tentatively scheduled for April 11 opening

Late-winter snow has kept Bethpage State Park's Blue and Yellow courses quiet through most of the offseason and almost all of March, but the Black Course remains on track for its usual mid-April opening.

The park announced this week that the Black Course will open for the 2015 season on Saturday, April 11, provided the weather and course conditions allow. 

As for the other four courses, due to last week's snowstorm and the prospect of rain this week, there is no word yet on the availability of Blue and Yellow, which typically open as soon as the weather cooperates.  The park plans to have the Red, Blue, Green and Yellow all open for play on Friday, April 3, though that is subject to change. 

The reservation hotline will begin accepting tee times this Friday, March 27 for rounds played on Friday, April 3.  In the event any of the courses open before the end of the month, there will be no motor carts allowed until April 1.

Check back with Golf On Long Island for continuous updates on course openings.

Golfing Magazine's 2015 Free Golf Program open for Early Bird registration

Nothing beats a discount on top of other discounts, especially when it comes to green fees, and Golfing Magazine once again is looking to help local golfers play more this season for less money.  Early Bird registration is open for Golfing Magazine's annual Free Golf Program, a subscription-based special that offers heavily reduced rates at a variety of courses around Long Island.

For $39, participants in the Free Golf Program receive a one-year subscription to the Hicksville-based magazine, as well as a certificate that entitles holders to "free" green fees at nearly a dozen Island courses.  (Only cart fees are required.)  After April the subscription rises to $49. 

The 2014 program included 11 courses -- Brentwood Country Club, Cherry Creek's Woods Course, Dix Hills Park, Glen Cove, Gull Haven, Holbrook Country Club, Island's End, Poxabogue, Sandy Pond, Tallgrass and Middle Bay.

The certificate also gives subscribers the opportunity to sample golf courses around the Northeast.  It is valid at dozens of courses across upstate New York and New England.  A full list of courses on and off Long Island will be available when the program officially tees off in May.  Certificates are valid for one round at each course until the end of the year.

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

Bethpage, Tallgrass, Montauk Downs featured again in Golfweek's Best Courses ranking

There is a new face in the 2015 edition of Golfweek's Best Courses You Can Play list, but as far as Long Island golf courses go, all the regulars are back for another year. 

For the sixth straight season, Bethpage Black, Bethpage Red, Tallgrass and Montauk Downs are the Island's representatives in the annual ranking of New York State's publicly accessible courses, released this afternoon on the magazine's website. 

The Black Course is once again ranked at the top of the list, followed by its next-door neighbor Bethpage Red at #6.  Shoreham's Tallgrass Golf Course drops two spots to #9, while Montauk Downs remains at #13 for the second consecutive year. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the course rated as the Black Course's runner-up -- Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, the Bronx newcomer that has yet to open for public play.  Managed by Donald Trump and designed by Jack Nicklaus, Ferry Point will make its full public debut next month on the waterfront beside the Whitestone Bridge.

Golfweek also published its Classic Courses list on Thursday.  Bethpage Black comes in at #21, down one notch from 2014.  This list, which ranks the top 200 American courses built prior to 1960, includes nearly a dozen Long Island private clubs.  Three of them -- Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links and Fishers Island Golf Club -- are ranked in the top 10.

For more on all four courses, including Closer Looks at Tallgrass #8 and Red #13, check out the course flyovers via the above links.

[PICTURED: Bethpage Red's 18th]

NYC Golf News: Ferry Point releases rates, will cost Long Island golfers $200+ to play

Anticipation is high for New York's newest golf course, Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, which is preparing to make its official debut next month at the foot of the Whitestone Bridge in the Bronx.  The New York City municipal course has been in the works for years, its slow, decades-long evolution from landfill to links-style golf haven visible to anyone who has driven north on the bridge and looked down toward the Bronx shoreline.

Ferry Point released its rates earlier this week, and depending on how willing metropolitan-area players are to pay destination prices for a local round of golf, the right lane of the Bronx-bound Whitestone is as close as many will get to the greens.  Non-resident rates at the Donald Trump-managed and Jack Nicklaus-designed course will be $190 during the week and $215 on weekends (including Fridays) and holidays.  Carts carry an additional $35 fee per player.

Twilight rounds at Ferry Point will cost $154 on weekdays and $197 on weekends.  Even at those discounted tabs, the green fees settle far above the most expensive rounds on Long Island -- just across the Sound in Port Washington, a non-resident peak round at Harbor Links is $110 with cart included.  Out-of-state golfers pay $150 at Bethpage Black.

Still, there is sure to be plenty of foot traffic when the highly touted course opens in April, despite the high fees that incorporate years of construction costs measured in the hundreds of millions.  Nicklaus and Trump have visions of hosting pro tournaments -- and potentially major championships -- at Ferry Point.  With unique views of the Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges as well as the Manhattan skyline to the west, the facility immediately vaults into the upper echelon of local golf courses in terms of scenery.  The undulating, fescue-laden layout only adds to the appeal, especially when factoring in the site's history as a dump.  There's plenty of information on Ferry Point's long, winding backstory and transformation to be found in the Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, The Met Golfer and a plethora of other sources.

For New York City golfers, fees will ring in north of $150 even with resident discounts.  Senior and junior rates are only available Monday to Thursday.

PICTURED: The Met Golfer, cover, November/December 2014 issue; photo by Jim Krajicek

2015 public golf course reopenings on Long Island

It doesn't matter if it's cold, snowy, icy, rainy or simply white-out blizzardy -- when the calendar flips to March, golf season is imminent.  That's good news for Long Islanders, since 2015 so far has been all of the above.

The golf scene is relatively quiet compared to last offseason, a stretch marked by surprise closings and one public-to-private conversion.  This year has been all about waiting out a cold snap that has lingered since January and squashed another winter playing season.

March is a new beginning, even if the thermometer still struggles at times to break the freezing mark.  Courses that close for the winter fire up again, and pins slowly find their way back into cups all across Long Island -- either on greens or in temporary fairway cutouts.  Players take their new performance fleeces and gloves out for a test drive.  By the middle of April, most if not all of Long Island's courses are back in business.

The following is a list of tentative opening dates for Long Island's seasonal golf courses.  (Year-round courses reopen as soon as weather allows and are not included in this list.)  Opening dates range from the middle of March through the first half of April.  Courses will be added or updated as information becomes available.  Be sure to check back through the month for the latest info.

*All dates listed below are subject to change.  Call the courses directly for updated dates and times.

GOLF COURSE REOPENINGS:

• Timber Point -- March 13 (delayed to March 25)
• Harbor Links Championship/Executive -- March 27 (delayed to April 4-5, tentative)
  
• Brentwood CC -- March 27
• Holbrook CC -- March 27
• Bethpage Red -- April 3
  
• Bethpage Black -- April 11
• Poxabogue -- OPEN
• Christopher Morley Park -- OPEN
• Woods Course at Cherry Creek -- April 3

The following courses typically open in mid- to late March:

• Town of Oyster Bay GC
  
• Bay Park
• Eisenhower Red -- delayed to mid-April

[This information was updated on April 2, 2015.]