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This weekend is the last chance to play the Red Course at Bethpage State Park in 2016. The course will close for the season on Sunday, November 27. Reopen date is typically in early April.
Bethpage Black has already closed for the year. The course usually reopens around the second weekend in April.
For winter schedules and conditions on the rest of the Bethpage courses, call the park hotline at (516) 249-0707.
Few golfers expected to tee it up at Tallgrass Golf Course this season, but the Shoreham course has a long history of perseverance. It skirted the looming threat of solar-farm development early in the spring, then survived through the summer, as well. In a mid-September column, Newsday's Mark Herrmann reported that the course would be around "at least into November."
But with the warmest days of November now in the rear-view mirror, and with the 127-acre Shoreham Solar Commons project slowly clearing each hurdle in local and state government en route to its destruction of the celebrated Gil Hanse course, uncertainty around Tallgrass is settling in once again.
The solar farm is only awaiting approval from the New York State comptroller, according to Newsday's Mark Harrington. Several Tallgrass staffers have indicated the course is essentially operating on a month-to-month basis. Meanwhile, away from Tallgrass, some have speculated that the course won't see 2017.
Meanwhile, the course announced its fall rates earlier this month in an e-mail that concluded with a vague yet ominous suggestion:
"Play while you still can."
Whether Tallgrass is referring to winter's arrival or the fact that the course's closing has been rumored for more than a year, the announcement's somber tone is nothing new to those who've been following the Tallgrass vs. Shoreham Solar Commons saga since summer 2015. After all, this past April, Tallgrass itself advised those with gift cards to use them quickly before the course went out of business.
Built in 2000 in the midst of Long Island's last golf boom, Tallgrass has been dodging development since at least 2008, when the course proudly announced it was "here to stay" after surviving a similar threat. Whether or not it has enough luck on its side for another triumph remains to be seen.
For a look back at an overview of the planned Shoreham Solar Commons development at Tallgrass, see this post from March.
Golf is as much a Thanksgiving tradition for some cold-hardened Long Island golfers as turkey and stuffing. So they don't mind missing the Thanksgiving Day parade as long as they can be out on a local fairway buzzing 3-irons through chilly wind gusts. And waiting out a brief frost delay is no big deal -- the host of holiday golf outings around Long Island on Turkey Day typically include hot breakfast.
As usual, Long Island golfers can find a variety of golf outings and discounts on this year's Thanksgiving menu. Many of them are listed below:
Mill Pond's tenth annual Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout tees off at 8 a.m. The event sells out quickly. Click the preceding link for full info.
Brentwood Country Club appeals to the earliest risers, with shotgun tee time scheduled for 7:30. $42 for 18 holes and cart ($38 for seniors). Call (631) 436-6060 to reserve a spot.
Cherry Creek Links is offering golf, cart and continental breakfast for $50. Breakfast will be served at 8:00, with shotgun start following at 9:00. Call (631) 369-6500 to reserve.
Spring Lake Golf Club will host its annual holiday scramble. Call (631) 924-5115 for a spot.
Pine Hills Country Club is reducing green fees on Thanksgiving Day. On Black Friday, November 25, Pine Hills will host a shotgun outing that goes out at 9:30. The event includes cart, raffles and a sleeve of golf balls. Entry fee is $60. Call (631) 878-7103 to sign up.
Pine Ridge Golf Club will celebrate Thanksgiving a few days early with a Turkey Shoot scramble on Saturday, November 19. The $60 entry fee covers golf, cart, range balls and dinner. Tee time is 11 a.m. Call (631) 331-7930 to register or sign up online.
Timber Point Golf Course is hosting a nine-hole scramble complete with prizes for closest to the pilgrim (pin) and wildest turkey (driving contest). Bagels and mimosas included along with cart and range balls for $59 per player. Tee time is 9 a.m. Sign up online or call (631) 581-2401.
Harbor Links will hold its annual holiday Turkey Shoot, scheduled for a 9:00 tee time. Golf, cart and breakfast is $65 for Town of North Hempstead residents; $75 for non-residents. Call (516) 767-4816.
Lido Golf Club's Thanksgiving Turkey Trot includes breakfast, range balls, a winter beanie and a chance to win long-drive and accuracy contests. Tee time is 8 a.m. Call (516) 889-8181 to register.
Crab Meadow Golf Course is offering 18 holes, breakfast and free beer as part of its holiday Turkey Shoot, which tees off at 8:30. Format is four-person scramble. $65 entry fee includes cart, range balls, contests, prizes and post-round beer and appetizers. Call (631) 757-8800 to register.
Active and retired military personnel are invited to play for free on Veterans Day -- this Friday, November 11 -- at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Coram. Military identification is required for redemption.
Nearby in Medford, Mill Pond Golf Course will once again offer a "Comeback Coupon" to all golfers who play on Veterans Day. The coupon can be redeemed for a free follow-up greens fee anytime through April 28, 2017. Return plays will be valid for weekday rounds of equal or lesser value. Cart and reservation fees are not included. (Golfers must also be on Mill Pond's e-mail list to receive the coupon.)
And don't forget to sign up for Mill Pond's tenth annual Turkey Shootout, set to tee off at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving.
One of Long Island's most popular Thanksgiving Day golf events is open for registration, and it's best to sign up quickly before the tee sheet is filled.
Mill Pond Golf Course's tenth annual Turkey Shootout will tee off at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, November 24. Format is four-person team scramble. Entry fee is $71 and includes cart, range balls and a hot breakfast buffet prior to play. Participants are also entitled to one free beer or soda during or after play. Prizes will be awarded for team score and a closest-to-the-pin challenge.
The Thanksgiving scramble typically sells out, so register in person at the course or by calling the Mill Pond pro shop at (631) 732-8249. Pre-payment is required.
For more on Mill Pond, check out the course flyover.
