With signs that Great Rock Golf Club in Wading River might be returning to Long Island's public golf roster, it's worth taking a look back at other lost courses in the area. Back when Golf On Long Island began covering the region's public golf scene in 2008, the list of local courses was a little bit longer. Over the past decade-plus, the Island -- especially the East End -- has seen a couple of public courses lose out to development, privatization or other factors.
Here's a look at Long Island's recently lost golf courses and where they stand today, if at all:
CALVERTON LINKS
What it was: A mix of parkland-style holes on the front nine and sprawling, rolling, wide-open terrain on the back. Originally a nine-hole course, Calverton Links expanded to 18 in 1999 with new holes built on farmland. Aside from its very distinct personalities, the course featured a variety of tiered greens -- including a massive slope on its par-5 15th -- and a generally low-key vibe.
What it is now: Calverton's run on the East End came to a sudden close in fall 2013 with word that the owners were no longer interested in running it. Eventually the property was leased to a nearby company operating paintball and other outdoor activities. Passing motorists on Edwards Avenue in Calverton will find land that still resembles a golf course, though much of it is used for various sports and events. The back extension of the course sits largely untouched, as seen on aerial imagery.
[2022 Update: After years of discussion and planning, a solar farm was built atop Calverton Links in early 2022.]
DIX HILLS GOLF CLUB
What it was: A quaint nine-hole fixture in Dix Hills with a small, shaded cabin for a clubhouse and lots of old-fashioned charm. It was a 2,600-yard par-35 with deep rough and a ravine that cut across two of its holes.
What it is now: The course closed in 2012, and its gravel driveway and wooded cabin sat weedy and overgrown for more than a year. Today, the property is the site of luxury housing.
GREAT ROCK
What it was: In its prime, Great Rock offered as close to a private-club experience as any public course on the Island. Off the course, staff members loaded your bag and cleaned your clubs, and a Zagat-rated steakhouse and bar (later a refurbished American bistro) hosted plenty of post-round cocktails. The stories told over beer and burgers likely centered on Great Rock's fast greens and extremely hilly terrain, including its dead-uphill 10th and roller coaster-ish closing par-5.
What it is now: A course that might be on its way back for a second time (it closed once for six months in 2014 during an ownership change). Great Rock's latest run in Wading River came to a sorry end in 2019 -- the restaurant closed and the course was largely neglected, leading many players to voice their displeasure online about overgrown fairways, weedy bunkers and scorched greens. Great Rock closed that October, hinted at improvements for 2020, and never reopened. There have been whispers though that a new owner might resurrect the golf course sometime in 2021, though details are scarce to date.
[2022 Update: So...a lot has changed over the past 18 months. Great Rock reopened as The Rock in July 2022 after a few seasons of prep, then kicked the public out in September and became fully private.]
HEATHERWOOD
What it was: A rarity on Long Island -- an 18-hole executive course. With a dozen par-3s and six par-4s, Heatherwood sported an easygoing par-60 with no frills. It wasn't a total pushover though -- all but three of its par-3s stretched out between 150 and 200 yards.
What it is now: An overgrown lot being used as a political football between a real estate developer and the Town of Brookhaven. For the past few years it's been no secret that the course would be cut down to nine holes to make way for a senior housing complex, but late in the approval process the developer, Heatherwood Golf and Villas, told the town its project couldn't get off the ground without millions of dollars in tax breaks. When Brookhaven swatted down several aid requests, the developer abandoned the course and let it grow into a very visible eyesore. The standoff is ongoing.
[2022 Update: Heatherwood is now the site of a fully redesigned nine-hole golf course called Heritage Spy Ring that developers are touting as Long Island's version of Sweetens Cove. Designed by Tyler Rae, the course is due to open sometime in 2023.]
JONES BEACH PITCH-AND-PUTT
What it was: For almost as long as there's been a Jones Beach State Park, there's been a short golf course just to the southeast of its iconic tower. The pitch-and-putt course was a simple, no-frills respite for beachgoers looking for fun in the sun while confining the sand to bunkers. Fun fact -- one prominent mid-1900s golf writer credited the design of the course -- erroneously, most likely -- to Alister MacKenzie.
What it is now: It turns out that beachfront golf courses and Long Island storms aren't a great match, and Jones Beach was repeatedly battered by the region's frequent nor'easters and hurricanes. Flooding and saltwater damage were a seasonal nuisance. In 2010, the opening was delayed until summer due to storm damage, and two years later, Hurricane Sandy shut the course for good. The site is now a climbing and adventure park called WildPlay.
LINKS AT SHIRLEY
What it was: A high-end public course known for a private-club feel and immaculate conditions. Like many of the courses on this list, it arrived during the Tiger boom, and within a decade it was fending off pressure from developers. It was a challenging course that the owner described as the "fulfillment of a dream." Ultimately it was likely done in, at least in part, by some of the Island's highest green fees. The course closed in 2010.
What it is now: Part of the Links is now home to a luxury retirement community called The Colony Preserve. More than ten years since they closed, some holes still exist on the back end of the development and, at some point, will be used as parkland.
LONG ISLAND NATIONAL
What it was: A Robert Trent Jones Jr. course with as much rolling, wind-swept, links-style golf as one could find on Long Island's public side. Wavy, fescue-bordered fairways led the way, in some spots, to double greens. The contours of the course were all the more impressive given its prior life as a flat Riverhead potato farm. According to the design company's website, Jones Jr. was so proud of the course that he hosted his 60th birthday there when it opened in 1999.
What it is now: A private club. New ownership took over in 2013 and made that the last season in which public golfers would be welcome.
MILL POND (EAST)
What it was: The third nine of what for a short time was the 27-hole Mill Pond Golf Course in Medford. The East course arrived with its 18 companion holes in 1999, but by 2006 it was taken out of the rotation and left to decay in plain sight for years next to the present-day 12th hole, until construction eventually began on a new development.
What it is now: The entire course was replaced by a Meadowbrook Pointe residential community.
TALLGRASS
What it was: A Gil Hanse design that was consistently ranked among the best publicly accessible golf courses in New York State. Unfortunately, it was also consistently trailed by rumors about development. Like Jones Jr. at Long Island National, Hanse took a flat expanse of agricultural land and made it move, in this case by digging down and creating a berm with several holes playing around its rim. Sandy waste areas and namesake fescue bolstered what was a relatively short par-71 (later a par-70).
What it is now: Its final years were spent parrying the approach of a proposed solar farm. Though the course held out longer than expected, in the end, the development won. Today Tallgrass is covered head to toe in solar panels. Don't look at Google Earth if you're squeamish.
is this a mix of findings or will they all become eventually become realestate developments?
Posted by: Michael J Smith | April 25, 2021 at 09:44 AM
It might also be worth noting that Baiting Hollow (Flagg), Vineyards (Olde Vine), and Hampton Hills were accessible to the public at one time or another.
Posted by: John L Usher | April 25, 2021 at 12:34 PM