A large portion of the former Links at Shirley golf course has sat frozen in time for more than a decade, and last week it finally began its second life serving the community as a town park.
Patriots Preserve, a 100-acre Town of Brookhaven park, opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 9 that formally reintroduced local residents to the grounds that once housed the public Links at Shirley. The park features a playground, walking trails and a floating bridge over the 8-acre pond that previously was the golf course's central water hazard. Brookhaven Town spent $2 million on the new park and plans to invest another $4 million over the next 10 years on future construction and upgrades, according to Newsday.
"This is going to be one of the last great regional parks in the Town of Brookhaven," Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine told Newsday.
Like many East End courses that were built to ride the late-'90s Tiger wave, the Links at Shirley had a brief, roller-coaster run with its own goal of setting a high bar for public golf on Long Island. Opened in 2000, the course — a full 18 plus a short nine-hole layout — turned what had been Shirley woodland along William Floyd Parkway into an immaculate layout with daring water holes, waste-area bunkering and private-club conditions. As a result, it also featured some of Long Island's highest green fees. When the boom slowed down, Shirley began to struggle amid whispers of an eventual sale and development.
In 2009 the course hosted a record number of rounds and the MGA Public Links Championship, but they weren't enough to stabilize the Links' future. In spring 2010 it posted a closed sign on the front gates and never reopened.
A residential development eventually took over the clubhouse area while the bulk of the course was left abandoned until construction began recently on Patriots Preserve.
Is bicycling allowed at Patriots Preserve?
Posted by: Judy galvin | October 26, 2023 at 12:13 PM
Went there today. Amazing how much of the course wasn't touched by the new houses. I'd say holes 1-4 are gone but the rest are still there in the preserve. They are a bit overgrown. Some of the old cart paths are still walkable for the adventurous. Even saw a couple ball washes. Nice place for a walk.
Posted by: John Usher | November 03, 2023 at 01:32 PM
Went back there again today and took a few photos of the old course. How can I get the photos to you?
Posted by: john usher | April 26, 2024 at 04:29 PM