Golf on Long Island

Bethpage Black to close for the season on November 11

The 2018 season is coming to a close on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park.  The last day to play the Black is Sunday, November 11.

While the Black's season will end in its usual mid-November slot, its reopening next spring is not quite as predictable.  Old Man Winter will decide how much golf Long Islanders get to play on the Black in early 2019 as the park prepares for May's PGA Championship.

The best-case scenario, according to Andrew Wilson, Bethpage's director of agronomy, is a two-week opening in the second half of April with limited rounds and conservative treatment of the course amid cold, wet conditions.  Currently park crews are concentrating on fixing ball marks and sodding worn areas so the course slips into winter in optimal shape.

Bethpage Red typically closes for the season around the end of November.  Blue and Yellow remain open through the offseason.

Late-season aeration on the schedule at Bethpage

Bethpage State Park's fall schedule of course aeration will begin the week of Labor Day this season, though most of the maintenance work will take place in October.

First up is the Yellow Course on September 5 and 6, followed in the first week of October by the Black Course (October 1-2) and Green Course (October 4-5). 

The Blue Course will be aerated on October 15-16, then the Red Course on October 17-18.

Remember the Black Course typically closes for the season in the middle of November, followed by the Red and Green toward the end of the month.

Keep tabs on course availability by following the Bethpage golf courses on Facebook and Twitter.

Bethpage bolsters digital marketing and social-media voice under pro Kelley Brooke

Bethpage State Park is officially a member of the modern era, and it's not only because booking tee times has migrated away from *66 ("the busy-signal fix").

Nearly two decades after hosting its first U.S. Open and entering the international golf discussion, management at Bethpage is now marketing the Black Course and its four sibling layouts in a way befitting America's leading public-golf facility.  Gone are a sparse NYS Parks landing page and dreary unofficial website.  In their place, a newly designed site and a newly found voice have turned Bethpage from a largely silent golf powerhouse into one of the most socially engaging facilities on the Island.

The park's digital transformation arrives under the watch of Kelley Brooke, the Golf Channel Academy instructor with a resume that lists decades of accomplishments in teaching and golf operations in the New York City metro area.  Since winning a New York State bid and taking over at Bethpage earlier this year, Brooke has been in charge of the pro shop, private lessons, clinics and women's programs.  Her to-do list continues to grow as junior-camp season approaches.  "I'm running everything here but tee times," Brooke says.

Among Brooke's top priorities is marketing, specifically connecting with Long Island golfers on social media, a space where the park has remained mostly quiet outside of the informative @BethpageGolf Twitter feed and that of superintendent Andrew Wilson (@greensideup17).  Over the past few seasons, both have been valuable outlets for photos and information on renovations, aeration schedules and other happenings around the courses.  Brooke's focus, though, is on promoting and growing the many instructional programs, including junior and women's clinics and the park's first-ever summer golf camp, that now make Bethpage what she calls a "full-service academy."

Inside the clubhouse and out on the range, Brooke and her staff teach using a variety of launch monitors, swing and putting analyzers and state-of-the-art video and biofeedback systems.  Instructional programs include sessions focusing on specific areas like driving distance and wedge play, as well as group practices and couples' clinics.  The "Start to Finish Women's Program" meets once a week for five weeks, covers all aspects of the swing and takes players onto the course for a supervised test of skills.

To amplify Bethpage's new voice, Brooke hired Zach Toste, a digital-marketing consultant with golf in his blood.  Toste played at Notre Dame, graduated in 2016 and works remotely from Florida, where he runs Bethpage's new Facebook and Instagram pages, tweaks the website and creates video content.  Toste first learned of Bethpage the way young players in the 1990s discovered TPC Sawgrass -- through video games. 

"I remember seeing the 'Warning' sign in Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf and thinking, 'Wow, that's so cool,' " Toste says.

In addition to promoting Bethpage programs, the digital-marketing team updates the Facebook page with video demonstrations by Brooke and her staff of instructors and fitness professionals.  Action shots around the courses and in training sessions appear on Instagram.  Last week, they launched an e-commerce section on the Bethpage website, enabling fans to purchase head covers, hats and on-course accessories branded with Bethpage's iconic caddy logo.  Toste's also introduced a short-and-sweet Bethpage slogan -- "Experience Tradition."

Their goal, overall, is to connect with all golfers and make Bethpage synonymous with playing, learning and experiencing golf, not simply the Black Course and sleeping in cars for tee times. 

"Golfers haven't really heard much from Bethpage over the years," Toste says.  "We want them to start thinking, 'Hey, there's something going on at Bethpage.' "

[Screenshots courtesy of Bethpage Golf Course via Facebook and Instagram.]

Bethpage Red to host St. John's Tobin Alumni Association outing on May 17

The third annual St. John's Tobin Alumni Association Golf Outing will tee off on Bethpage State Park's Red Course on Thursday, May 17.  Shotgun start is scheduled bright and early at 7:30 a.m.

Entry fee for the outing is $175 per player or $650 for a full foursome, with proceeds going to the Tobin Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.  Registration includes breakfast, cart, drinks and on-course instruction from PGA professional James Field.  Also included is a post-round BBQ lunch, plus contests and raffle prizes.

Sign up online at the alumni association website.  For more on Bethpage Red, check out the course flyover.

Bethpage Black opens tomorrow with renovated greens, bunkers

Bethpage Black lifts the curtain tomorrow on the 2018 playing season and will feature several renovations made by park staff with the 2019 season -- specifically, next May's PGA Championship -- in mind.

With the pros headed back this way come next May, some of the Black's more familiar holes have undergone or will soon receive some tweaks, and it won't take long into their rounds for the everyday golfers to notice.  Five elm trees were moved from the left side of #1 fairway to the right, building on the wooded presence already in place inside the dogleg.  The aim is to make players "think twice before trying to take too much off the corner," says Andrew Wilson, the park's director of agronomy.

Nearby, the final stretch toward the 18th green will take a slightly modified route, as park crews are currently working on bumping out the left-side fairway bunkers and widening the fairway between the two clusters of traps.  Gone is the hourglass shape of the final fairway; instead, the short grass will be of equal width from tee to green.

"The most eye-catching project for our golfers is the green extension on #11," Wilson says.  "We worked with architects Rees Jones and Greg Muirhead to expand the green's back left."  Extending the green and reshaping part of the existing surface creates "four or five new pin locations that we are excited about," according to Wilson.  The reworked left greenside bunker will be ground under repair until new sod takes root.

Also around the Black Course:

• Early-winter bunker renovations included #9 green and the fairway traps on #6.
• Bunker renovations around #6 green should be complete by opening day.  The walk-off area behind the green has been reworked to provide better drainage.
• Drainage improvements -- "equal to foundation work in a house," Wilson describes -- are complete on parts of the course and ongoing on others.  Some areas have been resodded where drainage and irrigation work was done.
• Part of the pond bank on #8 was sodded and will be planted with native grasses grown on site.
• New sod is in place where this March's series of nor'easters resulted in turf damage.

Elsewhere at Bethpage, golfers will find new low-profile tee fences on the Red Course that will prevent damage from carts.  "The fence looks great and is an improvement on the green ropes and stakes we use," Wilson says. 

Bunker work is nearly complete on Blue #5 and Red #8.  The most significant of the non-Black bunker renovations, however, are on the Green Course, where Muirhead recommended removing the approach bunker on the par-3 11th and the fairway trap on #17.  "We felt the approach and fairway bunkers were not a hazard to more skilled players and instead punished others while negatively impacting pace of play," Wilson says.  Around the greens though, the right-side trap on #11 is now larger and closer to the surface, while a brand-new trap was installed on #17.

As the season progresses, new forward tees will be added around the non-Black courses, and possibly one or two new back tees.

Wilson credits superintendents Mike Hadley, Kevin Carroll, Vincent Herzog, Erik Feldman, Eric Newell, Hamilton Lopes, Shawn Brownell and their maintenance crew for carrying out the work while battling the winter's early arrival of blizzards, rain and frost that then lingered into spring.  Nearly all renovation work is done in-house.

View photos of the offseason and ongoing renovations by visiting Wilson's and Bethpage Golf's Twitter pages at @Greensideup17 and @BethpageGolf.

GOLI Visitors' Guide to Long Island Golf updated for 2018 and US Open attendees

Golf On Long Island's Visitors' Guide to Long Island Golf is now updated for 2018, including information on which area courses are catering to out-of-town golfers who are looking to play while here for the U.S. Open in June.  Also featured is the latest information on the new NYS Parks online tee-time system.

That's in addition to general info on Long Island, how to get around, how to find the nearest public courses, and more.  Be sure to check the Visitors' Guide through the spring for updates on course offerings related to the U.S. Open.

April aeration at Bethpage; Black opens April 14

Bethpage State Park will soon be running at full capacity, with the Red Course scheduled to open on March 30 and the Black Course on April 14.

Of course, April is also spring aeration month at Bethpage, so expect some brief course closures.  The Red Course will be first up for aeration on Monday, April 16 and Tuesday, April 17.  The rest of the schedule is as follows:

Green Course:  April 18-19
Blue Course:  April 23-24
Yellow Course:  April 25-26

Call the park hotline at (516) 249-0700 for the latest information.  And don't forget, online tee times are now available at the new NYS Parks reservation website.

2018 Summer Golf Camps on Long Island

There are plenty of different ways to pick up the game of golf for the first time, whether it's swatting old balls around a schoolyard, swinging away at the range or diving right into a nine- or 18-hole round.  But improving and sharpening golf skills is not so simple, and having a qualified teaching pro help put the building blocks in place, preferably at an early age, is vital to a lifetime of memorable on-course experiences.

On Long Island, in addition to the many outlets the casual or advanced golfer can turn to for instruction, summer golf programs for junior golfers -- some open to kids as young as 4 -- are designed to transform the young player, whether new to the sport or experienced, into a skilled golfer for life.

Many public courses in Nassau and Suffolk feature summer camp programs that school young players in golf's key fundamentals, the various types of swings and strokes, as well as rules, etiquette and course safety.  Kids work closely with teaching pros on the course, in the range and around practice greens and bunkers; in some cases, the pros working with your young golfer have been recognized nationally for their work as junior instructors.  Campers leave each session with skills and knowledge in place for years of enjoyment on the course.

The following is a general overview of 2018 summer 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 this list only includes camp programs hosted at public golf courses.  This does not include golf programs held at general summer camps or any type of private instruction.)

Bergen Point (West Babylon):  Two camp sessions are open to golfers of all skill levels from age 7 to 17.  PGA pros instruct campers on the short game and full swing in the driving range and on the course.  Camps meet once a week (for five weeks) on either Tuesdays or Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m., with lunch and beverages included.  Cost is $300 per session.  Applications are available on the Bergen Point website.

Bethpage State Park (Farmingdale): For the first time, Golf Channel Academy will host junior golf camps at Bethpage State Park.  Full-day programs for ages 8 to 12 will focus primarily on golf skills through use of learning aids, special equipment, skill games and team activities.  On-course play will be included on Thursday and Friday of each session.  Half-day camps for ages 5 to 9 emphasize both fundamental athletic movement and golf skills.  All sessions begin the week of July 9.  Register for full day ($695) or half day ($425) at the U.S. Sports Camps website or call (800) 645-3226 for more details.

Cedars Golf Club (Cutchogue):  The Cutchogue course offers two separate four-week sessions with start dates of July 9 and August 6.  Campers meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with times varied by age group.  Juniors age 10 and under benefit from group instruction and on-course play, and also receive prizes, pizza lunches and a ten-round Cedars Junior Pass.  Those in the 11-and-over group receive 30 minutes of private instruction each week in addition to on-course play, group work and a full-season Junior Pass.  Cost is $570 per four-week session (10 and under); $600 per four-week session (11 and over).  Extended instruction is available for additional cost.  Call (631) 734-6363 or e-mail ken@cedarsgolfclub.com to register or for full details.

Cherry Creek (Riverhead):  Cherry Creek is offering a total of five camp sessions in July and August.  Each session is three days (Tuesday through Thursday afternoons) and covers swing basics, course etiquette and more.  Instruction takes place at the Links driving range, Woods practice area and on the Woods course.  Campers receive a hat, sleeve of balls and a certificate for future rounds.  Cost is $200 per session.  Contact the pro shop at (631) 506-0777 or e-mail head pro Michael Springer at mikespringer1@yahoo.com for additional info.

Eisenhower Park (East Meadow): PGA Junior Golf operates a series of camps for all ability levels, including advanced camps for competitive juniors.  The program includes full-day camps for players age 11 to 17, modified full-day camps for experienced players age 8 to 12, and half-day camps for beginners and intermediates age 7 to 11.  There is also a special 90-minute session for "Wee Ones" age 4 to 6.  All regular camps include hours of hands-on instruction and advanced teaching technology.  Full-day camps include on-course play and teaching.  Weekly sessions for all programs begin July 9.  Visit the PGA Junior Golf Camp site for full information on pricing, session dates and available discounts.

Glen Cove Golf Club:  Weekly sessions typically run from late June through the month of August.  Camps meet Monday to Friday and cover the full swing, pitching, chipping, putting, rules and etiquette.  Call (516) 671-0033 for 2018 pricing, schedules and registration info.

Harbor Links Golf Course (Port Washington):  Harbor Links offers a wide variety of programs led by teachers all named U.S. Kids Golf Certified Instructors.  Camps begin the week of June 25, with sessions available through August.  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.  Early registration (before April 1) is $495 for the 6-9 camp and $595 for the 10-16 camp.  For all program information, schedules and registration forms, visit the Harbor Links website.

Indian Island Country Club (Riverhead):  Indian Island's 17th annual golf camp consists of week-long sessions that include lessons, lunch, prizes, golf gear, 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 $525 per week, per camper, with family, returnee and multi-week discounts available.  Week-long sessions begin June 25 and continue through the end of August.  See the Indian Island camp brochure for all details.

Island's End Golf & Country Club (Greenport):  Junior clinics are offered on select days in the summer, open to boys and girls age 5 and up.  Camp info will be available later in the spring.  Visit the Island's End website for more information.

Long Island Golf Camps / Mike Reilly Golf Academy (Massapequa, Babylon, Hauppauge):  Long Island Golf Camps runs programs at three public courses -- Peninsula Golf Club (Massapequa), Sumpwams Creek/E. Donald Conroy Golf Course (Babylon) and Wind Watch Golf & Country Club (Hauppauge).  The Peninsula and Wind Watch camps are week-long, full-day programs (9:00/9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with sessions beginning in late June.  They include instruction on different aspects of the swing, on-course play and daily lunch.  Babylon camps run Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; afternoon sessions might be available based on demand.  Instruction takes place on the course and in the short-game area.  Enrollment is $595 for Peninsula, $605 for Wind Watch and $249 for Babylon.  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.

Middle Bay (Oceanside):  Five full-week sessions begin on July 9.  Camps meet from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday and include instruction on the course, practice green, in the driving range and the short-game area.  Snack and lunch are also included.  Family and multiple-week discounts are available.  Call (516) 766-1880 for pricing and additional details.

Mill Pond (Medford):  Camps are available in 3-day and 5-day sessions beginning in early July.  The shorter programs are beginner-oriented with a focus on swing fundamentals, rules and etiquette.  Juniors with some playing experience will also receive instruction on course management.  Week-long programs are geared to more experienced juniors, with on-course instruction included during the last two days.  (On-course play will be held at Rolling Oaks Golf Course in Miller Place.)  Beginning July 18, additional high school development camps are available for experienced golfers age 12 to 17 looking to advance their game on a competitive level.  Discounts for Town of Brookhaven residents are offered.  Visit the Mill Pond website or call (631) 732-8249 for info on registration, pricing, schedules and program format.

Pine Ridge Golf Club (Coram):  Full-week sessions are available for beginners and intermediate players.  Camps are full-day and focus on fundamentals to build the foundation of a proper swing, with on-course play included.  The $299 camp fee covers daily lunch and a goodie bag.  Visit the Pine Ridge website for session dates and online registration.

Poxabogue Golf Center (Sagaponack):  A total of ten sessions run from the week of June 25 to the week of August 27.  Sessions are Monday through Friday, 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 golf gear, snacks and giveaways.  Cost is $499 per session, with family and multi-week discounts available.  Visit the Poxabogue website for info and registration.

Smithtown Landing Country Club (Smithtown):  Smithtown Landing hosts camp programs led by PGA professional and Hall of Famer Michael Hebron.  Instruction covers grip, swing, putting, chipping, pitching, rules and etiquette.  Beginning in late June, separate programs meet once a week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Week-long programs are available in August, one of which is designed for advanced players.  Call (631) 979-6534 or visit the Smithtown Landing site for 2018 pricing, schedules and registration forms.

Spring Lake Golf Club (Middle Island):  Spring Lake is participating in the PGA Junior League in 2018.  The program is open to boys and girls age 8 to 12, beginners included.  Groups meet for practice and instruction on Mondays from late April to July and compete in scramble matches against other clubs.  Contact Spring Lake pro Cristy Jurgens at (631) 924-5115.

Stonebridge Golf Links (Hauppauge):  Starting July 9, 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 $215 for half day and $379 for full day.  All campers receive a Nike backpack and glove.  Discounts available for siblings and multiple sessions.  Call (631) 724-7500 for session schedules and registration info.

Sunken Meadow (Kings Park):  Sunken Meadow is offering a spring instruction series for boys and girls age 7 to 16.  Participants meet once a week on Sunday afternoons from May 6 to June 17.  Session times are 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for ages 6-9 and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. for ages 10-16.  In addition to golf instruction, the program focuses on sportsmanship and etiquette, with range balls and games included.  Cost is $89 per junior with multi-player discounts available.  Sign up in the Sunken Meadow pro shop, call (631) 544-0036 or e-mail themeadows@pga.com to register.

Timber Point (Great River): Timber Point hosts junior camps for beginners and intermediate players in July and August.  Program details will be available later in the spring.  Call the course at (631) 581-2401 for the latest info.

Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course (Woodbury):  Full-day camps for boys and girls age 10 to 17, and half-day camps for boys and girls age 6 to 10, are available starting the week of June 26.  Camps meet Tuesday through Friday.  Teaching pros cover chipping, putting, rules and etiquette, and instruction takes place on and off the course.  Full-day camp is $600; half-day camp is $425.  Multi-week and referral discounts are available.  Call (516) 364-3600 or visit TOB's Lucas Golf Center website for information and registration.

West Sayville Golf Course (West Sayville):  West Sayville typically offers six week-long programs (Tuesday to Saturday, four hours per day) beginning in July.  Campers receive instruction on and off the course, with lessons concentrating on all aspects of the swing, including grip, stance and alignment.  Call the course at (631) 567-1704 for 2018 pricing, schedules and registration information.

New York State introduces online tee-time reservation system at Bethpage, Montauk and other park courses

The antiquated tee-time reservation system that required Bethpage and Montauk Downs golfers to suffer through busy signals and faxed driver's licenses is now firmly where it belongs -- in the past.

New York State's Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation department has announced a new online reservation system for tee times at select state-park golf courses, most notably the five courses at Bethpage, and Montauk Downs.  After a one-time online registration, golfers are free to book tee times directly through the NYS Parks website at parks.ny.gov/golf.

In addition to Bethpage and Montauk Downs, Long Island golfers can also book rounds at Sunken Meadow's Red, Blue and Green courses.

Per the NYS Parks website, state residents can still make tee times starting seven days in advance at 7 p.m.; non-residents can book reservations five days in advance.  Residency status will be verified at the park on day of play.

For more info, visit the new NYS Parks reservation site.

[UPDATE: The park website indicates the phone system will still be in use in conjunction with the online system for this season only, but encourages online booking.]

Vote for your favorite Long Island courses this month in a March Madness-inspired bracket challenge

March Madness is underway in the world of college hoops, which means it's bracket-filling season for everyone from casual observer to Cameron Crazie.  Brackets shouldn't be confined to basketball though, and as it turns out, once you set aside the pitch-and-putts down along the beach, Long Island has exactly 64 distinct public golf courses.  Sounds like it's time for Long Island golf to get in on the madness.

So while college basketball players start the journey to the Final Four, here at Golf On Long Island, we're marching toward The Masters by pitting the local public courses against one another in a bracket battle.  We've sorted and seeded the courses, and from March 8 through the start of The Masters on April 5, we'll post several matchups each day on the GOLI Facebook page and on GOLI Twitter (@LI_Golf_Book), with winners determined by fan vote.  Anyone who participates in the Facebook vote will be in line to celebrate their very own one shining moment -- as in, win a prize, specifically a box of Titleist Pro-V1 golf balls and a copy of "Images of America: Long Island Golf."

How are the courses seeded?  We slotted the nine-hole munis, par-3 and executive courses, with some exceptions, at the bottom of the four regions, and put the big three -- Bethpage Black, Red and Montauk Downs -- up top.  The rest of the Island's courses are separated by location. 

So be sure to check the bracket below as it's updated and place your votes daily on GOLI Facebook and Twitter pages.  Or simply use #LIGolfBracket to view all open polls and see past matchup results.  Also check out GOLI's Instagram page (@golfonlongisland) for a daily photo countdown to spring.