Golf on Long Island

The Rock Golf Club, formerly Great Rock, will reopen for play July 1

Finally, The Rock has come back to Wading River.

Excuse the early-2000s wrestling reference, but it works.  The Rock Golf Club, the rebranded and rejuvenated course formerly known as Great Rock, will reopen for play this Friday, July 1, after nearly three years out of Long Island's golf rotation.  The course will be open to the public with membership options available.

Golf director Bill Mackedon says the new vision at The Rock is an authentic member-for-a-day experience, one that elevates the 20-year-old course among the top daily-fee facilities on Long Island, if not the best.

"Our concept is a private-club atmosphere for the person who might only be able to get out and play a few times during the season, where everyone feels like they belong," Mackedon says.  "We have three strict rules -- play fast, have fun and be nice."

The Rock is emphasizing the "play fast" part of the house rules by spacing tee times at 12-minute intervals to ensure that rounds end up closer to a club-like four hours and 15 minutes, rather than the five-hour rounds typical of a crowded public or municipal course.  All players will have access to a variety of perks -- names on lockers, an "On The Rocks" member lounge and a welcome area with refreshments, to name a few. 

The modernized clubhouse includes a renovated pro shop where The Rock's new red, white and blue shield logo is prominently displayed on apparel and accessories.  Pulcinella's On The Green, a satellite location of Italian restaurant Pulcinella's of Massapequa, is set to offer casual on-site dining.

As for the course itself, players who recall Great Rock in its heyday will not find any differences in the routing.  Aside from a scheduled drainage project on #2, which will require reshaping the green, the layout of the course remains the same.  The massive namesake rock still stands tall and majestic as it overlooks the signature par-4 tenth.  Much of the focus since the course was sold to Chris Vene and Anthony Lomangino in spring 2021 has been on turf and soil health, and it's evident in the remarkable conditions of the fairways and rough.

"The course was closed for two years, but it's been neglected for six," Mackedon says.  "It's in fantastic shape now, and the greens are spectacular."

Crews at The Rock pruned close to 1,000 trees in an effort to improve air flow and reverse much of the ground-level damage that had set in over Great Rock's final seasons, which were filled with player complaints about deteriorating conditions, including overgrown fairways and weedy sand traps.  Off the fairway, much of the rough beneath the tree canopies had turned into rocky hardpan, according to Mackedon.

The only part of the facility that won't be up and running on day one is the driving range, which is expected to open around Labor Day.  New synthetic pads were recently installed, and the range will feature grass tees available for use on weekends.  Range access will be included in The Rock's $75 green fee.

Great Rock opened for play in 2001, part of the turn-of-the-millennium building wave that included Tallgrass, Long Island National and others.  The course became well known for its lightning-fast greens and unique hilly setting on Suffolk's north shore.  After a brief closure and sale in 2014, the club invested heavily in a new restaurant, but eventually players began to gripe about course conditions.  During the 2019 season, players flooded golf-review sites and other forums with descriptions of a course that was essentially left to nature.  The course abruptly closed that fall and never reopened.

Players can find more information at The Rock's new website.

Great Rock's 2022 reopening delayed until summer

The long-rumored reopening of Great Rock Golf Club in Wading River is delayed until later this summer, possibly around the July 4 holiday.  Great Rock has been closed since late 2019 and was sold to a new local ownership group in spring 2021.

This latest projection follows earlier indications that the course was on track to reopen by Memorial Day.  But the holiday came and passed, and the facility is still not prepared to welcome golfers back to play the hilly par-71, best known for its fast greens.  The course itself appears to be ready for play, though the driving range remains in disrepair, and other work around the clubhouse is still ongoing.

One sign of progress is the announcement of a dining partner at the facility.  Pulcinella's of Massapequa will open Pulcinella's On the Green in the space previously occupied by Blackwells and Pure North Fork.  A restaurant staffer said they hope to open by mid-July.

There are also rumors that the course will be renamed The Rock, though this has not been confirmed.  The course was originally named for the giant boulder unearthed during construction, which now sits next to #10 green.

Great Rock abruptly closed in fall 2019, capping a season in which players complained of deteriorating course conditions and signs of neglect.  Local owners Chris Vene and Anthony Lomangino purchased the course in May 2021, according to the Riverhead News-Review.  Vene has an ownership stake in the nearby Baiting Hollow Golf Club in Baiting Hollow and The Vineyards Golf Club in Riverhead, as well as a golf course maintenance company.  He told the News-Review that one of his goals is to provide Great Rock's players with a "member for the day" experience.

[Pictured: Great Rock clubhouse in June 2022.]

Bunker fixes and infrastructure improvements lead the upgrades at Bethpage in 2022

The golf grounds crew at Bethpage State Park was as busy as ever this past offseason, making sure its five public golf courses rebound nicely from the 250,000 rounds played in 2021 and preparing them for another quarter million likely to be scheduled this coming season.  Much of the work, however, won't be immediately noticeable to the locals and visitors who line up at the park each day.

Bethpage reopened in full three weeks ago with the Black Course's 2022 debut, and with no major hole modifications like in recent years, the park's headline attraction underwent some necessary infrastructure improvements, according to superintendent and director of agronomy Andrew Wilson.  The irrigation system on holes #15 and #16 were completely renovated, Wilson says, allowing for better water coverage and healthier turf.

The biggest change to hole layout is over on the Yellow Course, where the par-3 14th is significantly less sandy than it was when most players last saw it in the fall.  The front-right bunker was eliminated, replaced in part by an extension of the grassy approach area and a smaller sand trap built closer to the green.  Wilson says the previous bunker had fallen into disrepair.

"In the past we've renovated bunkers in the style of the Black Course and the results have not held up over time," Wilson says.  "While spectacular upon completion, the bunkers get more play than on the Black but have smaller crews to maintain them."

Wilson also says the trap (pictured above, pre-renovation) was overly deep and penal for Yellow Course players.  "I don't think having a golfer miss 20 yards short into a bunker 20 feet below the green did pace of play any favors," he says.

If the weather cooperates in the 2022-23 offseason, the crew plans to renovate #14's front-left bunker in similar fashion.

Elsewhere around the park, maintenance crews focused on removing trees and other growth to open up views and improve airflow and turf health.  At Green #7, the crew removed a tangle of vines behind the tee, a subtle change that should strengthen the adjacent turf.  They pruned branches and eliminated invasive trees ahead at #11, opening up the short par-3.

"We did some similar pruning on Red #4," Wilson says, "which allows use of the whole tee and vastly improves the look of the hole."

The Black Course will host the New York State Open and the Met Open later this year.  "For the grounds crew, these tournaments serve as great training and help us prepare for future majors and daily play alike," Wilson says.

Spring aeration wraps up this week, with the Blue Course closed today and the Green closed May 4 and 5.

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

[Red #4 photo above courtesy of Andrew Wilson]

Eisenhower Red reopens with remodeled #7 and sandier #11 in play

Eisenhower Park's Red Course began its new 2022 season this past weekend, and those who ventured out to Westbury amid cool, windy conditions were the first to get a look at the Red's revamped holes, most notably the no-longer-par-4 seventh.

Changes have been afoot at Eisenhower Red for more than a year -- it was this time last spring when word began to circulate that a new tee and green were marked for construction at #7.  Now an entirely new hole is in play.  Once a straight 452-yard par-4, Red #7 is now a lengthened par-5 that doglegs right toward the new surface.  The green slopes downhill from center to front, according to GOLI's Eisenhower insider Rob Toffolo, and a spacious bunker sits on its right.  A new back tee near the perimeter fence is fully built and cleared of trees.

Meanwhile, #7's former green is still being converted to fairway, and lift, clean and place rules are currently in play.

Much more of a surprise are changes made to the par-4 11th.  That hole, which features three different left, center and right tee chutes, now sports a series of four bunkers along the fairway's right side.  This weekend the longest (left) tees were used, stretching the hole to its maximum length and pointing tee shots toward the new traps.  Even drives that stay out of the sand are in danger of settling into sidehill lies on new mounding between the bunkers, Toffolo says.

At the Red's opening hole, an official shortening from reachable par-5 to a 413-yard par-4 is still in progress.

The changes continue the century-old Red's long tradition of hole rerouting and alteration, often done on the fly.  Over time the Devereux Emmet classic has seen greens come and go, fairways added and removed, and new tees replace old ones.  Next door on the White Course, park staff completely changed the identity of the Robert Trent Jones layout in 2017 by adding or remodeling dozens of shallow bunkers. 

Check back throughout the season for further updates on changes at Eisenhower.

[Photos courtesy Rob Toffolo]

Long-shuttered Great Rock Golf Club could reopen by Memorial Day

Great Rock Golf Club, the Wading River course that closed in 2019 and was sold to new owners last year, could reopen for play this spring, possibly by Memorial Day, according to staff.

The course, now dormant for nearly two and a half years, has undergone renovation and modification projects since its sale last May.  In addition to general upkeep of the fairways and greens, maintenance crews have improved the irrigation and drainage systems, upgraded facilities to accommodate a new fleet of electric carts, and renovated bunkers and other areas of play.  Trees have been removed from parts of the course, as well.  The layout of the course is unchanged.

Still to come is a rebuild of the driving range.  Visitors to the site today will find a driving range with torn-up grounds and tattered netting.  The first and 18th holes appear to be in playable condition. 

"When everything is finished, the course will be much better than what was here before," the staffer said.

Local owners Chris Vene and Anthony Lomangino purchased the course in May 2021, according to the Riverhead News-Review.  Vene has an ownership stake in the nearby Baiting Hollow Golf Club in Baiting Hollow and The Vineyards Golf Club in Riverhead, as well as a golf course maintenance company.  He told the News-Review that one of his goals is to provide Great Rock's players with a "member for the day" experience.

“So you go to Great Rock and you’re a member for the day,” he said.  “You have a great facility, and you have access to the locker room, the sauna, the showers, the driving range.  You can hit as many balls as you want and then, hopefully, get a great meal at the restaurant.”

The restaurant issue remains unsettled.  Pure North Fork closed prior to the course's shutdown in 2019, four years after a major investment that transformed the dining space previously occupied by Blackwells into a modern, locally focused bistro.

Great Rock's return will be a much-needed win for local players in a part of Long Island that has lost several courses in recent years, most notably Tallgrass in 2017.  Great Rock opened in 2001 on hilly terrain north of Sound Avenue in Wading River and came to be known for extremely fast greens and an upscale yet laid-back atmosphere.  Its namesake rock, dug up during the course's construction, sits next to #10 green.  The course briefly closed in the 2013-14 offseason and reopened a few months later under new owners.

In 2019, word started to circulate that the conditions at Great Rock were deteriorating.  Dozens of local players posted reviews and photos on platforms like Golf Advisor detailing a neglected golf course with crabgrass-covered fairways and bunkers, bare greens and unmowed rough.  In October, Great Rock suddenly closed for the year with little notice.  Aside from a vague Facebook post last spring about a potential reopening, the course has remained silent.

[Pictured: Great Rock clubhouse in March 2022.]

Bethpage Green set to open for 2022; Red and Black on deck

Bethpage State Park's three seasonal golf courses -- the Green, Red and vaunted Black -- are preparing to join the Yellow and Blue courses and reopen for 2022.

The Green Course will open tomorrow, March 19.  Opening day on Bethpage Red is April 1, followed two weeks later by the Black Course on April 15.

Once the Black reopens in mid-April, golf season on Long Island is typically back in full swing.  For open dates at Long Island's other seasonal golf courses, be sure to check out GOLI's constantly updated course reopenings page.

Timber Point set to host holiday scramble on St. Patrick's Day

[NOTE:  The holiday scramble has been canceled due to weather.]

Timber Point Golf Course is bringing back its St. Patrick's Day scramble this year, an event that typically signals the start of a new season along Great South Bay.

After a few years off, the holiday scramble will be back on Thursday, March 17 with an 11:00 a.m. shotgun start on the Red Course.  It is a nine-hole event with Timber Point's usual array of holiday trimmings -- an Irish-themed putting contest, a prize for the most holiday-inspired outfit, and post-round food and drinks at The Snapper Inn in Oakdale.  Entry fee is $59 per player and covers golf and cart.

More customary contests include longest drive and closest to the pin, and prizes will be awarded to low team and runner-up.  Winners of the contests will receive gift cards valid in the Timber Point pro shop.

At the conclusion of the scramble, the outing continues across the river in Oakdale with Irish fare and music at the Snapper Inn (food and drinks not included in the entry fee).  All players who bring their scorecard from the event will receive a discount on food and drinks.

Sign up online at the Timber Point website.

St. Patrick's Day Scramble on tap at Mill Pond

St, Patrick's Day is not only the holiday of corned beef, green beer and bar crawls but also the unofficial soft opening of the new Long Island golf season.  A small handful of courses ring in the new year with holiday-themed outings when conditions allow, Mill Pond being one of them.  Registration is currently open for a holiday scramble on Thursday, March 17.

Shotgun tee time is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at the Medford course.  The event will be a four-person scramble with prizes for the top three teams and winners of long-drive and closest-to-pin challenges.  Entry fee is $84 and includes a post-round hot Irish buffet, draft beer, wine and soda. 

Mill Pond events tend to fill up very quickly.  Register by calling (631) 732-8249.  Pre-payment is required, and there is no rain date -- in the event of weather cancellation, all players will receive a full refund.

For details about Mill Pond, check out the course flyover.

2022 golf course reopen dates on Long Island

Spring can't come soon enough for the Long Island golfing community now that we've reached the tail end of a second straight winter season that has been, for the most part, a bust.

A blizzard knocked out a couple of playing weeks on its own, and poor ground conditions led many golf courses to remain closed even when sunshine and warm temps occasionally drew crowds of offseason golfers to any tees that were open.

But when March approaches, the new spring season comes into view, and seasonal courses have begun posting their 2022 opening dates.  Most reopenings start around St. Patrick's Day and continue for several weeks until Bethpage Black lifts the curtain and signals the full start of golf season in mid-April.

The following is a list of tentative 2022 opening dates for Long Island's seasonal golf courses.  (Year-round courses remain open as the weather allows and are not included in this list.)  Courses will be added or updated as information becomes available.  Be sure to check back through March for the latest info.

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

2022 GOLF COURSE REOPENINGS:

• Woods Course at Cherry Creek -- March 11
• Town of Oyster Bay GC -- March 11
• Timber Point -- March 15
• Indian Island -- March 15
• West Sayville -- March 15
• Holbrook CC -- March 16
• Brentwood CC -- March 16
• Bergen Point -- March 17
• Harbor Links - Championship/Executive -- March 19
• Bethpage Green -- March 19
• The Golf Club at Middle Bay -- April 1
• Bethpage Red -- April 1
• Eisenhower Red -- April 8 (tentative)
• Bethpage Black -- April 15

[This post was updated on March 25 2022.]

2021-22 Winter Rates Roundup

It hasn't been the best Long Island winter golf season of the recent past, but on the bright side it hasn't been among the worst ones either.  Outside of one shovel-required snowfall, winter fairways have remained clear.

Now if we could just got a slight reprieve from the constant sub-freezing temps, we might have ourselves a mildly comfortable offseason.

Golf On Long Island loves winter golf, and you should too, if only for the chance to play quality courses with limited crowds.  Typically winter rates are part of the appeal as well, though for various reasons, offseason discounts are not quite as deep as in years past.  Listed below are 18-hole winter rates posted at area courses.  (Note that these do not represent offseason rates at all courses.) 

For full details about rates and course conditions, contact the courses directly. 

• Cherry Creek Links:  $40 to walk and $55 to ride on weekdays; $45 to walk, $60 to ride on weekends (nine-hole rates also available)
• Mill Pond:  $32 to walk, $44 to ride on weekday mornings for town residents ($45/$57 for non-residents); $54 to ride on weekends and holidays ($67 for non-residents).  Twilight rates available after 12 noon.
• Pine Hills:  $39 to walk, $59 to ride on weekdays.; $49 to walk, $69 to ride on weekends.  Twilight rates available after 1 p.m.
• Rock Hill:  $43 to walk and $59 to ride on weekdays; $53 to walk, $69 to ride on weekends
• Spring Lake: $47 to walk, $62 to ride weekday mornings; $65 to walk, $80 to ride weekend mornings.  Twilight rates available after 12 noon.
• Swan Lake:  $40 to walk, $60 to ride on weekdays; $50 to walk, $70 to ride on weekends.  Nine-hole rates available, and all rates discounted after 1 p.m.