Golf on Long Island

New in 2023: Bergen Point shortens #9, makes #18 a par-5

Rounds at Bergen Point Golf Course will have a different feel starting this season, especially as each nine comes to a close.

The Suffolk County municipal course in West Babylon made significant changes to two of its holes during the offseason, trimming its par-4 ninth hole to a mid-range par-3 and stretching its closing hole to play as a reachable par-5.  The modified ninth is using a temporary tee (pictured) while a new box grows in.

The changes at Bergen Point likely stem from safety concerns.  For years the ninth hole, a short and straight par-4 that tops out at just 356 yards, has been at the center of disputes between the golf course and its neighbors.  The tall netting that runs along the course boundary is no match for high hooks and slices from players trying to overpower the hole.  CBS ran a news feature several years ago about complaints from neighbors that golf balls were damaging their homes.

When complete, the new ninth will play in the range of 150 to 170 yards.  Currently the temporary tee is set up around 20 yards shorter.

Meanwhile #18 at Bergen Point no longer ranks among one of Long Island's most grueling public par-4s and demanding closing holes.  To balance the change at #9, the 18th added a slightly longer back tee, which transforms the hole from a daunting 461-yard par-4 (440 from the middle) to the course's shortest par-5.  Instead of hanging on for dear life at the end of the round, players now have a scoring opportunity on #18 and can try to reach the green for eagle if the wind allows.  The deep bunker in front and dramatic falloff over the back set the stage for closing-hole drama.

For more on Bergen Point and its interesting backstory along Great South Bay, check out the course flyover.

Bethpage prepping for 2023 season with Ryder Cup changes already taking shape

It won't take long for Bethpage golfers to catch a glimpse of something new when they return to the course for the first time in 2023.  One of the main offseason renovations at the park -- carried out with the 2025 Ryder Cup in mind -- took place right behind the clubhouse near the start of the Black Course.

It's a subtle change, but one that is designed to bolster the already raucous atmosphere at the Ryder Cup's start and finish.  A simple reshaping of the mounding between the first tee and 18th green has opened up the sight lines to allow the Black's future spectators to see every shot.

"The first tee at the Ryder Cup is one of the best experiences a golf fan can enjoy, and the crowd at Bethpage should be epic," says Andrew Wilson, Bethpage's longtime superintendent and director of agronomy.  "The work done means fans will be able to see the first tee and 18th green from every seat in the grandstand."

Whether or not that epic scene will include rolled-back golf balls and players on the LIV Tour...well, uhh, let's not get into that.

Local players will begin to see the offseason course work for themselves when Bethpage Green opens for 2023 play tomorrow, March 18, followed by the Red Course on April 1.  But for the most startling change of all, visitors will have to wait until the Black Course officially reopens on April 15.  That's when players will work their way toward the farthest reaches of the Black and find that one of its landmark hazards -- the overhanging oak tree right of #8 green -- is now a thing of the past.

Wilson says the tree was dying and unable to be salvaged, despite his crew's best efforts to save it.  "It had become a safety issue for players and employees," Wilson says.  "It was sad to see it go."

Its departure means the right side of the green can offer pin placements that simply weren't possible while the tree loomed overhead, another positive when looking ahead to Ryder Cup week.

Elsewhere on the Black Course, maintenance crews renovated about a dozen bunkers with new sod edging.  "That's no small undertaking considering the size of the Black's bunkers," Wilson says.

Crews completed similar sodding projects around sand traps and in areas with soil compaction on the Red and Green courses. 

Meanwhile the Blue and Yellow courses saw plenty of action over the winter, not from work crews, but from players.  The two courses have already hosted close to 10,000 rounds, Wilson says, thanks to mild temperatures and zero snowfall.  The staff has been able to do some minor renovation work amid all that play, though multiyear projects like the continued renovation of bunkers on Yellow #14 have been kept on hiatus until next offseason.

When players prepare to tee off on the Black Course next month, they'll also notice one other significant addition -- a new forward tee on Black's opener.  Wilson says the idea to add a forward tee came as a byproduct of the reshaping work done nearby.

"There's a good chance this new tee will be used during the Ryder Cup as well," Wilson says.

[PICTURED: TOP -- Newly reshaped grounds between #1 tee and #18 green on the Black Course.  BOTTOM -- The oak tree on Black #8, as seen during the 2019 PGA Championship.]

After long delay, X-Golf Westbury preparing for possible February debut

[UPDATE: X-Golf Westbury is scheduled to open March 10.]

Nassau County is about to get its first taste of the modern golf and entertainment experience that recently has popped up farther east in places like Holtsville, Patchogue and Commack.  And it will arrive in a spot that's no stranger to the metallic echoes of drivers smashing golf balls and the thuds of tee shots crashing into screens.

X-Golf Westbury will open within weeks at Samanea New York, formerly the Mall at the Source, in part of the space once occupied by Golf Galaxy.  It will be Long Island's second X-Golf location, following the opening of X-Golf Commack in June 2022.  The California-based franchise is known for its combination of technologically advanced golf simulators, on-site instruction and events, and casual food and drink service.

Once the fire marshal signs off on the Westbury site, owner Chris Sciocchetti says the new facility will be ready to open within days.  The latest target date is February 27.  "I don't care what the actual date is," Sciocchetti says. "I just hope it has a February on it."

It's been a long road from conception and planning to finally preparing eight high-tech hitting bays and a TV-topped bar for use by local golfers.  X-Golf Westbury was initially slated to open in November 2021, but with Samanea's rapid resurrection from ghost mall to indoor shopping and immersive-experience destination, X-Golf found itself caught up in an unforeseen morass of municipal red tape.  First it was sorting out the allotment of parking spaces, then it was a nine-month wait for approval of a variance for the golf facility itself.

Sciocchetti is confident the pandemic-fueled enthusiasm for both regular golf and the indoor variety will make the long buildup worthwhile.  During the pandemic, Sciocchetti spent two or three days each week playing the courses at Eisenhower Park and Bethpage.  He had visions of opening an indoor facility somewhere near his Merrick home, and the pandemic only accelerated his plans. 

"I've wanted to do this for a really long time," he says.

Visitors at X-Golf Westbury will find a row of hitting bays along a wall to their left, steps away from a bar that will turn out draft beer and light bites from at least one area pizzeria.  Other bays, all of which include TVs and tables, are set up in corners and on the opposite side of the bar.  Separating the two sides is a wall decorated with colorful golf-course artwork, Bethpage included, that Sciocchetti's wife Kathryn found on Etsy.  Also featured are neon and turf-clad X-Golf Westbury signs well-suited for Instagram posts.

X-Golf facilities are known for their state-of-the-art simulators that feature more than 50 golf courses and advanced innovations like automatic ball retrieval, personalized tee heights and adjustable ground slope.  The short-game technology also elevates the level of play in X-Golf bays, allowing players to chip and putt on virtual greens with accuracy.  Westbury will offer local in-house leagues and a schedule of national and regional competitions that are part of the X-Golf network.  (The franchise has locations in 32 states.)  Sciocchetti is working out the specifics for instruction and fittings as well.

Hourly rates range from $55 on weekday mornings and early afternoons to $75 on weekends. A full 18-hole round takes about 45 minutes to an hour per player.

After Samanea does its own marketing push to promote its new sites, Sciocchetti says most of his own promotion will be done on social media, much like Commack, Topgolf in Holtsville, Birdies in Patchogue and Simplay in Hauppauge, all of which are active and highly visible on Instagram and Facebook.  The Westbury site has already developed a following even while building permits still cover the front door.

"I get calls here every day asking when we are going to open," Sciocchetti says.

Rebranded Sandy Pond Links to reopen in March under new ownership

Riverhead's Sandy Pond Golf Course is taking a rare winter break this offseason, and when it reopens in March, it will do so with a new name, a modernized logo and an ownership group looking to blend the old with the new.  Brian Stark, one of the new controlling owners of the rebranded Sandy Pond Links, plans to restore some of the features he recalls from his youth, when the small par-3 course on Roanoke Avenue was in its infancy. 

And the way he sees it, one of the most effective ways to bring the course back to its roots is by reaching down and pulling them up.

"We've been in the ponds, removing the reeds from the ground instead of just cutting them back, so the water is clear like it used to be," says Stark, who worked at Sandy Pond while growing up nearby in the late '70s.  "When I was a kid, the third hole had a clear pond, and there were sand dunes and a big green up on the hill."

The 2023 season will be one of change at the course, including in the layout itself, the facilities and the amenities, but it will retain the quaint East End vibe it's been known for since it opened a half-century ago.

Previous owners Ken Weinstein and Chris Wahlers "built a great clientele," Stark says, since they took over operation of the course in 2012.  "They brought in leagues and outings, they have a few members.  There is a real religious following here."

On the course, much of the focus will be on expanding the greens to their original size.  "We're going to bring back the contours of the original greens," Stark says.  "You can still see areas where the contours were lost, and how the greens have shrunk significantly over time.  They used to have more character and pin positions." 

Stark, one of the original owners of the neighboring Long Island National Golf Club, also wants to reintroduce some of the course's original sand-dune features.  Sandy Pond was built out of an old sand quarry, after all.

The orientation of the course will change too, with the ninth hole flipping to the top of the scorecard as Sandy Pond Links' new opener.  (The other eight holes will move down a slot.)  That modification is being made to accommodate a new clubhouse to be built on the north side of the property near the current ninth tee.  Plans there include a simulator, an outdoor patio and beer and wine service.  Food trucks, a common sight at wineries and breweries in the Riverhead area, could eventually be part of the offerings as well.

Most noticeable on that end of the property will be the addition of a miniature golf course, which is currently pending approval by the Town of Riverhead.  Stark hopes it will be ready by the fall.

Even though the course's longtime shack (and its famous green-fee dropbox) will eventually become part of Sandy Pond's past, the new owners don't expect the facility to lose any of its charm.

"Complaints about golf always revolve around three things -- it's too hard, it takes too long and it's expensive," Stark says.  "Sandy Pond is none of those."

[PICTURED: Sandy Pond, as seen in 2014, following upgrades under previous ownership.]

Bethpage Black to close for season November 13, Red and Green to follow

The countdown has begun at Bethpage Black.  Long Island's top public golf course will close for the season at the conclusion of play on Sunday, November 13.  It will reopen for the 2023 season in mid April.

Meanwhile, the Black's two neighboring courses are also preparing for winter hibernation, though they will remain open a little bit longer.  The Red and Green courses will close on Sunday, November 27.

Long Island's winter golfers will still have the Blue and Yellow courses to enjoy this offseason.  Both courses stay open year-round as long as the weather permits.

Closing dates are subject to change depending on the weather.  In 2020, Bethpage decided to keep the Black Course open for an extra week thanks to favorable November weather, so fans hoping for bonus golf should start rooting for sunny skies and warm temps.  If the weather fails to cooperate, you can play the Black, Red and Green again in April.

Call the park at (516) 249-0700 for updates on course availability during the offseason.

The Rock Golf Club in Wading River turns private two months into its revival

The Rock came back to Wading River, and in a surprise move earlier this month, the club turned heel.

Just two months after its long-awaited reopening, The Rock Golf Club has slammed the door shut on the public players that it wooed back with promises of an all-inclusive member-for-a-day experience and elevated perks.  The course is fully private and will remain so beyond this season.  Golf director Bill Mackedon confirmed the course is no longer open to the public. 

Prospective members can join The Rock for a $25,000 initiation fee and $10,000 in annual dues starting in 2023.

The decision to make it a members-only facility, Mackedon told Golf On Long Island, was made after its July reopening.  Back in June, with the course preparing to welcome golfers again for the first time since October 2019, Mackedon said the club's goal was to provide a memorable experience "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."

That spirit of belonging and inclusivity only lasted until Labor Day, however.  Then, players who called to book tee times were instead told the club was available only to members.

Given the optics and timing of such a drastic change of course, it seems more likely that public players -- some of whom spent several hundreds of dollars to play The Rock during its abbreviated summer season -- were simply used as beta testers before a planned decision to turn private.  Some players told Golf On Long Island they felt duped, especially since the course had been dropping hints of its return for well over a year.

In May 2021, new owner Chris Vene told the Riverhead News-Review that the concept for the rejuvenated course would be a club-level experience for those without the time to play a lot of golf or the means to afford membership costs.  "So you go to Great Rock and you're a member for the day," Vene said.

The majority of those who played the course this summer and were surveyed by Golf On Long Island praised its greens, which have long been the strength of The Rock's layout.  But many also agreed that the rest of the course remains in need of significant improvements, especially its bunkers and uneven tee boxes.  Others pointed to ongoing irrigation issues and limited amenities.  Recalling the problems that plagued Great Rock in its final seasons, some players suggested the course needs to take more time to address its underlying turf and maintenance issues.  "They need to close for another year," said one player who logged multiple rounds there even after the course turned private.  "It's basically a glorified municipal course right now."

Bill Scherer said he enjoyed his four rounds at The Rock this summer (at $75 per) and was glad it reopened since it's so close to his home in neighboring Shoreham.  "It plays the way it used to," he said.  "I was disappointed when they told me I could no longer play."

The restaurant, Pulcinella's On The Green, remains open to the public.

For more on Great Rock's closure, sale and subsequent reopening as The Rock, see GOLI's write-up from this past June.

[PICTURED: The Rock's downhill ninth prior to the course's 2022 opening.]

Fall 2022 aeration dates around Long Island

[This schedule was updated on September 22, 2022.]

September is aeration month at Long Island golf courses, and maintenance dates are good to know for local players planning their late-summer and fall rounds.

The following public golf courses will be closed for play (unless otherwise noted) while undergoing fairway and/or greens aeration.  All dates below have been confirmed with representatives or posted online by the course. 

Check back for updates on the courses currently listed as TBA, and for other modifications, as aeration dates are subject to change due to weather and other factors:

• Lido -- September 21 and 28
• Rock Hill -- Late September/early October (dates TBA)
• Eisenhower Red -- October 3
• Bethpage Black -- October 3-5
• Bergen Point -- October 4-5
• Eisenhower White -- October 10
• Mill Pond -- October 11-12
• Bethpage Yellow -- October 11-12
• Eisenhower Blue -- October 17
• Middle Bay -- November 7-8
• Harbor Links -- November (dates TBA)

Some golf courses have already aerated, so be aware that conditions might not be optimal.

• Willow Creek -- August 22-24
• Middle Island -- Week of August 22
• West Sayville -- August 23
• Smithtown Landing -- August 29
• Stonebridge -- August 29-30
• Timber Point Red -- August 29
• Timber Point Blue -- August 30
• Timber Point White -- August 31
• Bethpage Blue -- August 30-31
• Wind Watch -- September 6-7
• Montauk Downs -- September 6-7 (nine holes open)
• Town of Oyster Bay -- September 6-8
• Bethpage Green -- September 7-8
• Poxabogue -- September 7-8
• Swan Lake -- September 8
• Island's End -- September 12 (all facilities closed)
• Bethpage Red -- September 12-13
• Sunken Meadow -- September 12-16; 19-23; 26-30 (course order TBD)
• Pine Hills -- September 13 or 14
• Cherry Creek (Woods) -- September 13
• Cherry Creek (Links) -- September 15
• Glen Cove -- September 13-15
• Holbrook CC -- September 15
• Brentwood CC -- September 19
• Indian Island -- September 20
• Crab Meadow -- September 21

For courses not listed, contact them directly for the latest maintenance schedule.

[This schedule was updated on September 22, 2022.]

Bethpage Black closed next week for MGA's 107th Met Open

The Black Course at Bethpage State Park is set to host the Metropolitan Golf Association's 107th Met Open, which tees off with its first of three 18-hole rounds on Tuesday, August 23.  This is the fourth time Bethpage Black is hosting the famed local tournament.

The MGA Met Open features 18-hole rounds on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Bethpage Black will be closed for the duration of the tournament, including a Monday maintenance day.  It is slated to reopen for public play on Friday, August 26th, unless that is used as a rain date.

For the latest information on course availability, contact the park office at (516) 249-0700.

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.

Bethpage, Montauk Downs represent Long Island in Golfweek's 2022 list of best public courses

Like a rush on tee times at Bethpage and Montauk Downs, you can always count on the two state-park facilities finding their way onto Golfweek's annual list of top public golf courses.

Golfweek released its 2022 Best Courses You Can Play list earlier this month, a collection of rankings highlighting the elite publicly accessible courses in all 50 states.  On the New York list, the Long Island contingent offered no surprises.

Bethpage Black, Bethpage Red and Montauk Downs once again represent Long Island in Golfweek's annual ranking.  The Black Course, as usual, is in the top spot, followed later in the top 10 by its state-park brethren.  Montauk Downs jumped up to #6 -- its highest ranking that we can recall -- and vaulted one spot ahead of the Red at #7.

For many years, Golfweek included a fourth Long Island course on its Best You Can Play list -- Tallgrass Golf Course in Shoreham.  But Tallgrass is gone, and the only other course of local interest is the high-end NYC muni Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, again ranked #2 in the state.

Bethpage Black also placed #27 in Golfweek's ranking of the Top 200 Classic Courses built prior to 1960.  The list serves as a reminder of the incredible depth of Long Island's classic-course selection, with 15 courses and clubs making the cut, including three -- Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links and Fishers Island -- in the top 10.  

For more on the three Long Island publics, including a Closer Look breakdown of Red #13 (and Tallgrass #8, just for old time's sake), check out the course flyovers via the above links.