Golf on Long Island

2023 Summer Golf Camps on Long Island

Golf participation remains at a high level following the Covid spike, meaning spots at local junior golf camps are still in elevated demand.  Junior golfers of all ages and skill levels have a wealth of options at Long Island's public golf courses for learning the fundamentals of the game, from swing to etiquette, and making a smooth entrance into the sport.

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, at 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 lifelong enjoyment on the course and as overall fans of golf.

The following is a general overview of 2023 summer golf camps offered at various public golf 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):  Weekly sessions run from Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon, and are open to kids age 7 to 17.  Instruction includes short-game practice, driving range, on-course play and daily contests and competition.  Cost is $320 per session.  Sign-up forms are available on the Bergen Point website.

Bethpage State Park (Farmingdale):  Bethpage's Summer Junior Golf Program is open to players of all skill levels from age 6 to 17.  Half-day programs are geared toward younger players, while full-day camps are designed for intermediate and advanced players with on-course experience.  A monthly program with tournament play is also available for competitive juniors.  All programs feature a combination of skills development and performance-related training and fitness.  Sessions begin the week of June 26.  Register for full-day ($775) and half-day ($500) sessions at the Bethpage / Golf Channel Academy website.

Cedars Golf Club (Cutchogue):  The Cutchogue course offers two separate month-long sessions with start dates of June 28 and July 31.  Campers age 5 to 13 meet Mondays and Wednesdays for four weeks.  All participants receive a Cedars camp shirt, a full-season Junior Pass and daily pizza lunch.  Cost is $700 per session.  Register in person or e-mail [email protected], and check the Cedars website or for full details.

Cherry Creek (Riverhead):  Cherry Creek camp programs will be available in July and August.  Specific 2023 program details to follow.  Call (631) 506-0777 for the latest information.

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 6 to 8.  All regular camps include hours of hands-on instruction led by certified PGA professionals.  Full-day camps include on-course play and teaching.  Weekly sessions for all programs begin June 26, and discounts are available for Nassau County residents and First Tee participants.  Visit the PGA Junior Golf Camp site for full information on pricing, session dates and available discounts.

Glen Cove Golf Club (Glen Cove):  From the last week of June through the end of August, Glen Cove is offering ten weekly sessions designed for juniors age 8 to 16.  Camps run Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and cover all parts of the swing, plus rules and etiquette.  Cost is $425 per camper.  Sign up at the Glen Cove Golf Camps website.

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 26, 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.  A "Birdie Program" is also available for advanced juniors looking to improve for competition.  Rates vary based on age group and time of sign-up.  For all program information, schedules and registration forms, visit the Harbor Links website.

Indian Island Country Club (Riverhead):  Indian Island's annual golf camp consists of week-long sessions that include lessons, lunch, golf gear and on-course competition.  Camps are open to boys and girls of all skill levels between the ages of 7 and 16.  Week-long sessions run from late June through the end of August.  Each session ends with a five-hole scramble competition on Friday afternoon.  See the Indian Island website or call (631) 727-7776 for details.

Long Island Golf Camps / Mike Reilly Golf Academy (Massapequa, Deer Park, Hauppauge):  Long Island Golf Camps runs programs at three public courses -- Peninsula Golf Club (Massapequa), Heartland Golf Park (Deer Park) and Wind Watch Golf & Country Club (Hauppauge).  The Peninsula and Wind Watch camps are week-long, full-day programs (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.  The Deer Park camp sessions run Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Instruction takes place on the course, at the driving range and in the short-game area.  Enrollment is $695 for Peninsula, $745 for Wind Watch and $369 for Heartland, with discounts available before May 1.  For schedules and registration, visit the Long Island Golf Camps website.

Middle Bay (Oceanside):  Six full-week sessions begin on July 10.  Campers meet Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m and receive instruction on the range and the course, with snack and lunch included.  Registration is $519 per week with discounts available for siblings and multiple sessions.  Call (516) 766-1880 for pricing, program details and additional information.

Mill Pond (Medford):  Camps are available in 4-day and 2-day sessions beginning July 3.  The longer programs are designed for teen golfers age 12 to 16 and focus on all aspects of swing technique and fundamentals, plus course management, rules and etiquette.  Each session concludes with a Friday team competition held at the Rolling Oaks Golf Course in Miller Place.  Shorter programs meet Tuesday and Wednesday and are geared toward beginners age 6 to 11 with a focus on swing fundamentals.  Discounts for Town of Brookhaven residents are available.  Visit the Mill Pond website or call (631) 732-8249 for info on registration, pricing, schedules and program format.

Pine Hills (Manorville):  Pine Hills is offering two separate camp sessions that meet on Tuesday evenings in June and July.  Each session meets from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on three consecutive Tuesdays and covers the swing, etiquette, short-game skills and more.  The camp is open to juniors age 6 to 16 and includes pizza and snacks on the final day.  Sessions are $345 each or $595 for both.  Email [email protected] for details or registration.

Poxabogue Golf Center (Sagaponack):  A total of ten sessions run from the week of June 19 to the week of August 21.  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 $659 per session.  Visit the Poxabogue website for info and registration.

Smithtown Landing (Smithtown):  Smithwon Landing's 2023 camps will meet once a week for six consecutive weeks beginning at the end of June.  Campers meet for one hour at select times on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays.  Registration is $275 per session.  Visit the camp website or call (631) 979-6534 for 2022 information.

Sunken Meadow (Kings Park):  PGA Junior Golf operates half-day camps for players of all skill levels from age 7 to 13, and modified full-day camps for juniors age 10 to 16.  In each camp, players are divided into groups based on experience and receive hands-on instruction led by certified PGA professionals.  Weekly sessions meet Tuesday through Friday beginning June 26.  Cost is $375 per half-day session and $550 for full-day.  Visit the PGA Junior Camps site for complete information.

Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course (Woodbury):  Oyster Bay's Lucas Golf Center offers full-day camp for juniors age 10 to 16 and half-day camps for boys and girls age 6 to 10.  Teaching pros cover the full swing, chipping, putting, rules and etiquette, and instruction takes place on and off the course.  Sessions run Tuesday to Friday beginning June 27.  Call (516) 364-3600 or visit TOB's Lucas Golf Center website for information and registration.

West Sayville Golf Course (West Sayville):  West Sayville offers five sessions that meet Monday to Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. during the weeks of June 26, July 10, July 17, July 24 and July 31.  Sessions are open to new and experienced juniors age 8 to 14.  Under lead instructor Sean McLaughlin, head golf coach at Sayville High School, campers learn all aspects of the swing, plus rules and etiquette, and practice on the golf course daily.  Visit the West Sayville junior camp page for info and registration.

2023 golf course reopen dates on Long Island

After a mild Long Island offseason where roughly zero snowflakes found their way from the sky to the ground, Old Man Winter teamed up with the golf gods to make sure March -- the month of golf's local reopening -- began with a coating of slush.  Go figure.

Unless you were banking on checking out the rebranded Sandy Pond Links on its opening day (postponed), this year's one light dusting of snow won't impact the reopening season that is set to kick off in a little over a week.  From the lead-up to St. Patrick's Day through mid-April, all of Long Island's seasonal golf courses will get back up to speed and welcome local players back to the first tee.

The following is a list of tentative 2023 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.

2023 GOLF COURSE REOPENINGS:

• Sandy Pond Links -- March 1
• Indian Island -- March 10
• Timber Point -- March 15
• Holbrook CC -- March 15
• Brentwood CC -- March 15
• Woods Course at Cherry Creek -- March 16
• Bergen Point -- March 17
• West Sayville -- March 17
• Harbor Links - Championship/Executive -- March 18
• Bethpage Green -- March 18
• The Golf Club at Middle Bay -- March 31 (tentative)
  
• Town of Oyster Bay GC -- OPEN
• Bethpage Red -- April 1
• Eisenhower Red -- April 11
• Bethpage Black -- April 15

[This post was updated on April 3, 2023.]

Winter Golf On Long Island: 2022-23 Edition

Some people wake up a little groggy on New Year's Day and spend the morning in pajamas, clutching a cup of coffee.  Others wake up a little groggy, see the sun shining on a 45-degree day, and spend the rest of the morning on the golf course, clutching irons and hand warmers.

Golf on a January morning might seem like a bizarre concept to those in the pajama group, but for the ones scanning the 24-hour forecast on their weather apps as the ball gets set to drop on New Year's Eve, it's just another day in Long Island's winter golf season.

There's no official start date to winter golf season -- some might say Thanksgiving, others might argue it begins with the first frost delay.  By late December all of Long Island's seasonal golf courses are closed, leaving the year-round courses with Christmas through mid-March all to themselves.  From a player perspective, if you can handle cold, biting wind and ground conditions that get soggier and sloppier as the offseason progresses, there's no reason to stay home and let your golf clubs and new holiday-gift gear collect dust.

So far the 2022-23 winter has been OK despite the cold snap that temporarily froze everything shut.  We've seen blizzards wreck offseasons before Christmas, so a snow-free Long Island into the new year is always a win.

Some things have changed about winter golf in recent seasons.  Golf On Long Island used to post notable winter-rate specials that were available at local courses, but there's no longer any need.  The days of heavy discounts -- or even moderate price breaks -- appear to be gone.  Courses now keep their winter rates much closer to peak prices than the $35-45 rounds with cart (and sometimes a free breakfast or lunch) from just a few years ago.

Note that some courses are still offering trimmed-down pandemic-era amenities, so check in advance if you want your winter round to include food and drink options or access to the pro shop.

There's also more competition from modern indoor facilities like X-Golf in Commack, Birdies in Patchogue and the semi-enclosed TopGolf in Holtsville.  All offer enjoyable high-tech golf experiences combined with the social attraction (and warmth) of a sports bar and grill.  Another X-Golf is on the way this year in Westbury, and Simplay remains an indoor stalwart in Hauppauge.

Golf On Long Island posts relevant course information as necessary throughout the offseason.  Be sure to follow local courses on social media for the latest on weather closures, frost delays and more.

2022 closing dates for Long Island's seasonal golf courses

[This information was updated on December 24, 2022.]

We've made it to December, and while many on Long Island have already packed away their golf clubs for 2022, the area's cold-resistant players are still out looking for tee times.  The selection is about to get smaller though, because December is closing month on Long Island. 

By the middle of December, the Island's seasonal public golf courses lock up for the final time and hang a "See You In March" sign on the clubhouse door.  So if you have the urge to take on Gibraltar at Timber Point or drive the greens on Brentwood's short par-4s, get those swings in now while you still can.

Or you can just sit back, relax and pick your spots at the Island's many courses that stay open year-round.

The following golf courses are preparing to close for the season this month:

• Eisenhower Red -- December 4
• Bay Park -- December 9
• Sumpwams Creek -- December 10 or 11
• Harbor Links -- December 11 (or later, weather permitting)
• Cherry Creek - Woods Course -- December 11 or 18 (weather permitting)
• Brentwood Country Club -- December 11
  
• Holbrook Country Club -- December 11
  
• West Sayville -- December 18
• Timber Point -- December 18
• Bergen Point -- December 18
• Indian Island -- December 22

Some courses have already closed for 2022, including:

• Bethpage Black
• Bethpage Red
• Bethpage Green
• Harbor Links - Executive Course

Check back daily for the latest closing dates.  And for more information on Long Island's winter season, stay tuned for our annual Winter Golf On Long Island primer.

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.]

2022 Summer Golf Camps on Long Island

[Looking for this year's camp info?  See the Guide to 2023 Summer Golf Camps on Long Island.]

The rise in golf demand during the 2020 and 2021 pandemic seasons has not only led to a rush on tee times across Long Island, but also heightened interest in space for juniors at local summer camps.  Experienced juniors and the many new teen and tween players are seeking guidance from local coaches and pros in order to make a smooth entrance and progression into the sport.

Not surprisingly, some summer golf programs have already sold out before the dawn of spring.  Limited slots at other junior camps are filling up fast.

Luckily there is a wealth of local options for parents who are eager to have their young players start building the foundation for lifelong interest in golf.  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, at 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 2022 summer golf camps offered at various public golf 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):  Four weekly sessions run from Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon, and are open to kids age 7 to 17.  Instruction includes short-game practice, driving range, on-course play and daily contests and competition.  Cost is $300 per session.  Sign-up forms are available on the Bergen Point website.

Bethpage State Park (Farmingdale):  Bethpage's Summer Junior Golf Program is open to players of all skill levels from age 6 to 17.  Half-day programs are geared toward younger players, while full-day camps are designed for intermediate and advanced players with on-course experience.  A monthly program with tournament play is also available for competitive juniors.  All programs feature a combination of skills development and performance-related training and fitness.  Sessions begin the week of July 11.  Register for full-day ($775) and half-day ($500) sessions at the Bethpage / Golf Channel Academy website.

Cedars Golf Club (Cutchogue):  The Cutchogue course offers two separate month-long sessions with start dates of June 29 and August 1.  Campers meet Mondays and Wednesdays for four weeks, with separate times for age 6-to-10 groups and age 11-to-15 groups.  All participants receive a Cedars camp shirt and a full-season Junior Pass.  Cost is $650/675 per session.  Register in person or e-mail [email protected], and check the Cedars website or for full details.

Cherry Creek (Riverhead):  Cherry Creek camp programs will be available in July and August.  Specific 2022 program details to follow.  Call (631) 506-0777 for the latest information.

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 6 to 8.  All regular camps include hours of hands-on instruction led by certified PGA professionals.  Full-day camps include on-course play and teaching.  Weekly sessions for all programs begin June 27, and discounts are available for Nassau County residents and First Tee participants.  Visit the PGA Junior Golf Camp site for full information on pricing, session dates and available discounts.

Glen Cove Golf Club (Glen Cove):  From the week of June 27 to Labor Day weekend, Glen Cove is offering ten weekly sessions for juniors age 8 to 16.  Camps run from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and cover all parts of the swing, plus rules and etiquette.  Cost is $400 per camper, with daily lunch included.  Sign up at the Glen Cove Golf Camps website.

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 27, 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.  A "Birdie Program" is also available for advanced juniors looking to improve for competition.  Rates vary based on age group and time of sign-up.  For all program information, schedules and registration forms, visit the Harbor Links website.

Indian Island Country Club (Riverhead):  Indian Island's 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.  Specific program information to follow.  See the Indian Island website or call (631) 727-7776 for details.

Long Island Golf Camps / Mike Reilly Golf Academy (Massapequa, Deer Park, Hauppauge):  Long Island Golf Camps runs programs at three public courses -- Peninsula Golf Club (Massapequa), Heartland Golf Park (Deer Park) 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.  The Deer Park camp sessions run Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Instruction takes place on the course, at the driving range and in the short-game area.  Enrollment is $695 for Peninsula and Wind Watch, and $369 for Babylon, with discounts available before May 1.  For schedules and registration, visit the Long Island Golf Camps website.

Middle Bay (Oceanside):  Six full-week sessions begin on July 11.  Campers meet Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m and receive instruction on the range and the course, with snack and lunch included.  Discounts available for siblings and multiple sessions.  Call (516) 766-1880 for pricing, program details and additional information.

Mill Pond (Medford):  Camps are available in 4-day and 2-day sessions beginning July 5.  The longer programs are designed for teen golfers age 12 to 16 and focus on all aspects of swing technique and fundamentals, plus course management, rules and etiquette.  Each session concludes with a Friday team competition held at the Rolling Oaks Golf Course in Miller Place.  Shorter programs meet Tuesday and Wednesday and are geared toward beginners age 6 to 11 with a focus on swing fundamentals.  Discounts for Town of Brookhaven residents are available.  Visit the Mill Pond website or call (631) 732-8249 for info on registration, pricing, schedules and program format.

Poxabogue Golf Center (Sagaponack):  A total of ten sessions run from the week of June 20 to the week of August 22.  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 $629 per session.  Visit the Poxabogue website for info and registration.

Smithtown Landing (Smithtown):  The town-owned municipal course runs a popular summer camp each year (canceled in 2021 due to Covid) under the instruction of Hall of Fame teacher Michael Hebron.  Visit the camp website or call (631) 979-6534 for 2022 information.

Stonebridge Golf Links (Hauppauge):  Starting in mid July, full- and half-day programs are available for beginners through intermediate players.  Half-day sessions (9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday to Thursday) are geared to beginners age 6 to 10 and focus on fundamentals, rules, etiquette and course/club basics.  Full-day camps (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday) help experienced players age 10 and up improve on skills and knowledge through on-course play and instruction.  Cost is $229 for half day and $499 for full day.  All campers receive a Puma string bag.  Discounts available for siblings and multiple sessions.  Call (631) 724-7500 or visit the Stonebridge website for session schedules and registration info.

Sunken Meadow (Kings Park):  PGA Junior Golf operates half-day camps for players of all skill levels from age 7 to 13, and modified full-day camps for juniors age 9 to 16.  In each camp, players are divided into groups based on experience and receive hands-on instruction led by certified PGA professionals.  Weekly sessions meet Tuesday through Friday beginning July 5.  Cost is $350 per half-day session and $450 for full-day.  Visit the PGA Junior Camps site for complete information.

Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course (Woodbury):  Oyster Bay's Lucas Golf Center typically offers full- and half-day camps for boys and girls age 6 and up.  Teaching pros cover chipping, putting, rules and etiquette, and instruction takes place on and off the course.  Specific 2022 program information to follow.  Call (516) 364-3600 or visit TOB's Lucas Golf Center website for information and registration.

West Sayville Golf Course (West Sayville):  Four sessions meet Monday to Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. and will run the weeks of July 11, July 18, July 25 and August 1.  Sessions are open to new and experienced juniors age 8 to 14.  Under lead instructor Sean McLaughlin, head golf coach at Sayville High School, campers learn all aspects of the swing, plus rules and etiquette, and practice on the golf course daily.  Visit the West Sayville junior camp page for info and registration.

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.]

Resurrecting long-lost Lido golf -- the Lido Springs Par-3 course

Turns out it's true.

Down in Lido Beach, a small oceanfront community that plays a giant role in golf history, there is an old, lost golf course, after all.  It's right next door to the present-day Lido Golf Course, and its features, drawn up by one of Long Island's most influential golf builders, remain almost fully intact.  One putting green is split by a knob in its back half, another sits with rimmed edges.  Raised tees, buried beneath a tangle of tree branches and weeds, rest amid overgrown hazards and muddy ponds, waiting to be found.

No, this isn't the glorious hallucination of the most ardent Lido Club enthusiast.  Plenty of golf historians have studied those hallowed grounds, and some have even walked the streets and Lido Beach dunes, knowing they'll never stumble across some trace of the famous pre-World War II masterpiece.  This other course, well, nobody's trying to find it.  And if they are, they better be toting bug spray.

No, this is the story of Lido Springs, a short-lived par-3 course that came and went, following dozens of other little-known area golf courses that also came and went, and made a few memories along the way.  It was lit up for night play and pitched side attractions like mini golf and a game room -- not exactly the type of place commemorated in club histories or sepia-toned coffee-table books.  Yet there's some history worth exploring, and for now it holds a very unique distinction in Long Island golf history.  Lido Springs is likely the only instance of a long-gone local golf course sitting untouched, undeveloped, right out there among all of Long Island's hustle and bustle.

And thanks to modern technology, plus help from one of the key figures involved in next year's resurrection of that other lost Lido course, we can see Lido Springs today, down to the finest detail, as if unobstructed by 40 years of physical neglect.

+  +  +  +  +  +

When Lido Springs opened in the summer of 1963, the big Robert Trent Jones layout next door -- today's municipal Lido course -- was just a few seasons old.  And it had been only two decades since the famed original, C.B. Macdonald's Lido Club, was repurposed for military use in the early years of World War II.  That renowned course was to the west.  Lido Springs, on the other hand, played along Lido's eastern flank, its nine short par-3s wedged into a little triangular parcel dotted with five ponds.

"New Golf Course Opens at Lido," read the headline in The Leader, a Freeport newspaper, on July 11.  "Golf pros of the Nassau County clubs, as well as many other luminaries of the golf world were present at the opening," the article said.

John Brennan, a writer who chronicled the development and construction of Long Island's golf courses for various publications in the 1950s and '60s, indicated in one of his "Off the Fairway" columns that the new Lido Springs was built as an annex to RTJ's neighboring 18.  "Lidoites feel the addition of the short course will help take some of the load from the big course, with some of the older men members ... being detoured to the par-three layout," he wrote prior to its opening.

Players could enjoy a round well after sundown thanks to the "newest and finest daylight illumination on Long Island," according to the Leader.  Advertisements that ran in Newsday highlighted night golf as a selling point, and the course, at least in its early years, was open until midnight.  Rounds after dark were a novelty, and many who played Lido Springs fondly recall them.  Some just remember swatting the gnats and mosquitoes.

"It was so well lit, you saw the ball all the way up in the air and down to the green," says Jeffrey Bernstein, who moved from Brooklyn to Atlantic Beach in 1966.  Summers for Bernstein included trips to the driving range on the south side of Lido Boulevard, and eventually nine holes at Lido Springs.  He would grab one or two clubs and a putter and bike with friends from one end of the barrier island to the other.  Sometimes they'd leave the bikes home and hitchhike to the course instead.

Other elements set Lido Springs apart from the typical pitch-and-putt course.  It was initially planned as a semi-private club with memberships, tee times and an on-site pro.  Most notably, the design of its nine short holes was credited to William Mitchell, the golf course designer whose frequent work in the 1960s and early 1970s altered Long Island's golf landscape the same way Macdonald, Seth Raynor, Devereux Emmet and others left their marks in the early 20th century.

By July 1963, Long Island's second golf building boom was already well underway, and Mitchell played a big part.  His course at Pine Hollow Country Club in 1955 was the first to be built in the region since the end of the Depression and ensuing war years.  When a dozen new courses opened locally in 1961 and 1962, Mitchell's hand was on at least two of them -- Old Westbury and Woodcrest.  Mitchell would come to be known as golf's "public defender" -- he felt strongly about designing courses public players could take pride in, with features that were fair to the average high-handicapper.  He was a proponent of executive-length courses for their smaller demand on time and land use, and his goal was to eventually build a women's golf course on Long Island.  (Plans had already been drawn when Mitchell passed away in the early '70s.)

It's hard to know exactly how much time and energy Mitchell invested in the Lido Springs layout (his 18-hole course at Noyac in Sag Harbor opened the same year), but it certainly incorporated many of his design principles.  Greens featured some interesting contours, though nothing too "gimmicky," as he described movement that could potentially penalize good shots and reward bad ones.  For the less-skilled player, bunkers were in full view, mostly fronting greens.  ("I don't like to hide a trap," he often said.)  A series of small ponds came into play on all but two or three holes.  As far as time and land use, the nine holes took up less than ten acres and likely no more than an hour to play.

"It was a real golf course, just scaled way down," says Rob Koff, a lifelong area resident who recalls many night rounds there, complete with burgers and fries at the snack bar.  "The greens were legitimate, and the fairway areas were kept in great shape."

"They took care of it," Bernstein says.  "It was in better condition than Lido next door." 

Beyond the initial grand opening, and some newspaper advertisements that ran through the '60s and '70s, there's not much else that officially documents the course's 20-year run, which ended with its abandonment sometime in the early '80s.  It's not mentioned in any profiles or retrospectives about Mitchell's design career, and there are no reports of its closure.  Yet signs of it are still as clear as day to anyone driving down Lido Boulevard or up the 12th fairway at the current Lido course.  The light poles that illuminated so many summer nights and brightened so many memories still stand tall and slightly crooked above the overgrowth.  One that towered over the ninth green is just steps from the boulevard, not far from the rusted remnants of a chain-link fence that separated the course from the parking lot.

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That's the fascinating thing about Lido Springs.  It's still there, waiting to be found.

All Peter Flory needed was an aerial photo and some public data to bring Lido Springs back to life.  Followers of Lido golf history might recognize the name -- Flory, a Chicago-area golfer who counts digitally reconstructing lost golf courses as a hobby, is serving as an advisor for the Lido Club restoration at Sand Valley in Wisconsin.  He spent three years meticulously generating incredibly detailed renderings of the Lido Club by piecing together clues from aerial photos, ground-level images and written works, then posted them on Golf Club Atlas to be studied and scrutinized by fellow historians and designers.  His work drew the attention of Tom Doak, then Sand Valley's Mike Keiser, who used his images to pitch a restored Lido to prospective members.  That highly anticipated course is scheduled to open in 2023.

Resurrecting Lido Springs took Flory about two days.  An inquiry at the Long Beach Historical Society found its way to Flory, by now established as a trusted Lido Beach golf-architecture historian.  Using archived and current aerial images, he was able to quickly estimate and sketch the location of tees and greens, and publicly available LiDAR data allowed him to paint the picture.  The precise surface elevation data not only revealed that all but one green remain on the ground at Lido Springs, it also pulled up all of their ridges and slopes.  Once plugged into his golf-design software, the LiDAR exposed the surface as if it was bare ground with no overgrowth.  Flory used his judgment to flesh out rough and short grass around the holes, but the greens needed no manipulation. 

"The contours that you're seeing on the image are actually there on the ground," Flory says.

So we know now that the first hole was around 80 yards, give or take a few by tee placement, with a pond short left.  "There's a very cool pocket on the right side of the green," Flory says.  Only three of the holes went beyond 100 yards.  One of them, the fourth, had ponds long and right, and a front bunker with a raised lip.  The 121-yard ninth required a pond carry to a green with a back-half knob and raised shoulders.  By the looks of it, misfires there could easily find themselves lost onto Lido Boulevard.

With the three-dimensional model finished, Flory can make Lido Springs playable on a gaming PC, PlayStation, XBox and even some golf simulators.  It's something Flory did with his Lido Club renderings, complete with his digital self decked out in vintage golfwear, hickory clubs in hand.

As far as playing it again outside under the Lido Beach sun (or stars), technically it's not that far-fetched.  Anyone with a few million dollars handy and the stomach for a battle with the Town of Hempstead or Nassau County could conceivably resurrect the course in real life.  The property has been up for sale for years and is zoned to allow municipal recreation.

Bernstein thinks of the course every time he walks the fairway of the adjacent 12th hole at Lido.  Just a few paces away, on the other side of a fence, Bernstein once stood on a raised tee, looking across the entire Lido Springs course lit up in full view from one end to the other.

"You saw fathers and sons, groups of friends, kids with six-packs," he says.  "People from all walks of life out there just having a lot of fun."

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[PICTURED (click to enlarge): TOP -- Rendering of Lido Springs #1; MIDDLE -- Advertisements printed in Newsday in May and September 1966.  The course advertised in the paper throughout the '60s and '70s and typically promoted night golf; MIDDLE RIGHT -- Aerial photo of Lido Springs, the triangular property at center, as seen in 1966.  Lido Golf Course is to the left, and the Lido Beach Nike missile base is seen to the right; BOTTOM RIGHT -- The full Lido Springs routing, as interpreted using public LiDAR data.  All greens remain intact on the site except #2.  The rendering of #9 shows a bunkerless green with raised shoulders and a knob at back center.  Lido Boulevard was located directly behind the hole.]

The digital renderings published here are the intellectual property of Peter Flory.

For more reading on Lido golf history, see previous Golf On Long Island entries below:

• The Golfer's Journal podcast and magazine piece examine past, present and future of Lido-inspired golf
• Lido Golf Club, famed Macdonald masterpiece, to be recreated in Wisconsin
• A brief look back at the original Lido Golf Club in its "centennial" season
• Street Names: The Ghosts of Long Island Golf's Past, Part 2 (Lido Club)
• Original Lido Club featured on Golf Channel, golf history podcast
• Newsday slideshow features 11 places that were formerly golf courses
• Closer Look: Lido Golf Club #16

Winter Golf on Long Island: 2021-22 Edition

Christmas morning on Long Island, there are a great many local golfers opening up new "toys," whether it be a box of balls or a new putter, looking forward to the spring when they can debut them on the course.  Then there's the small subset of local golfers scrolling through five-day forecasts and tee-time lists to see how soon they can take that brand-new, freshly unwrapped driver for a test...drive.

Winter golf is a thing on Long Island, to the surprise of the warm majority who take a pass at golf below 50 degrees.  But if you can tolerate cold, there is a whole season of golf to enjoy, complete with open tee times, clear fairways, reduced rates, two-and-a-half-hour rounds and hastily slurped hot chocolate staining the front of your new quarter-zip.

Here's a brief overview -- while many Northeast golfers pack the clubs away around the time rakes come out, there is a hardy set of players who carry on from January through March.  And there are plenty of local courses that are happy to accommodate them.  Long Island's handful of seasonal golf courses typically close sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and reopen around St. Patrick's Day, but the rest remain open year-round as the weather allows.

It's not all sunshine and birdies, though.  Besides the cold and wind, you've got to deal with frost delays, some temporary tees and greens (less so now than in years past), and typically sloppier and muddier conditions as the elements take their toll later in the season.  Some years, if the bad weather arrives early and often, the winter season can be a complete dud.

This late fall and winter have been good to players so far, and generally, conditions hold up as long as heavy snow holds off.  After a couple of snow melts, the experience tends to become a bit more unpleasant.  But through the years we've seen it all -- playing nine at North Woodmere through hail on New Year's Eve; a hazy 65 degrees at Bethpage Yellow on New Year's Day; frozen hazards and greens at Middle Island in late November; and winds that never cease during dozens of winter rounds at Lido.

Like last year, factor in the pandemic when venturing out to play.  Some courses are operating near full speed, while others might just be offering 18 holes without any of the trimmings -- no bar, no grill, no coffee at the turn.  Check ahead if that is important to you. 

Golf On Long Island regularly posts information on winter rates and other course offerings throughout the offseason.  Keep up by checking out GOLI's Winter Golf on Long Island overview.  Also be sure to follow local courses on social media for the latest on weather closures, frost delays and more.

Seasonal Long Island golf courses set to close for '21

The middle of December is when the curtains come down and the house lights come up for Long Island's seasonal public golf courses.  There are only a few days left to squeeze in nine- or 18-hole rounds on these courses, most of which are municipal facilities.  You can expect nearly all of them to reopen again in March (Bethpage Red and Black reopen in April).

The following golf courses are preparing to close for the season this month:

• Brentwood Country Club -- December 13
  
• Holbrook Country Club -- December 13
  
• West Sayville -- December 15
• Timber Point -- December 19
• Bergen Point -- December 19
• Middle Bay (date TBD)
• Harbor Links (date TBD)
• Cherry Creek - Woods Course (date TBD)
• Bay Park (date TBD)
• Christopher Morley Park (date TBD)
• Sumpwams Creek (date TBD)

Some courses have already closed for 2021, including:

• Bethpage Black
• Bethpage Red
• Bethpage Green
• Harbor Links - Executive Course
• Island's End
• Eisenhower Red

The majority of Long Island golf courses remain open through the winter.  For more information on Long Island's winter season, stay tuned for our annual Winter Golf On Long Island primer.