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.

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.

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.]

Long Island Golf Junkies holding June Social outing on June 20

The Long Island Golf Junkies players group, one of the largest and most active groups in the region, will hold its second golf outing of the season on Monday, June 20 at The Hamlet Golf and Country Club in Commack.  The "June Social" tees off at 11:00 a.m. and is open to all local players.

Entry fee is $130 per golfer and covers 18 holes with cart, plus range balls and LIGJ t-shirts.  Spots can be reserved for singles and groups at the LIGJ website.  It is an individual stroke play event with contests for closest to the pin and longest drive.  Visit the LIGJ website for full registration details.

The Hamlet is a private club designed by Stephen Kay.  Like Kay's other designs/redesigns at Willow Creek and Wind Watch, Hamlet is heavy on sand traps, and water comes into play on a half-dozen holes.  Kay's work on the Island also includes restorations and renovations at prestigious clubs like Seawane and Cherry Valley, among others.

LIGJ hosts several formal outings, casual rounds and social meet-ups each season at both public courses and private clubs.  Interested local golfers can become members via the Long Island Golf Junkies Facebook group.

Coming Soon: Heritage Spy Ring GC, Long Island's first shot at the Sweetens Cove model

Looking out from a flat, elevated square marked with dusty footprints, Jimmi Conway points toward a slender oasis in an expanse of tire-tracked sand, the pings of a bustling construction site echoing in the background.  Four bunkers stand in line from left to right, their wavy edges framed by strips of green sod.

"I can see this becoming the signature hole," Conway says.  "Picture what this will look like when it's all grown in."

Off to the right are the bare bones of a tumbling fairway, though all that's recognizable to the unfamiliar eye, at the moment, are three more sodded bunkers leading the way to a future green.

This square, possibly sometime next year, will be one of nine tee boxes at Heritage Spy Ring Golf Club in Setauket, soon to be the newest public course on Long Island and arguably the most ambitious public-golf project since Harbor Links was built on a reclaimed Port Washington sand mine nearly a quarter-century ago.  The tee will start players on the 145-yard seventh, and the downhill fairway will be the closer, the dogleg par-5 ninth.  Conway expects the high quality and appeal of these holes will leave Spy Ring's visitors counting down the days -- or maybe minutes -- until their next go-around.

Spy Ring, part of the newest residential development from Commack-based Heatherwood Luxury Rentals, is tentatively scheduled to debut in the second half of 2023 on the grounds of the former Heatherwood Golf Course.  Named as an homage to the Culper Ring and the Setauket area's prominent role in covert ops during the American Revolution, it will be a full-length nine that can be stretched as long as 3,300 yards. 

For many of its nearly 60 years, Heatherwood filled a niche as Long Island's only 18-hole executive course.  The plan is for Spy Ring to also fill its own local niche -- that of a modern, fun-forward nine-hole destination on par with others that have attracted design enthusiasts and curious golfers to places like rural Tennessee and suburban Florida.  There, imaginative architects took spent or outdated golf courses and spun them into darlings of the public-golf world with bold features, strategic design and a streamlined building process.  Conway and Heatherwood president Christopher Capece think they've captured the same formula on the north shore of Suffolk County.

"This has a chance to be something special and unique for Long Island," Capece says.  "I think this is going to be up on the same level with Sweetens Cove."

Tyler Rae is the man behind Spy Ring's design.  Though young as far as golf architects go, Rae has a wealth of experience that includes work alongside Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw (known locally for Friar's Head and East Hampton, of course), as well as Ron Prichard, Keith Foster and other acclaimed figures in the architecture field.  His resume is a laundry list of restorations and renovations of Golden Age courses, heavy on Donald Ross classics, with some Flynns, Raynors and Tillinghasts thrown in as well.  Spy Ring is one of his first solo designs, and he approached it with the heightened standards of Long Island golf in mind.

"Golf intellect is very high on Long Island," he says.  "You can't just come in with Mickey Mouse bunkers and flat greens and expect to have success.  Especially with a course like St. George's right down the street."

The enthusiasm for the project is hard to miss.  Conway, the longtime director and general manager at both Pine Hills in Manorville and the Heatherwood course, says working on Spy Ring has provided a jolt of energy.  Leading a walking tour on a sunny spring morning, Conway pauses to admire one of Rae's greenside bunkers at the par-3 fifth.  "Sometimes you walk around here and wish you could just spend the day with a bucket of balls," he says.  Capece stops on top of another perch to take in scenic views of rolling fairways and point out how the residences will blend into the course's background.  All in the group rave about Rae's use of open approaches, contoured greens and run-off areas.

For Rae, designing the golf course he envisioned and maneuvering it around the shared property was a challenge.  Initially he considered making the course a reversible nine, but that idea was scrapped over logistical concerns.  He opted to go with a clockwise routing that begins on the flattest part of the site, a "handshake," he describes, to ease players into the round.  Then Spy Ring "gets wild," beginning at #3, a straight, downhill par-5.  Conway says the third tee is "where the course really starts," kicking off a steady build of interest and excitement with each hole.

Pandemic-related delays turned out to benefit the construction process.  Rae and his team of builders had the time to personally shape every feature on the course to their exact specifications, so project costs remained low, a source of pride for the designer.  The crew also stripped off all the topsoil from the site, leaving behind nothing but sand.  ("Boy, it's going to be freakin' dry," Rae says with a laugh.)  The course will be seeded with turfgrass adapted for sandy, firm-and-fast golf, and a state-of-the-art irrigation system will keep everything in balance.  But golf balls will bound down fairways and roll over mounds, a rarity for Long Island publics.

"We set it up to be a turnkey firm-and-fast course," Rae says.  "Very easy to maintain."

On the greens, Rae's internal contouring and funneling leave surfaces that will be fun without going over the top, unique but with enough restraint to make them appear as natural parts of the landscape.  The green on #6, he says, is inspired somewhat by Seth Raynor's famous punchbowl at Fishers Island.  The seventh has elements of a volcano par-3, a hole type often associated with Ross.

"There's a ton of variety in the greens, and plenty of pinnable space," he says.  "Each one can play really easy or really hard." 

To the experienced Long Island public player, Spy Ring might bring back memories of Gil Hanse's now-departed Tallgrass Golf Course in Shoreham, particularly the openness of the entire property and the creative introduction of elevation to a largely flat site (in Tallgrass's case, a former sod farm).  Some might look at the bunkering on the par-5 ninth and draw parallels to #13 on Bethpage Black, where a center trap is farther from the green than it appears from afar.

Whatever comparisons and thoughts players have in mind when they walk off that ninth hole, Rae simply hopes fun is at the forefront. 

"I want people to come off the course saying, 'I enjoyed those nine holes, and I can't wait to play them again.'"

[PICTURED -- TOP RIGHT: View from the par-3 seventh tee; TOP LEFT: The par-5 ninth tumbles downhill before turning left for the final approach; BOTTOM RIGHT: After a flat start, Spy Ring brings elevation change into the mix starting at the downhill par-5 third; BOTTOM LEFT: The last of three fairway traps is farther from the green than it appears on the par-5 ninth.  The green is located near the trees at center.]

Mill Pond to host eight annual Last Chance Animal Rescue Golf Outing on August 1

The Southampton-based Last Chance Animal Rescue will hold its eighth annual golf outing on Monday, August 1 at Mill Pond Golf Course in Medford.  All proceeds from the event benefit the non-profit organization's efforts to rescue animals from inhumane kill shelters and relocate them to safe facilities and foster homes. 

Entry fee is $175 per player and includes golf, cart and range balls along with on-course lunch, beverages and contests.  Format for the outing is team scramble, with consecutive tee times beginning at 9:00 a.m.  Once again a $10,000 par-3 hole-in-one prize will be up for grabs on Mill Pond's 179-yard tenth.

An early-bird registration discount is available until May 15.  Register online at the outing website and be sure to submit your tee-time preferences.  Official tee times will be announced in July. 

To learn more about Last Chance Animal Rescue, including information on adoption, fostering and volunteering, visit the organization's website at www.lcarescue.org.

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.]

2022 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 ken@cedarsgolfclub.com, 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.

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.

Long Island Golf Junkies social outing scheduled for April 18

The Long Island Golf Junkies players group is holding an April Social golf outing on Monday, April 18 at the private Port Jefferson Country Club.  Registration is open to all local players.

Entry fee is $120 for golf, cart and range balls, with tickets available for singles and groups at the LIGJ website.  It is an individual stroke play event with contests for closest to the pin and long drive.  Shotgun start is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.  Visit the LIGJ website for full registration details.

LIGJ is one of Long Island's largest and most active players groups, and hosts several formal outings, casual rounds and social meet-ups each season at both public courses and private clubs.  Interested local golfers can become members via the Long Island Golf Junkies Facebook group.