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.]
