[Marrrk]

I'll be playing Saturday and Sunday out on the East end of Long Island. Saturday I am playing LI National and Tallgrass. Sunday I am hoping to get on Montauk Downs but have had no luck with any good times on the phone system (i am a NYS resident).

If Montauk Downs does not work out and we cant get a good walk-on, where should I play? This is part of a vacation so I need a memorable track. I never get out of the city (Brooklyn) so this is a big deal for me.

I've considered Links at Shirley, Willow Creek, Mill Pond. Am I on the right track? I just need something that is special and below $100. Will definitely consider something back towards NYC if it's worth it.

Help me, please! Thank you!

[chas521]

Marrrk, on Aug 15 2008, 02:30 PM, said:

I'll be playing Saturday and Sunday out on the East end of Long Island. Saturday I am playing LI National and Tallgrass. Sunday I am hoping to get on Montauk Downs but have had no luck with any good times on the phone system (i am a NYS resident).

If Montauk Downs does not work out and we cant get a good walk-on, where should I play? This is part of a vacation so I need a memorable track. I never get out of the city (Brooklyn) so this is a big deal for me.

I've considered Links at Shirley, Willow Creek, Mill Pond. Am I on the right track? I just need something that is special and below $100. Will definitely consider something back towards NYC if it's worth it.

Help me, please! Thank you!

I guess that you didn't read my earlier post. I would recommend Great Rock and/or Rock Hill.

[Marrrk]

chas521, on Aug 15 2008, 05:16 PM, said:

Marrrk, on Aug 15 2008, 02:30 PM, said:

I'll be playing Saturday and Sunday out on the East end of Long Island. Saturday I am playing LI National and Tallgrass. Sunday I am hoping to get on Montauk Downs but have had no luck with any good times on the phone system (i am a NYS resident).

If Montauk Downs does not work out and we cant get a good walk-on, where should I play? This is part of a vacation so I need a memorable track. I never get out of the city (Brooklyn) so this is a big deal for me.

I've considered Links at Shirley, Willow Creek, Mill Pond. Am I on the right track? I just need something that is special and below $100. Will definitely consider something back towards NYC if it's worth it.

Help me, please! Thank you!

I guess that you didn't ready my earlier post. I would recommend Great Rock and/or Rock Hill.

no, i read it, and there just wasn't anything in it that would make me choose either of the ones you mentioned over what i have already considered. i just need a little more passion and excitement in the description than "very nice". i'm not trying to be rude, i really do appreciate your advice, just being honest.

[Marrrk]

i'm sorry, its just been a heck of a time trying to narrow all the options down and ive been getting advice from all over. it's so hard to tell from websites whats really good or not. but thank you for the help.

[chas521]

no, i read it, and there just wasn't anything in it that would make me choose either of the ones you mentioned over what i have already considered. i just need a little more passion and excitement in the description than "very nice". i'm not trying to be rude, i really do appreciate your advice, just being honest.
[/quote]

Believe me, I'm not insulted at all. But Great Rock is pretty good and maintained nicely [not just very nice]. If it's good enough for tournament play then it might just be good enough for your guys plus it meets your cost needs.

[Ronzo]

What about Lido Golf Club in Lido Beach? It's a course with a pedigree, and it's on the way to New Jersey if you're headed that way on Monday anyway.

[Ronzo]

Also, check out Wind Watch:
http://www.hamletwin...ch.com/golf.htm

[illinikyle]

Ronzo, on Aug 15 2008, 04:39 PM, said:

What about Lido Golf Club in Lido Beach? It's a course with a pedigree, and it's on the way to New Jersey if you're headed that way on Monday anyway.

I'm not familiar with Lido GC...what is the pedigree of this RTJ course?

[Ronzo]

illinikyle, on Aug 15 2008, 06:03 PM, said:

Ronzo, on Aug 15 2008, 04:39 PM, said:

What about Lido Golf Club in Lido Beach? It's a course with a pedigree, and it's on the way to New Jersey if you're headed that way on Monday anyway.

I'm not familiar with Lido GC...what is the pedigree of this RTJ course?

It's a RTJ redesign of a Charles Blair Macdonald original course design:
From Newsday, published May 19. 2002
"Shinnecock Hills was the first incorporated club in the United States (1891), and hosted the second U.S. Open, in 1896. It was the first to allow women members, which it did from the start.

Courses popped up, including one right next door, the National Golf Links of America. It was designed by Macdonald in 1911 to be the country's first championship-caliber layout and still ranks among the top 20 in the country, according to Golf magazine and Golf Digest.

Macdonald's most inspired work might have been the course he designed four years later at Lido Beach - on 115 acres of swampland with 2 million tons of imported sand. The Lido Golf Club was called by noted English golf writer Bernard Darwin, "the finest course in the world." But it couldn't withstand the Depression. It fell victim to neglect and closed in 1942. The loss was the public's gain. Part of the property was redesigned by Robert Trent Jones, purchased by the Town of Hempstead and now is the busy and picturesque municipal Lido Golf Course."

Complete article can be found here:
http://www.exploreli...ainment/loc...0,3985577.story

The Lido course held sectional qualifying for the 1925 U.S. Open. The Town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, NY, put a fair amount of money and effort into its renovation in the last 10 years.

If you read the complete article, many private courses on Long Island morphed into public courses as a result of the Great Depression. Many fell into disrepair in Queens and Brooklyn, NYC, but the Nassau County courses have been well maintained, for the most part. For example, Salisbury became the Eisenhower Park complex, where the Champions tour plays the Red course each year.

There's a rich golf tradition very close to Marrrk's home. It would be a shame if he misses the opportunities to play some of these courses. Lido's closer to Brooklyn than Bethpage.

[mhj202]

I really like Islands End out on the north fork of Long Island- not too far a drive from LI National. Has a couple of holes up along the water, has always been in decent shape when I've played it, and always a good pace.

Personally, I would steer clear of Mill Pond and Lido. Mill Pond was a much nicer course years ago but more recently they have given up a sizable chunk of their land for home development (nothing has been built yet though) and the remaining course became a town course. The 18 holes they were able to salvage in the remaining land is random-- you'd see that many tees have black fencing alongside in order to protect the players from stray balls since many tees and greens are very close together and somewhat criss-cross. At one point, you'll have fences on both sides of you! They also seemed to have shoved a couple of new holes in leftover space- for example, the 10th tee-box isn't cut like a tee-box but rather is like a backyard and is only about 5-8 feet from the patio tables and chairs.

I know many folks on here love Lido but I've played it a few times and have not enjoyed it. It looks like it was a nice course once upon a time but the management, the maintenance, the pace of play, etc. leave a lot to be desired.

If you're willing to head back toward the city, you might as well try to play Bethpage Black or Red.