I’m hoping that the tall grass was neglected during the pga and will be cut down soon. But over the past few years it had been grown out on all the courses for whatever reason.
Get ready for 6 hour rounds on summer weekends if the grass is not handled. Hopefully they cut it and we can get around in our normal brisk pace of 5:15-5:30 hours.
See everyone out there. I’ll be the guy yelling at people to take a drop. Feel free to say hi.
Dear Kelly Brooke,
Please take all of that money your going to spend on shit no one will use and put it to better use.
First, Lawn Mowers!
Second, space tee times to at least 10 minutes instead of 8, so I don’t get to # 3 on the Blue and have 2 groups waiting to hit.
Third don’t make me pay extra for gps on the carts (if anyone wants the “Sharks Tips” feel free to gouge those assholes until you’re blue in the face).
Also let me use driver on the range from the tees now, pumping balls onto round swap road made me feel strong.
PS. Thanks for making beers $6.52 a piece. My cooler definitely only has waters in it.
PPS. If this project gets completed before the 2024 Ryder Cup. I’ll buy a round for everyone on the refuge.
Sincerely,
Daniel Lafferty
I promise I was not yelling baba booey at the pga.
I have always wondered about the spacing of tee times. Every time I have ever been to Bethpage, the tee sheet is fully and we tee off when the group in front of us is out of range. What difference would it make if they spaced them at 8 or 10 minutes? It doesn’t seem like it is ever “running on schedule” anyway.
I believe the state runs the tee times, the Golf Channel now runs the range and shop. I think from the state’s perspective, it doesn’t make sense to move to 10 minutes because of the lost revenue.
The Golf Channel runs the shop? I assume the state leases it to them? How does that all make sense?
Right. The course itself is run by the state. The shop and restaurant are private businesses that lease space from them.
Only difference being that there would be less groups on the course. 12 groups every 2 hours vs 15 groups every 2 hours. Would that make a difference, maybe, couldn’t hurt.
To your point they are usually running behind so this really doesn’t matter. Maybe doing a block an hour, like the Black does, or even once every 90 minutes would help more.
Doesn’t really matter because they won’t do anything to help pace of play. But hey, they’re gonna have classrooms, therapy rooms and a simulator! So we got that going for us, which is nice.
Played Black this morning. It’s in incredible shape.
Reserved a tee time for Montauk Downs tomorrow morning. Will report back
Place is silky smooth - LMK your thoughts.
Friendly reminder to those that are registered, Bethpage reservations open in 3 minutes.
Managed to get a time on Black for next weekend too. Showed up to play Red this morning and a foursome at 7:42 was available on Black. Snagged that instead.
It was in great shape when I played Sunday, with a reasonably good pace of play as of my 8:55 a.m. tee time. My group moved along without any real stoppages. I noticed rangers lurking around, so that is a good sign. I imagine things will slow once the East End reaches high season later this month.
I cannot comment in detail on the architectural quality of each hole, although I did enjoy the elevation changes and rolling hills. It did not get boring. Overall, I found the place comparable to Bethpage, but with a beach-y quality. Even though you cannot see the ocean, you “know” it is nearby and you feel the ocean breeze. There is rugged terrain which ate some of my balls, but that is mostly because I was not having a great day. The greens were relatively fast, but luckily I am used to putting on the Spring Rock Golf Center’s synthetic green which probably rolls at a 20. 
The routing had one quirk. You return to the clubhouse on 3 and have to walk across the driving range to 4. I wonder why that is the case? It sort of broke up the flow of the round, but only temporarily. On busier days, I can see that causing a slowdown in play if people are tempted to visit the restaurant for a snack.
I paid $53 as a resident on a weekend, which is very reasonable considering the quality of the place.
It was also my first round using the Jones Original Bag (which proved to be effortless).
I would like to visit it again, but the 2 hour ride is a lot. There is a train station nearby, so that may be worth looking into.
Has anyone played Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth, NJ? It looks nice every time I drive by it on the highway.
a stephen kay special!
Have not played
Yes it is a nice track, one of the best in the area. They take good care of it and it’s not an easy course. Only nit picks are that the sand in the traps is hard, and it can be difficult to get a tee time if you don’t have a “player’s card.”
The 4th hole at Montauk Downs used to be #1. I was told the choice was made to accomodate a staging area to get golf carts out on the course easier.
On slow days, I have walked over, teed off #4 and finished #3 as the 9th hole, and really preferred that as a routing. Especially to have #2 as #8 and not #2.
H.C. Tippet was the original architect in the 20’s, Robert Trent Jones Sr redesigned it in 1968, and son Rees did a lot of work, I believe in the early 00s, which makes sense with how the presentation feels similar to Bethpage. It has a really interesting history tied to Carl Fischer, the Montauk Manor, Montauk itself, the railroad being diverted…
I live in East Hampton on weekends, NYC to work, so it’s become my local go to, since it’s neighbors are a little, out of reach. But, a good course to call home. However, it could be much better with some changes in mowing, and fairway width. Oh, and to make #4, #1 again! Also be nice to restore the original clubhouse. Ha.
Fun course that’s well maintained. Gets flooded when it rains because everything drains down to that area. Difficult to get a morning tee time without a county card. Usually always pretty packed. Also very hilly so not the easiest walk.
The 9 hole loop is short and pretty fun. No tee times, just pay and go to the tee and pair up with a someone or go at it alone. Just as hilly as the 18 hole loop.
this is why I come to the refuge. great info!
Galloping is a fine course, better than a lot of the options. A couple holes I just don’t like. For what it’s worth, I like the layout better at the other Union County course, Ash Brook - about 15 minutes from Galloping Hill.
But the county considers Galloping Hill their crown jewel and seem to spend more money and attention towards maintaining Galloping vs. Ash Brook.
Galloping has the 9-hole short course and a good practice facility - range, short game area (with a bunker!) and a few putting greens. No charge to use the practice greens. Ash Brook has a pitch and putt I haven’t played.