on brand
1 Like
Just moved to Manhattan and doing my best to navigate the NYC golf life. Made my way up the 1 train to play VC this morning and looking to check out other courses recommended in this thread. Always down to get a game together if anyone is interested. Anyone know if Split Rock is in good shape at the moment?
2 Likes
I havenât played it this year but itâs usually nit in great shape, and the mosquitos are usually out of control.
People have vouched for this in the thread recently though.
2 Likes
Another plug for NYC_Metro chapter of the RACDG. We now have about 40 guys on the whats app chat (warning: its a VERY active chat). We are playing with each other almost on a daily basis all over the tri-state area and beyond.
DM me if anyone is interested.
Link to understand what the heck RACDG is all about:
Constitution in post 132
9 Likes
Anyone know of any weekly skins games, or interested in trying to start a weekly skins game at some of the public courses around? My muni back home in VA would do a weekly skins game on Wednesday nights and it was an absolute blast and a good excuse for weekly e9âs.
3 Likes
My girlfriend is away and I had to take a week off before the end of the month, so I did a Metro NYC golf staycation last week.
Dropped the GF off at JFK on Saturday afternoon and headed straight to Forest Park for a twilight round. Got stuck behind a 4some of younger guys topping every shot 20 yards and posing for photos, walking aimlessly, etc. Passed them and ended up getting in 13 holes. Not a huge fan of Forest Park. Big thanks to the teenagers that drove me back to the clubhouse on the back of their cart when it got dark out there.
Sunday I drove up to Mohegan Sun Golf course in Connecticut. A bit of a long drive, but it was a very fun round. Teed off at 730, great pace of play, interesting course and in good shape. I played well and crushed by golf buddy.
Monday I played an afternoon round at Spook Rock. I really like Spook Rock, typically good pace of play, its a nice course to walk and has some interesting holes and tricky greens. They started us on the tenth hole, so the tricky back nine hit me hard, but I recovered and played well. Got paired with a nice twosome of decent golfers around my age.
Tuesday was obviously a rainout, which didnât bother me too much as I had a lot of golf behind and ahead of me.
Wednesday I drove up to Patriot Hills for an afternoon of elevated tee shots. While this type of course provides some nice photo opps, and it was in great shape especially considering the storm, I am just not a fan of this type of golf course. Mandatory carts, very long drives between holes (usually winding up a mountain), just takes me out of the round. Hitting such elevated tee shots also seems to lead to losing balls a lot easier, especially when you have to take such circuitious routes from the tee down to the fairway. I played from the tips with two guys that could barely carry their drives over 100 yards, so that was interesting.
Thursday, I had an afternoon round booked, but had to move my car in the AM due to alternate side parking / street cleaning, so I decided to just play 36 holes. First was Rockleigh Golf Course in Jersey, a Bergen County Muni. It was my first time playing there and I was skeptical going in, but it turned out to be a great walk on a very enjoyable course. The older guy in my group said I looked like Iâm in my 20âs (Iâm 34) and also said I look so powerful. That was nice.
Thursday round 2 was further up the Hudson at the Garrison. I thought this place would be similar to Patriot Hills, contrived with super elevated tee boxes every hole. The first few holes were like that, but overall I found it to be a great course. The two guys I was paired up with were extremely loose with the gimmes, which made me a little self conscious lining up and grinding on my 2-3 footers for par. A few shots got away from me, but my swing really felt in a groove.
Friday I headed out to Rock Spring despite thunderstorms in the forecast. Teed off alone at 7, luckily the foursome in front of me were the fastest players ever, I couldnât have caught them if I tried. I love Rock Spring, but the heavy rain on holes 4-12 added an extra challenge. I couldnât get my putts to reach the hole and ended up shooting 90.
Saturday I met my dad to play at Marine Park at 940. The course was great, pace of play was solid for primetime, and I shot 41 on the back after my dad asked why I never play well when he is there. The only problem was the mosquito infestation on the front 9, was almost as unbearable as split rock.
Sunday, I booked a 4pm tee time at bethpage red, but decided I had had enough and cancelled and took my day of rest.
6 Likes
Wow thatâs a hell of a run, good for you.
1 Like
FYI, I played Bethpage Green this morning, itâs as soft as can be this time of year. Some of the greens are showing the signs of the heat wave weâve had, but it could have been a lot worse and Iâm not upset.
The Yellow and Blue course have been closed for a week now due to storm damage from last week. While Green was open, there were a bunch of downed trees, and the elevated tee boxes on 10, 13, and 15 were all closed.
1 Like
Interesting, they must have got hit harder or just recover slower compared to these other courses Iâve visited since the storm.
Was it worth the drive to Mohegan? Seems like a long way to go for a round. Finally made it out to Royce Brook on Sunday and enjoyed for the most part and only hour away!
I only went out that far because I was playing with my buddy from Boston and his friend who is a high roller gambler. Free golf (high roller perks) plus seeing my best golf buddy made it worth the 2+ hours of driving each way. I wouldnât say the course was special enough on its own to warrant the long drive vs. some places you could play that are 1 hour away.
I havenât tried Royce Brook yet, but Iâm sure I will soon. Good condition? Good layout?
1 Like
First time long time. Anyone ever played Metuchen Golf and Country Club? Just played with someone who said they have some good deals on memberships. Thanks, Iâll hang up and listen.
I havenât played there - Any details on what âgood dealsâ means?
ââ
Conditioning was good and mostly enjoyed but a strange mix of holes. Linkish for the most part but then bunch of holes stuck in the middle seem older and very different character, i.e. tree lined. Didnât enjoy those as much. Did enjoy the adjacent airport and watching the planes picking up advertising banners to fly over the shore
Royce Brook:
Two courses. One public, one private. The Private is much more âinland-linksyâ As in: wide open fields, fescue to swallow balls off the fairway. Wind more of a factor. Both are fun layouts though.
I have only played the private once but think I may like the public layout better. Maybe just because it reminds me a lot more of the courses I liked playing growing up in N. VA/ MD. Weaves in and out of the trees a little more. Public is usually in about as good shape as any of the other publics in the area.
There are rumblings of plans to potentially sell the public land off to a developer which would be a shame, so might be one of those things where you want to play it while you can.
What was your strategy getting a tee time? Does it seem like the storm affected the course badly?
-
I finally got a time at 5am on Sunday as people cancelled due to the weather.
-
Bethpage is like a beach, as it drains in a couple of hours. The Black appeared to be closed, but looked great. I was surprised they let carts out on The Red.
4 Likes
They have had substantial tree damage, with a few courses closed for a week after the storm.
I am 27 8-10 handicap, live in NYC, but from CT. Outside of Knollwood any good sub 30 deals in the area. Hear Knickerbocker is solid + young membership.