I can PM you the fitter if you’re curious, but I’d prefer not to name them because they are a respected shop and I don’t want to do undue harm to them if anyone reads this thread. I know Petes is beloved by LI golfers.
In short, I wanted to be fit for either the Rogue driver, of the M3/M4, and hit the different no upcharge shaft options in each brand to minimize a massive purchase. The fitter suggested I try the current Ping driver at the time (this was 2 years ago) and after swapping shafts, put me in a Ping driver with an upcharged shaft. This whole process took the hour fitting, and I was told I could put a deposit down on the demo club and bring it to a range if I wanted before purchasing. I never actually got to hit the clubs I had asked to be fit for, which is what bothered me so much. In hindsight I should have spoken up, but I was so discouraged I just paid for the fitting and left.
I actually feel like they are somewhat ping bias as well. I had to be more assertive getting fit for my irons because I had a similar experience with driver but still thoroughly enjoyed both fittings.
Thanks for the Union Vale recommendation NYC refuge. @ProB1 and I really really scrapped it around, but I had a blast. So different from the parkland courses I am use to. We even got god rays on the back.
I finally completed the Essex County rota by playing Francis Byrne this weekend. .All of them are decent. Francis Byrne surprised me with how great it is! Rock Spring is still my favorite (though not county owned)
Drove a bit further into Jersey for an early Saturday tee time at Mattawang Golf Club. It was in a pretty rural area, which was a nice change of pace. The course was nice enough, with some cool holes and challenging to hit tiny greens, but lacked diversity. Nearly every hole had slightly elevated greens that dropped off, with bunkers defending front right and left. There was nary a fairway bunker on the course. I beat my buddy for the second straight time with an 83, despite not striking it very well. Just grinding mostly, came around with a solid 39 on the back.
Here is a cool view of the sun coming up over Manhattan from the drive out.
Yeah it was definitely a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of more local courses, and I forgot to mention the greens were rolling very nicely. They were relatively uninteresting, and flat as a pancake especially coming off the round before that at Knoll West.
So yeah, it was fun, good pace of play, nice people and in decent shape, but nothing to prioritize.
Hey y’all, longtime lurker on this thread but first time poster. So I am a final year student in Princeton and for my birthday in October, I am trying to play the Bethpage Black. I have a few questions, 1) In October is the Black course busy? I figure it is. 2) Any tips on the online reservation or in person? 3) My girlfriend wants to go it’s our seminary’s reading week, small mid-semester vacation. What can she do while I golf? Anything will help.
As a single you would have no problem getting on if you got there early (before 8ish). There’s a chance you can get on within an hour or you may need to wait 4 hours, depends on the day.
As for your girlfriend, October is a strange time on LI. Beach is not an option as a place to “lay out” but an option if she wants to walk on the boardwalk (Jones Beach not far at all). You can always drop her off in the city on the way out but COVID-NYC may not be as fun
Hey everyone. I’ve been starting to walk versus riding in cart and have been playing 9 holes before work for the past month.
My local muni in rockland has 9-holes for the first hour of play on the back which is nice so i can take my time and not worry about people behind me. Any recommendations for an early quick 9 around the NY/NJ border?
Played at Patriot Hills for the first time in years and enjoyed it a lot more than I remembered I did last time I played about 8 years ago. Will definitely go back. Course is in great shape and a beautiful day! Of course not being allowed to piss in the woods on the 7th hole took some fun out of the round
LUV is awesome. The layout is a joy to walk and has a great cadence to it. 14 tee (where your pic is from) is one of the cooler spots on the golf course. you come off a 6 hole stretch of getable holes and have 5 difficult holes ahead. Its a great place to take a breath, soak it in for a minute… and get to work on closing out your match
I have not been out to Timber Point in years, and it was just a wonderful day. In the wind, the Blue is really tough. I wish it had the maintenance of Bethpage, and yes I wish it still had the original 18 hole only course, but there are some really fun holes out there:
and yes, municipal governments during the boom of the 60’s did some smart things like acquire Timber Point, and they did some short sighted ones too, at least architecturally:
There’s an outing at Watchung Valley in NJ on Oct. 13th. The course itself is cool (potentially Raynor designed depending on what you believe) & the event benefits Pockets of Light, a non-profit near and dear to my heart who helps families deal with infant loss & pregnancy loss.
Here’s the announcement - shoot me a PM if you’re thinking about playing, maybe we can start a side chat and get a Refuge group or two going.
I was not a fan after my first time there. Don’t like courses that are so disconnected hole to hole with long drives and unwalkable. The views are cool though.
How’d you do on 7 red? That used to get the best of me every time growing up, but I had a par last time out. Somewhat ashamed to say I laid up on my second shot to the 150 stick.
Agree with the unwalkable and disconnection. I’d always prefer walking if I can but unfortunately the layout was dictated by the available land. Though the holes on an individual basis and varied and interesting but would like less mountain top tee boxes!
