There has been a mini boom in golf course construction  on Long Island in the past few years. When one considers the relatively high value  of any property here and the pressures to build houses and commercial property, these golf courses are remarkable achievements. In the past decade, no fewer than 13 new public golf courses were built in Suffolk County. 

Two of these new courses are on the east end and within a stones throw from one another. Tall Grass is in  Shoreham and Great Rock is  in Wading River.. Tall Grass is just south of 25A and Great Rock is  a bit further east and just north of 25A. They both have beautiful club houses and unique designs. Tall Grass has the look of a links course while Great Rock is carved out of north shore woodlands. 

Tall Grass Club House

Tall Grass Club House Rear View

Tall Grass Vista

Great Rock Club House

Visit Tall Grass and Great Rock on line.

While technically not a links course, Tall Grass has the look of one. Built on a sod farm, there are almost no trees to be found on the course. This makes for a very interesting layout that offers  magnificent vistas in all directions. The club house is an architectural gem that offers full catering.

Great Rock is carved out of a north shore landscape that makes it seem as if it has always been there. Each hole has a natural feel that makes playing Great Rock feel like nature is your playing partner. 

Suffolk County's Plan for Yaphank Courses in Jeopardy

Suffolk County has a long standing plan to build two 18 hole courses on county property in Yaphank. The plan was conceived in 1990 and includes a private/public partnership for developing these courses. A final recommendation on whether to proceed with this development plan  is expected any day. The mini boom in private golf course construction has put Suffolk's  plan in jeopardy and those in the know say it is too close to call on whether the county proceeds. Opponents of the county plan claim that many of the new courses are operating at less than full capacity and that the county plan would exacerbate this over capacity while giving the private developer in Yaphank an unfair advantage by partnering with the government. Stay tuned.

The 19th Hole 

 Slow Play

If you play golf on the Isle of Long you are probably very familiar with slow play. If you play on the weekend you are probably an expert on slow play. You can predict a 5 hour round from miles away. As much as I love golf I would rather not play at all than take 4 or 5 hours to get through a round. In my earliest days of golf I would rise at 3 am to be the first off the tee at Bethpage when the sun rose. No one in front of my cousin and I and we would finish in about 3 hours or so. Now that I am over 50 I avoid slow play in an entirely different manner. I play twilight during the week and on the right course I can play as fast as I like..

People often wonder why play is so slow. I have a rather simple theory. Play is slow simply because the average player doesn't mind a 4 or 5 hour round. Middle aged and younger  players have had no other experience. It is all they know. If I go to a public course for a round by myself I will always choose either the very young or the older player for my group. The youngster is full of energy and is liable to be a brisk player. The older guy probably grew up with faster play and has as little tolerance for slow play as I do.

The secret to faster play is real simple. It is nothing more than this: Be Ready To Hit. Don't watch your partner when you should be getting to your ball, choosing your club and getting mentally ready for the shot.

The fastest player on the PGA Tour, none other than John Huston put it very well when he recently said this: "I don't feel like I'm rushing," he said. "The main thing I do is I'm always ready when it's my turn. I do all my stuff when the other guys are hitting. When it's my turn, I'm ready to go. Other guys, when it's their turn, that's when they start getting their yardage and checking the wind and it's two minutes after that they hit. They're all playing so careful. If you forced them to play faster, it wouldn't affect their scores any. They would play just as well."

Hit it, walk or ride to your ball, and hit it again.