Harbor Links: A touch of class in North Hempstead

July 24, 2008

When the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce scheduled a function last month to promote business during the 2009 U.S. Open, it chose to hold it at Harbor Links in Port Washington. The location was both practical and symbolic.

Recent columns

• Harbor Links: A touch of class in North Hempstead

  July 23, 2008

  WWhen the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce scheduled a function last month to promote business during the 2009 U.S. Open, it chose to hold it at Harbor Links in Port Washington. The location was both practical and symbolic.

• A golf superintendent's job is never done

  July 20, 2008

  Those parched brown patches on your lawn are enough to make you appreciate the lush, green grass on the golf course. No one appreciates it more than the course superintendents who really feel the heat this time of year.

• A golf superintendent's job is never done

  July 19, 2008

  Those parched brown patches on your lawn are enough to make you appreciate the lush, green grass on the golf course. No one appreciates it more than the course superintendents who really feel the heat this time of year.

• Quenneville should be next Islanders coach

  July 17, 2008

  The first requirement for the next coach of the Islanders is that he be able to deal with young players. The second is that he knows how to deal with the team's core players, who would qualify as young only at an AARP convention.

• Black has 'Open' feel for New York Open

  July 17, 2008

  No one playing in the New York State Open at Bethpage Black this week doubts reports that the rough has been cut at a height of 4 1/2 inches. They just aren't sure how many months it has been since the last time they cut it.

• Black has 'Open' feel for New York Open

  July 16, 2008

  No one playing in the New York State Open at Bethpage Black this week doubts reports that the rough has been cut at a height of 4 ½ inches. They just aren't sure how many months it has been since the last time they cut it.

• Quenneville should be next Islanders coach

  July 16, 2008

  The first requirement for the next coach of the Islanders is that he be able to deal with young players. The second is that he knows how to deal with the team's core players, who would qualify as young only at an AARP convention.

• Pedro only part of Mets' recent run

  July 13, 2008

  My, how the Mets have grown.

• MLB deserves props for making All-Star Game count

  July 13, 2008

  This time they're right. The people who run Major League Baseball can be faulted on many scores, but not on this one. Good for them to remind everyone that, you know, they do keep score in the All-Star Game.

• LI GOLF BEAT: Don't let allergy be a bogey

  July 13, 2008

  Just because the smell of grass makes your eyes water and your nose stuffy, and just because being outside on a windy day leaves you tired and achy doesn't mean you must give up golf.

• MLB deserves props for making All-Star Game count

  July 13, 2008

  This time, they're right. The people who run Major League Baseball can be faulted on many scores, but not on this one. Good for them to remind everyone that, you know, they do keep score in the All-Star Game.

• Pedro only part of Mets' recent run

  July 12, 2008

  My, how the Mets have grown.

• Mets thought taking chance on Alou was worth it

  July 11, 2008

  Here is where we all jump on the Mets and make fun of them for putting so much faith in a guy who turned 42 last week and wasn't so healthy when he was 41 - or 25, for that matter.

• Mets thought taking chance on Alou was worth it

  July 10, 2008

  Here is where we all jump on the Mets and make fun of them for putting so much faith in a guy who turned 42 last week and wasn't so healthy when he was 41, or 25, for that matter.

• Cruel destiny for a links

  July 10, 2008

  The oddest part for Mel Mindich is that, when he reflects on the 15 years since he bought the property and began spending millions on his impressive golf course, he probably would do it all over again.

• Just a note about those golf carts: Be careful

  July 6, 2008

  Those small, cute, harmless looking golf carts can be dangerous, according to two studies released recently. One of them said nearly 50,000 people were hurt in golf cart accidents in a four-year span.

• Five reasons to package Nets, Isles in Nassau

  July 6, 2008

  Here is a logical solution that will not displace a single person from his or her Brooklyn apartment, will offer LeBron James a chance to be near his favorite borough and will end the longest-running wandering saga in New York sports.

• Five reasons to package Nets, Isles in Nassau

  July 5, 2008

  Here is a logical solution that will not displace a single person from his or her Brooklyn apartment, will offer LeBron James a chance to be near his favorite borough and will end the longest-running wandering saga in New York sports.

• Golf thrives on power of positive thinking

  July 3, 2008

  More evidence for the old saying, "Golf is a game played on a course 5 ½ inches long - from the left ear to the right ear."

• Al Jackson knows how bad Mets can be

  June 29, 2008

  After all these years and so many tries, the perfect slogan for the Mets has just bubbled to the surface. It succeeds where "The Magic Is Back" and "Your Season Has Come" failed. Here, finally, is the one phrase that encapsulates being a Met or Mets fan:

• Could be no saving Commerce Bank Championship

  June 29, 2008

  Just to be safe, right before they award some lucky fan two tickets to the 2009 Masters, someone should belt out a chorus of "Auld Lang Syne" at the Commerce Bank Championship today. This could be the last we see of the tournament.

• Al Jackson knows how bad Mets can be

  June 29, 2008

  After all these years and so many tries, the perfect slogan for the Mets has just bubbled to the surface. It succeeds where "The Magic Is Back" and "Your Season Has Come" failed. Here, finally, is the one phrase that encapsulates being a Met or Mets fan:

• Tour pros love touring Long Island's courses

  June 26, 2008

  On a free day during his week at the Commerce Bank Championship, which begins tomorrow at Eisenhower Park, Chip Beck drove to Southampton and played the National Golf Links of America. David Ogrin was hoping to sneak out to play Bethpage Black.

• EX-QB McPherson calls signals on social issues

  June 22, 2008

  Don McPherson felt left out. All through the Democratic primary season, pollsters were asking black women if they felt conflicted about the choice between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, leaving this former quarterback on the sideline.

• Grella's story earns him an observer role

  June 22, 2008

  Considering how Phil Grella began his golf career, it is a wonder he still has one. Now a retired math teacher living in Rockville Centre, Grella was an 11-year-old caddie at Nassau Country Club, shagging balls on the practice range without a helmet.

• Protecting your back keeps your golf game upright

  June 19, 2008

  The old phrase "Watch your back" takes on a whole different meaning when it comes to golf. It is not nearly as ominous as you might think, witnessed by Rocco Mediate's remarkable performance at the U.S. Open.

• Golf is the ultimate father and son game

  June 15, 2008

  Mike Leavy of North Bellmore said the previous best time he ever had on the golf course was last July 3, when he finished a meeting in his Huntington law practice and went out for nine holes with his son Brian at Eisenhower Park.

• U.S. Open is really good show

  June 15, 2008

  It is fitting that "Open," like golf itself, is a four-letter word. The U.S. Open does give rise to many other four-letter words, especially from anybody who tries to hack out of the deep rough. Aside from "hack" and "deep," "ouch" is the only one we can print here.

• LI GOLFBEAT: Black calm before storm

  June 12, 2008

  The talk mostly was about the heat and about the storm that had brought down about 200 trees and temporarily closed three other courses at Bethpage State Park. That is to say, U.S. Open week at the Black Course was calmly ordinary - this year.

• LI GOLFBEAT: Golf books for Dad, all

  June 1, 2008

  A question for golf fans: In 1979, two Spaniards played on the newly expanded European Ryder Cup team. One was Seve Ballesteros, who was the other? a) Jose Maria Olazabal, b) Antonio Garrido, c) Manuel Pinero, d) Jose Maria Canizares.

• LI GOLFBEAT: Nine is just fine

  May 29, 2008

  Let's play nine.

• One watcher's ride on Mets history by the numbers

  May 25, 2008

  A fleeting weekend of exhilaration, then a ton of heartache with a side of tumult and a touch of nostalgia mixed in. If the past week wasn't a Mets classic, then nothing is.

• Garden City's Tubbs a star in golf and hockey

  May 25, 2008

  It must be more than just coincidence that hockey players are such good golfers. Note, for instance, which celebrity won the Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am last week: Wayne Gretzky.

• Author Laurentino helps golfers get into swing

  May 22, 2008

  A golfer usually believes that the front arm has to be straight, the other elbow has to be pinned close to the body and, by all means, the head has to be very still and pointed down in order to make a good swing.

• Thanks to Steinbrenner, Chamberlain to get start

  May 22, 2008

  Hooray for Darrell Rasner. The Yankees can thank their lucky stars that they had him to stop their skid. But let's be real. It became clear last night that there really is only one stopper for this team and it's not Rasner. It's Hank Steinbrenner.

• Piazza made Mets matter while Yankees owned N.Y.

  May 21, 2008

  Just short of 10 years since the day that changed his life, Mike Piazza officially acknowledged it's time to start a new one. As he retired, he verbally tipped his cap to one special phase of his amazing baseball career, and it was a Mets cap, the one that had better be on his plaque in Cooperstown five years from now.

• Henin, Sorenstam ready for normal lives

  May 18, 2008

  Once you get past the idea that the two of them were a tad dramatic and a little crazy, you have to hand it to Annika Sorenstam and Justine Henin. Two towering figures went out this past week on their own terms, as everyone would like to do. Good for them.

• Walter Travis remains an honored name in golf

  May 18, 2008

  This is the 100th anniversary of a bunker shot that didn't make it out of the bunker. It is a tribute to the great golf figure and Long Islander Walter Travis that people still remember the 1908 U.S. Amateur at Garden City Golf Club. The deep, difficult and controversial bunker that Travis built alongside the 18th green trapped one poor fellow and cost him the semifinal match.

• Golfers have chance to feel like a club member

  May 15, 2008

  What a dream it would be to feel like a member at a private club, to have someone take your clubs from your car, to have your own locker in the clubhouse, to be able to bring a foursome and play a manicured club - even if you're not a member.

• Driving NYU women's golf

  May 11, 2008

  Theresa Apoznanski had her priorities right on target when she was choosing among colleges last year. Even though she was a champion golfer at Smithtown West, she picked NYU because of its premed program, even though the school didn't have a women's golf team.

• Contino tunes Eisenhower Red for everybody

  May 8, 2008

  One of the regular weekday golfers at Eisenhower Park saw Gene Contino, the director of golf, and said, "So, you're getting the course ready for the tournament," Contino replied, "No, I'm getting the course ready for you."

• 'Shameless promoter' raises money for outing

  May 4, 2008

  Don't laugh if someone asks you how much a $2 bill is worth. That is an open question for golf outing impresario Tom Cohen of Hewlett Harbor. His hope is that it is worth plenty when it bears an autograph of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player or dozens of other sports and entertainment figures.

• Rangers' Jagr, one of a kind, should keep playing

  May 2, 2008

  What would Einstein say about a situation like this? That is actually a question that would run through the mind of Jaromir Jagr. He likes to think of himself as a thinking person's hockey player, to the extent that he keeps an Einstein biography prominently propped up in his stall at the Rangers' practice rink.

• Practice wedges, putting, says short-game guru

  May 1, 2008

  What would benefit the average golfer more - hitting a 300-yard drive or chipping in from around the green? Here's the follow-up question - which of those shots does the average golfer spend more time trying to achieve?

• Rangers have a little too much experience

  April 30, 2008

  The other day, Jaromir Jagr had no trouble deflecting a television reporter's question about referees' calls or something else controversial. "How old am I, 36? He didn't get me," Jagr said, with the practiced laugh of someone who has been around a long time.

• 270-yard billiard shot yields a hole-in-one

  April 27, 2008

  Every hole-in-one is extraordinary, especially if it comes off your club. That's why we keep listing them on our golf page on Thursdays. There was one that happened on Long Island late last year, though, that still has people buzzing.

• Wright makes Mets boo birds sing new tune

  April 27, 2008

  There were some rare moments of giddiness yesterday at Shea Stadium, even getting fans to display gusto as they belted out the words to the most unlikely anthem: "I'm a Believer."

• Ex-LIer writes book about getting into the 'zone'

  April 24, 2008

  As a counselor to PGA Tour pros, Michael Lardon has talked major champions through the agony of ruining a whole week with one double bogey. As a golfer who grew up in Huntington, Lardon plays with a buddy who can shoot 79 at Sunken Meadow one day and 106 the next.

• LI GOLF: New ideas at city golf show

  April 20, 2008

  Necessity really was the mother of this invention. Vic Valdez had moved from southern California to Seattle and quickly realized that if he wanted to play golf, he'd better learn to play in the rain.

• Sebonack is looking for a big-time tournament

  April 17, 2008

  Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak designed Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton to look natural, to fit seamlessly in its surroundings. The people who run and maintain the course apparently have picked up on that trend, having recently earned the Metropolitan Golf Association's Club Environment Award.

• Perfection: A good lesson

  April 13, 2008

  Doug Mauch, the head professional at Wheatley Hills Golf Club in East Williston, sets a very high standard for his pro shop. It is a standard he learned at one of his previous jobs, at Augusta National Golf Club.

• LI Senior event again looks for a sponsor

  April 6, 2008

  It has been called the Northville Invitational, Northville Long Island Classic, Lightpath Long Island Classic, the Long Island Classic and Commerce Bank Championship. And after this year, the Champions Tour stop will need yet another new name.

• My fantastic sign: Put these fans in Hall of Fame

  February 16, 2008

  There ought to be a way to acknowledge the fan who summarized M. Donald Grant's sad era as Mets impresario by standing at Shea Stadium and holding up a neatly printed placard that read, "WELCOME TO GRANT'S TOMB." There ought to be a way to honor the likes of the late Sign Man Karl Ehrhardt, our own enduring way of saying, "THANKS!" There ought to be a Hall of Fame for fans. Ehrhardt, a commercial artist from Queens who died last week at 83, would be a cinch first-ballot inductee.

• The Last Word

  January 20, 2008

  Here's some exit poll data you won't hear on the cable channels: When the political pundits reach into their bag of sports clichés, we all want to run like crazy for the exits.

• That harmless little grounder

  August 17, 2006

  The Mets and fate always have had an intense relationship.

• Smith legacy: a third Open

  June 13, 2004

  Anyone lucky enough to have seen a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club has one enduring image. Maybe it is a venerable Ray Floyd or a youthful Tiger Woods. Possibly it's a triumphant Corey Pavin or a dejected Greg Norman.