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Cruel destiny for a links

Mark Herrmann

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.

That comes from a man who knows that he is slowly saying goodbye to his dream, The Links at Shirley. He knows that one day, the developer to whom he has sold the property will get the necessary approvals and will start bulldozing one of the finest layouts in Long Island public golf.

"I'll cry," he said. "What are you going to do? It's my baby."

He said the end for the course that opened in 2000 "is a number of years down the road."

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"That takes into account the approval time required in the Town of Brookhaven, which is rather lengthy," Mindich said, politely. Meanwhile, as long as the course is open, it will be just the way he had envisioned it - a public course with private-club caliber fairways, greens and routing, along with an 18-hole lighted par-3 course.

"We will be as good as we can be, or we'll shut the door," he said the other day in the clubhouse that still looks brand new. "We're not going to be less than perfect, or as close to perfect as we can be.

"I will venture to say that The Links at Shirley is as good as 90 percent of the private clubs around here," said the owner, who is a member at Old Oaks Country Club in Westchester, site of a U.S. Open qualifying tournament this year.

"I think I built the best public course out here, other than Bethpage. Obviously, that's subjective," he said. "Unfortunately, I could not make a success of this business. The par-3 course, which I thought would be the greatest, didn't make it. I honestly don't know why. Maybe it's location."

Shirley is not an island, though, according to people familiar with the golf industry. Profit margins for courses everywhere are razor thin. Costs (fuel and materials needed to maintain a course) are up and the number of golfers has not grown as much as golf experts thought it would in the 1990s, when many courses were conceived or opened.

Golf was booming back then, and all the advisers who advised Mindich - a very successful builder - thought that success for him would be a "gimme," the equivalent of a two-foot putt. His vision was for an upscale public course, one that had a private club feel, with tightly cropped fairways, fast greens and a little rustic flavor. The Links begins and ends with par 5s has some par 4 holes that are a challenge to reach with a fairway wood second shot, and at least one par 4 that tempts even an average golfer to drive the green.

"How could this fail?" Mindich said.

One problem was the place was too nice. People who liked it didn't spread the word because they didn't want it to get crowded. Mostly, the demand was down, especially for a course that is a pretty sizable drive from Nassau or western Suffolk and that charges greens fees in the $80 to $90 range.

"Once you cut the price, that becomes the perceived value of the product and then nobody is willing to pay the full price," he said. "A lot of people say, 'Cut the price, get them here once so they'll see how great it is and they'll come back.' They won't come back unless they see that bargain again."

He will go out on his terms, on his course, which bears the golden touch of superintendent Enrique Matiz.

As for the inevitable, Mindich said, "I don't know that I've accepted that yet. I'm pretty much of a realist. I accept it, but until it's over, it's not over."

Yes, the owner added, that sounds like Yogi Berra, who brought a few friends out to play Shirley last year because he heard it was a great track. Mindich said, "He loved it."

Today's tip

"A golfer with restricted flexibility in the lower body could have a hard time clearing or rotating the left side through impact into a balanced finish position. To help gain some flexibility, check your left foot position at address. By turning the left foot out at a 45-degree angle, you should find it easier to rotate the left hip through impact and transfer weight onto your left side. Consequently, you will be better able to make contact with the inside of the golf ball, maintaining a firm left side. This position at address will allow you to start your downswing from the ground up, with greater ease."

Eric Feltman

PGA head professional