Golfers play a round at Bethpage Golf Course on Monday, the first...

Golfers play a round at Bethpage Golf Course on Monday, the first day public courses can reopen in New York. Credit: Jeff Bachner

The bulk of Long Island’s publicly accessible golf courses were open for play on Monday, with the state courses at Bethpage, Sunken Meadow and Montauk Downs coming on board along with the Suffolk County courses at Bergen Point, West Sayville and Indian Island.

The Town of Islip is planing to open its three courses on Friday, according to the town’s media relations director Caroline Smith. The Gull Haven Golf Course will be a walking facility.

Sean McLaughlin, the Sayville High School golf coach, finds playing in the coronavirus environment different, but there are some good things about it.

“I think that now that it’s walking only there are more avid golfers, pretty experienced,” McGlaughlin said on Monday. “We walked around Rock Hill in three-and-a-half hours. It’s so peaceful now. It reminds me of golf in England, there’s no carts. Very enjoyable right now.”

As for the social distancing factor, it takes some thought.

“The social distancing thing hasn’t been an issue,” he said. “I made like four birdies on Saturday and you want to give your [partner] a high-five, but you have to stop yourself. If someone is hitting a tee shot and you wanted to whisper something to somebody else, you’ve got to remember you can’t. Those are the realities. But overall the golf experience has been great.”

Mike Pomerico, president of Nassau Players Club at Bethpage, played on Saturday at Eisenhower Park and found the process quite civil.

“The driving range, they took out every other mat, so people are spaced properly there,” Pomerico said. “Once the range was full, they closed the gate so when someone would come out, then someone else could go in so you didn’t have people waiting around inside the range.”

NASSAU COUNTY PUBLIC COURSES

OPEN

Bethpage State Park (5 courses)

Cantiague Park

Christopher Morley Park

Eisenhower Park (3 courses)

Glen Cove Golf Club

Harbor Links Golf Club

Lido Beach Golf Club

North Woodmere Park

Oyster Bay Golf Club

Peninsula Golf Club

Middle Bay Golf Club

CLOSED

Bay Park

Merrick Road Park Golf Course

SUFFOLK COUNTY PUBLIC COURSES

OPEN

Bergen Point Golf Course

Brentwood Country Club 

Cedars Golf Club

Cherry Creek Golf Club

Crab Meadow Golf Course 

Dix Hills Golf Course 

Gull Haven Golf Course 

Heartland Golf Park 

Holbrook Country Club 

Indian Island Country Club

Island’s End G&CC 

Middle Island Country Club

Mill Pond Country Club

Montauk Downs

Northport GC at VA Hospital

Pine Hills G&CC 

Pine Ridge Golf Club

Poxebogue Golf Course

Rock Hill G&CC

Sag Harbor Golf Course

Sandy Pond Golf Course

Smithtown Landing Country Club

Spring Lake Golf Club

Stonebridge Country Club

Sumpwams Creek Golf Course 

Sunken Meadow State Park

Swan Lake Golf Club

Timber Point Golf Course 

West Sayville Golf Course

Willow Creek G&CC

Wind Watch G&C

 

Golfers are invited to share their experiences playing in the COVID-19 environment by contacting Jeff Williams at jeff.williams@newsday.com. Would also like to know if anyone is trying to conduct an outing. As in the past, golfers can send aces to sportsdesk@newsday.com

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