I talked a buddy out of playing Bethpage Red last weekend and he thanked me for it afterwards.
Instead, we went to Tallgrass, which is an excellent alternative to Bethpage Black and the Knoll Club West Course. Together, they are the A-B-C, 1-2-3 of N-Y-C public golf.
PGA Head Professional Phil Tita told me the course was in phenomenal condition and he was absolutely right. Fast and firm conditions, excellent golf architecture (Gil Hanse of 2016 Olympic Course fame designed it), and a terrific price put it head and shoulders above the dreadful New York City public courses and the overpriced daily fee options in the region. We wrote a long article earlier this year – click here to read it.
“I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t know this place was out here, but I’m definitely coming back,” said Matt Thompkins, a player from Massachusetts who came down to hang with old college buddies and play Tallgrass and Bethpage in the same day. “It has great golf design, but it doesn’t beat you up. Plus we played quickly, we got around in 3-1/2 hours.”
“It’s got a nice mix of holes – some short, some long. I used every club in the bag today. He let me hit driver all day, but I still had to be careful around the greens,” added Bill Walker, Thompkins’ golf buddy from the Island. “I think the greens were in great shape, they rolled nice and true. I can;t believe a public course near New York City could be this good and not be named Bethpage!” he gushed energetically.
He’s got a point. The New York City Parks department can’t get out of its own way when it comes to over-regulating the City public courses. Yes. hiring Stephen Kay is doing wonders for the courses he’s renovating, but they are still handcuffing him with stupid rules like 5,000 USD per tree to be removed at Forest Park, and cleaning up Marine Park is definitely lipstick on a pig (or on Hillary Clinton, same difference). Plus adding Donald trump to the Ferry Point mix is adding gasoline to a fire. Tallgrass is what we need, not Ferry Point. But then again, that’s the difference between Chris Schiavone and Donald Trump. Chris knows it’s not what you do for a living that makes you great…it’s what you do for others.
