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Harbor Links Golf Course - Public
TWO COURSES: 18-HOLE CHAMPIOINSHIP COURSE, Championship Course: Ranked No. 9 in our Top 30 GM: James Viras General Information, Golf Shop &
USGA Computer ‘handicap’ system Carts: Pull - $5 - Executive Course only; Power: on the 18 hole course $22 per person. On the Executive Course it's $10 per person for 9 holes Amenities:
Description: When this touch of Southwest golf opened in 1998, it was one of those places that you can’t wait to see once it has grown it. Well, now it has, and it might be the pinnacle of Dr. Michael Hurdzan’s design philosophy - both in ideology and execution. So unique for the area, this was built on the former site of a gravel and sand mine on the North Shore of L.I., making for beautiful elevation changes and drastic, visually stimulating golf. On the edges of the course are huge, 100-foot-high dunes - now covered with shrubbery - that used to be the edge of the sand pits and can be seen throughout the round. It creates a feeling of privacy, like you could be in the middle of the Arizona desert.
There are three holes on the course that have split fairways, which allow for some interesting decision making off the tees. As a whole, the par-4s are long, the par-5s are wonderfully risk-reward, and the par-3s are an aesthtic delight. (No. 17, a 207-yard gem with a quasi-island green was even better before the towering apartment complex was built next to it). The course is also a evironmental landmark, one of only 29 courses in the world to achieve Signature Status from Audubon International because of its preserved wetland grasses and declining need for pesticides - a Hurdzan/Fry stapple. Signature Hole: No. 6, 515-yard Par 5. From an elevated tee box, the split fairway below is all in view and from left to right, seems a mile wide. In between the right fairway (which is more elevated and more direct route to the green, although OB lurks right) and the left fairway (which is wider and a safer play), there is a patch of rough and some smallish bunkers. From there, it's up over a crossing bunker about 100 yards short of the green to the elevated putting surface, fronted by a pot bunker on the low side and OB long and right. A fun rip for the long hitters and some good forced decisions with a tricky two-tiered green to make things even more menacing. Tougher than the scorecard, or your eyes, initially indicate. Reader Comments: An absolute joy from the minute you walk in the (new) clubhouse to the minute you walk off the golf course ... A great round of golf, and so different from everything in the area ... I love the split fairways, and the course was in tip-top condition. Can play it everyday and never tire of it.
Built: 1998 Description: For this area, executive golf doesn't get much better than this little links-style gem. Although there is a substantial amount of mounding, and some subtle elevation changes, this course is accessible to all levels of golfers and is a
With that mindset, you just took an easy executive course and made it into a demanding set of nine par-3's. Without question, you would much rather approach the greens with a sand wedge in hand rather than a 4-iron.
Played the way the scorecard says, then the four "par-4’s" are all reachable off the tee, with errant shots being severely punished. Wetlands come into play on each hole, and if you're not confident with the longer clubs in your bag, it makes more sense to layup and play a short iron into the very undulating greens, which vary in size. Once on the putting surfaces (which are kept to just about the same standard as the championship course), you can find yourself with some circus putts, all of which are a lot of fun and not too gimicky to lose the enjoyment. Signature Hole: No. 8, 262-yard Par-4. Just as in the three previous short par-4’s (or long par-3's), this hole invites the use of a driver off the tee. However, the narrow fairway is framed on both sides by wetlands and ponds and requires an absolutely flawless drive. Most will play it as it was designed and leave the driver in the bag, without question the prudent decision. Those approaching the green, be forewarned -- there’s a hidden bunker just behind the green and another pond beyond that. Reader Comments: One of the best executive courses I’ve ever played ... Fun for the whole family, yet as a nine-handicap, it was still challenging.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE COURSES? |
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