Harbor Links Golf Course - Public
1 Fairway Dr. (off West Shore Rd.) Port Washington, NY  -  Nassau Co.


A look down on the almost-island green of the par-3 17th on the championship course. (photo courtesy harborlinks.com)

TWO COURSES:

18-HOLE CHAMPIOINSHIP COURSE,
9-HOLE EXECUTIVE COURSE,
PLUS MINATURE GOLF

Championship Course: Ranked No. 9 in our Top 30

GM: James Viras

Website:
www.harborlinks.com


General Information, Golf Shop &
Reservations:
516-767-4816

Registered residents can make reservations 30 days in advance. All others can make reserved tee-times 10 days in advance. Everyone must pay a $5 per person fee for advanced tee-time reservations, except for Saturday, Sunday & Holiday times.

Owned by:
Town of North Hempstead
Operated and managed by: Arnold Palmer Golf Management
Golf Course Open: April through December
Driving Range: Year-round
Restrictions: Proper attire & non-metal spikes required
Available for Outings: Yes

Championship Course
Tees Holes Par Yardage USGA Rating Slope
Green 18 72 6927 73.1 127
White 18 72 6490 71.0 125
Gold 18 72 5991 68.9 117
Red 18 72 5465 69.1 121

USGA Computer ‘handicap’ system
available:
yes     Cost: $30
Credit Cards accepted: all major cards
Club Rentals: $40 for 18 holes

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  
Discounts: For resident seniors & juniors weekdays only; also for twilight play and off-season play

Amenities:
Pro Shop: Yes, full service
Lessons:
Yes    Clinics: Yes; Indoor practice/teaching facility during winter.
Driving Range: Yes, with 40 stalls
Practice Putting Green: Yes    
Clubhouse: Yes             
Lockers / Showers:
Yes
Snack Bar: Yes;
Bar / Lounge:
Yes
Snack Cart: Roams courses in season

 


18-HOLE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

Built: 1998
Architect: Dr. Michael Hurdzan

Championship Course Fees
18 Holes Mon-Thur Friday
Sat-Sun
Resident $46 $76* $100*
Non-Resident $71 $110* $130*
(*Fri-Sun prices include mandatory cart)

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.

The split fairway at the par-5 6th, with the lower fairway
to the left and the green in the distance.
(photo courtesy harborlinks.com)

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.

Back Tees 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out
Par 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 3 4 36
Yards 523 426 182 401 355 515 416 222 446 3486
Handicap 7 5 17 13 11 1 9 15 3
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In
Par 4 4 3 5 4 4 5 3 4 36
Yards 443 351 174 494 402 375 540 207 455 3441
Handicap 2 18 16 12 8 14 6 10 4
Total 6927











9
-HOLE EXECUTIVE COURSE

Executive Course Fees
9 Holes Mon-Thur Fri, Sat, Sun
Resident $18 $21
Non-Resident $21 $27

Built: 1998
Architect:
Greenman-Pederson, Inc.

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
joy for every skill set.  With numerous small bunkers running throughout the layout, no matter what tees you play from, this track can demand some percise iron play.  For the better golfer, it makes more sense to play from the middle tees and treat some of the short par-4's as long par-3's.

Executive Course
Tees Holes Par Yardage USGA Rating Slope
Back 9 31 1668 59.6 95

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.


Over the three pot bunkers fronting the 8th green
at Harbor Links great 9-hole Executive Course.
(photo courtesy harborlinks.com)

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.

Back Tees 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out
Par 3 3 4 4 3 3 4 4 3 31
Yards 150 151 247 241 129 115 260 262 113 1668
Handicap 7 5 17 13 11 1 9 15 3
Total  1668





 


Directions
: Distance from Manhattan approximately 23 miles.
LIE East to Exit 37 (Willis Ave.), go left (north) approx. 1 mile to Old Northern Blvd. and go right.  Proceed downhill, staying in left lane.  At light, (West Shore Rd.) go left and follow for 1 1/2 miles to course on left, opposite Bar Beach.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE COURSES?

LET US KNOW

 
Banner