6 Must-Play Public Courses in Upstate New York by Shaun Tolson in LINKS Magazine
Public courses near New York City
- Forest Park Golf Course, 101 Forest Park Dr, Queens, NY 11421
- Nickerson Dunes Pitch and Putt, 880 Lido Blvd, Lido Beach, NY 11561
- Pelham Bay Golf Course, 870 Shore Rd, Bronx, NY 10464
- Split Rock Golf Course, 870 Shore Rd, Bronx, NY 10464
- Van Cortlandt Golf Course, 115 Van Cortlandt Park South, Bronx, New York 10471
- It is the oldest public golf course in the USA
Eisenhower Park (East Meadow, N.Y.)—54 Holes
The three 18-hole courses at Eisenhower Park—Red, White, and Blue—are located only about 10 miles from Bethpage State Park on Long Island. The management is different, however, as the Eisenhower courses are operated by Nassau County, as is the facility’s lighted driving range. Highlighted by its three muni golf courses (in addition to a swimming facility, dozens of athletic fields and courts, playgrounds, fitness trails, and more), Eisenhower Park is one of the largest public spaces in the New York metropolitan area, a 930-acre oasis of open space and recreation that’s bigger than Central Park.
The Red is the oldest and most heralded of the Eisenhower courses, designed by architect and Long Island native Devereux Emmet back in 1914, and once hosted a PGA Tour Champions event. The White and Blue courses were both designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1950 and 1951, respectively. And in a unique design quirk, both the White and Blue were built with “twin” holes side-by-side on all four of their par threes, an innovation he introduced at the facility in an effort to combat slow play.
