Just last year I played Atlantic Golf Club, Gardiner’s Bay Country Club, and Noyac Golf Club. Both this year and last year I had to pass on a chance to play Sebonack (I couldn’t quite swing the price tag on that one), and I’ve played the Maidstone Club on multiple occasions. Who am I that I get to play Long Island’s premier courses on a yearly basis? The short answer…nobody special.
It’s surprising how many golfers are unaware of just how easy it is to play some of our area’s most exclusive courses. I don’t have any great connections, I don’t run in celebrity circles, and neither I nor my friends have exorbitant sums of money to spend on country club memberships. So what’s the secret?
In a word: charity.
The East End of Long Island has its fair share of charities and other organizations that rely on donations to survive. Golf outings just so happen to be great fundraising and networking events; and what better way to solicit donors to your cause than to offer up an opportunity you can’t find anywhere else?
Locations vary depending on who got to play last year or what board members happen to be members at which clubs, but mostly they end up rotating around the East End’s premier clubs. If you can pony up the dough (which is often very affordable) you’ll have no problem playing on some of the courses you’ve coveted for years.
Here is a list of some of the organizations who have regular outings (some of these are at fixed locations, others rotate each year). While the first few have already passed, the good news is that they happen every year and you have plenty of time to put your foursome together for next year. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but it will at least get you started.
Dominican Sisters Family Health Service
Location: Sebonack Golf Club
Date: Tuesday, May 3
Cost: $650
More Information: www.dsfhs.org
Guild Hall
Location: The Maidstone Club
Date: Monday, June 6
Cost: $700
More Information: (631) 324-0806; www.guildhall.org/specialevents.ihtml
Eastern Long Island Hospital
Location: Gardiner’s Bay Country Club, Shelter Island
Date: Wednesday, June 8
Cost: $295
More Information: (631) 477-5164; www.elih.org
The Ross School
Location: The Bridge
Date: Monday, June 20
Cost: $750 or $1000 to play with a New York Knick
More Information: (631) 907-5171; www.ross.org/events
Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
Location: Westhampton Country Club
Date: Monday, June 20
Cost: $400
More Information: (631) 288-2350; www.whbpac.org
Southampton Youth Services
Location: Atlantic Golf Club
Date: Wednesday, October 12
Cost: $500
More Information: (631) 287-1511 ext. 10; www.southamptonyouthservices.com/golf.html
