THE NCAA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS coming to Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, well priced tickets and FREE Parking NCAA.com/Tickets May 19-31.
GREAT GOLF ON A COLD DAY. Part 2 of 2 which concludes a run a of great courses out on Long Island in New York, from a a trip I took back in 2014. While there are many great golf area’s around America, Long Island ranks right up at the top.
Unfortunately a majority of the great clubs on Long Island are private, much like the North Shore of Chicago. So as golf leads into the first major of the year, The Masters Tournament in Augusta Georgia, I offer you yet one more reason to be inspired to get the clubs out of the closet, cleaned up, and ready for that first 18 holes of 2017. A year that will be a good one for golf in the Chicago and Midwest area. Go Play. RS
IF YOUR ON THE NORTH SHORE of Long Island and can get access to the Sands Point Golf Club, where golf really started in 1927, you will have a golf experience to enjoy. It’s a property and a club with a rich history, if you visit the clubs website and check out the history section, you will recognize some names that stand out from the clubs files.
The Par 3, second hole at Sands Point Golf Club, in Sands Point NY.
One name that golfers will recognize is the course architect A.W. Tillinghast, who convinced the club in the mid to late1920’s that the property would be good for golf, but that an old nine hole layout needed to go, and changes must be made for a top level, fun golf course.
Changes were agreed upon, and Tillie set to work, creating an 18 hole routing that golfers enjoyed.
One problem that nobody saw coming was that shortly after the course opened, the Great Depression came along and the club like many others started to have financial woes. But it managed to stay open and survive, and after WWII the club dropped polo for good, and settled on being a top notch golf club, which it still is today.
The Par 3, 7th hole at Sands Point
Sands Point upgraded it’s golf product in the fall of 2012, when restoration and renovation architect specialist Keith Foster was brought in by the club to retore the orginal nature of the Tillinghast design.
In two years the club was back up and running in a form that had everyone noticing the product, and the test of golf it produced.
Foster who is regarded as one of the best “bunker guys” in the world of golf architecture today, but some life back in Sands Point’s bunkers which is seen in the pictures of this feature.
The par 3, 17th hole (L) is only 157 yards from the tips, but is all the golf hole you could want at that yardage. The 555 yard par 5, 18th hole requires two good shots, that set up a short iron or wedge into an elevated 18th green. Foster’s renovation project no doubt would have Tillinghast’s approval, and seeing this great classic course back in form, hopefully gets you ready to be in form for the start of golf season in Chicago.
SandsPoint is a Par 72 golf course, that plays 6,962 yards from the back tee’s and 5,545 from the front tee’s. See Sandspointgc.org for more history and photo’s.
THE GOG BLOG is written by Rory Spears, Editor and Director of Content. Follow Rory on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy.
Golfers on Golf Radio Returns SATURDAY April 15th at 9 AM, on a new station, stay clicked in for details.