Douglaston Golf Club

$41 (cart included), played on Wednesday, August 2011 at 8am

Enjoyed playing with friend

$31 (cart not included), played on Sunday, June 2011 at noon

Douglaston is a short public course (just under 5500 yds from the tips) that plays a lot longer due to hilly terrain, mature trees in strategic locations and small, well protected greens. An abundance of par 3 holes (7), single par 5s on the front and back nine, mean the course plays to a 67 for a scratch golfer. No practice range or locker room. A majestic clubhouse, decent pro shop (for a public course) and a small practice green are the only amenities.

The course offers some of the most interesting (and beautiful) landscape on NYC public courses with a variety of undulating fairways, well-placed bunkers (both sand and grass), and many blind shots to mound-hidden and wrinkled greens. On the day we played, the course was in terrific condition, except for the bunkers which were laden with rocks and in need of sifting and refilling. Fiber matting underlayment was visibly tufting up in the traps, that raking only made worse.

The only other detriment to total enjoyment was pace of play. Like most NYC public courses, the tee times are jammed too close together, and completing a full 18 on a weekend becomes an exercise in heroic patience. Our foursome had a 1:16pm "reservation", but our actual tee time was 45 minutes later. Once on the course, we waited at the tee box on every single hole, sometimes with one or two other groups waiting for the fairway to clear. Two of our group lost patience and walked off after a 3.5 hour front nine slog. A few other groups must have had the same idea and the pace picked up on the back and my buddy and I completed the last nine in about 2 and a quarter hours.

I will play Douglaston again, but only on a weekday morning or off season.

$41 (cart included), played on Friday, July 2009 at 2pm