Smithtown Landing Golf Course Review

Landing Golf Course, tucked away in a residential neighborhood on the banks of the Nissequogue River, is a hidden gem on the North Shore in Smithtown. It was originally constructed in the 1960s with the intention of creating a widely accessible course with the amenities of a private country club: now, this public course is [...]

Online Long Island Golf Tee Times

Everything is available on the web these days – including golf tee times. Long Island, NY offers over fifty public golf courses to play. A large share of these courses all you book your round online. We’ve partnered with GolfNow.com to bring all the latest tee time and the ability to reserve a golf teetime [...]

LI Press… Best Public Golf

Long Island Press declares Bethpage is the ‘Best’ For the sixth straight year, Long Island Press ran it’s Best of Poll.  With almost 750,000 votes cast in 280+ categories, this year proves to be the biggest and most comprehensive yet.  The editors of LI Press opened up the golf category to private courses, previous years [...]

Bethpage Black – Closes for the Season on Nov 14

The undisputed champ of Long Island Golf will close to public play on November 14th. You’ll have to wait till Spring – likely April – if not in the next 10 days. The course is open every day through closing, so hit the phones and book your tee time. Bethpage Black has headlined countless lists [...]

Shinnecocks Stake Claim to Land

by Claude Solnik
Published: June 16, 2010 from LIBN.com

The federal government’s recognition of the Shinnecock Indian Nation could breathe new life into a lawsuit the tribe has filed, seeking to reclaim thousands of acres in Southampton.

The tribe has a pending suit in federal court claiming it is entitled to 3,600 acres, including the Shinnecock Hills golf course, where the U.S. Open golf tournament has been played, and The Southampton campus of Stony Brook University.

The suit in U.S. District Court in Central Islip names the Town of Southampton and the state of New York, arguing no state, town or individual can take land from an Indian tribe.

“New York State blatantly ignored that law and approved the transfer of this land in 1850 to a rail road barren,” said Shinnecock Senior Trustee Lance Gumbs. “We have protested that ever since.”

He said the federal determination could be a factor in the lawsuit by the tribe, arguing its rights were violated.

“I think it will eventually,” Gumbs said of the possible impact of the decision on the suit. “There could be settlements.”

The lawsuit argues that the land was sold without the proper authority or approval of the tribe.

In 1792, the state of New York re-organized the tribe as a trusteeship, providing for annual elections of three Indian trustees, elections that have taken place to the present day.

The trustees allocated the tribe’s land and resources for almost 220 years, according to the Department of the Interior.

But that shift away from decisions by a consensus of adult male members may have made it easier to acquire land.

It’s too early to tell whether federal recognition will prove a major factor in the lawsuit for the tribe, which has long been recognized by the state.

The Department of the Interior recognized the tribe on Tuesday, saying the Shinnecock met all acknowledgment criteria “by demonstrating that it has evolved from this historical Shinnecock Indian tribe of New York and has continuously existed.”

The agency said external observers have identified the Shinnecock as “an American Indian entity on a substantially continuous basis since 1900.”

It also found the group comprised a distinct community since historical times and has maintained political influence over its members as an autonomous entity.

The Shinnecock also were able to provide a copy of their governing document including its membership criteria and show that their members descend from a historical Indian tribe.

The agency determined that at least 97 percent of the 1,292 members descend from the 1789 Shinnecock tribe.

Tillinghast, Raynor, MacDonald: Who Designed North Shore Country Club? – WSJ.com

Check out this very interesting article from the WSJ last week.

The ninth hole at North Shore Country Club.

Glen Head, N.Y.

Donald Zucker was elated when he signed the paperwork last fall giving him title to North Shore Country Club. Mr. Zucker, 78, is a lean, energetic New York City real-estate developer who fell in love with golf in his 50s and took his first lessons at North Shore, a 96-year-old club overlooking an inlet of Long Island Sound about 15 miles from Manhattan. He belongs to five clubs and considers himself a golf purist. His favorite way to experience the game is on foot, carrying a half-set of clubs in a skinny bag.

He had been actively looking for a golf club to buy, simply for the joy of ownership, for several years. A couple of deals fell through. But North Shore was the best. The club was for sale because the membership had been devastated by the recession. At least 10 families had been undone by investments with Bernard Madoff, and many others could no longer afford the annual dues exceeding $23,000. By the end of last season North Shore had only about 90 golf members and was $5 million in debt. Mr. Zucker paid $12.5 million for it in all.