You can’t tell the story of golf course architecture in America without a prolonged chapter on Long Island. From Golden Age greats in National Golf Links of America, Shinnecock Hills, and Garden City to the modern masterpiece that is Coore & Crenshaw’s Friar’s Head, Long Island has a tremendous history of impactful architecture. However, save for Bethpage State Park, all of the best golf on Long Island is private.

Over the last five years, Heatherwood Luxury Apartments transformed what used to be an 18-hole, 4,000-yard executive golf course into a complex that now features a 55-plus living community with a nine-hole, Tyler Rae original design on the outer edges of the property. When it opened in 2024, Spy Ring became the first new public golf course to be built on Long Island in more than 20 years.

Take Note...

How long is it? One thing that immediately stood out to Matt Rouches and I when we played Spy Ring is that all the yardages on the scorecard seem to be longer than the holes played in real life. Maybe the Culper Spy Ring – a network of spies during the American Revolution for which the course got its name – had a unique measurement system.

Maintaining Long Island. The new Director of Agronomy at Spy Ring is Adam Jessie, who formerly worked as the Superintendent at St. George’s Golf & Country Club. Just a couple of miles away from each other, both are very well maintained and presented in a way that allows the golf course to shine.

‍The bounce-up shot. While not exactly advisable, the driveway short of the par-3 fifth not only acts as a back entry into the living community but also as a very realistic bounce shot for players who mishit off the tee. A shot that comes up 30 yards short could get lucky and find the green.

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