Montauk Downs State Park facts for kids
 |
|
| Club information | |
|---|---|
 Location in the United States
Location in New York
|
|
| Coordinates | 41°03′01″N 71°56′31″W / 41.050165°N 71.9419°W |
| Location | Montauk, New York |
| Established | 1968 |
| Type | Public |
| Owned by | New York State |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Website | parks.ny.gov |
| Designed by | Robert Trent Jones |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,976 yards (6,379 m) |
| Course rating | 74.7 |
| Slope rating | 141 |
Montauk Downs State Park is a fun place in Montauk, New York. It's a state park located at the very eastern tip of Long Island. This park is about 1 kilometer (1 mile) east of the small town of Montauk.
Montauk Downs State Park is famous for its 18-hole championship golf course. But it's not just for golf! The park also has a driving range where you can practice your swing. There are tennis courts for playing, a swimming pool to cool off, and even a restaurant for tasty meals. It's a great spot for outdoor activities.
The Park's History
The golf course at Montauk Downs has a long and interesting past. It started as a private course back in 1927. A man named Carl G. Fisher first developed it. He had big dreams for Montauk, hoping to make it a popular vacation spot.
Fisher bought a huge area of land, about 10,000 acres (40 square kilometers), in Montauk. He wanted to turn it into a "Miami of the North." He also built other important places like the Montauk Manor and the Montauk Yacht Club. Sadly, Fisher lost his money during the big stock market crash in 1929.
Later, in 1966, a group of investors took over the golf course. It became known as the Montauk Golf and Racquet Club. A famous golf course designer, Robert Trent Jones, redesigned the course in 1968. A new clubhouse was also built around that time. Eventually, the private club faced money problems. New York State bought it in 1978, making it a public state park for everyone to enjoy.
There was a plan to build more homes near the golf course. However, a special wildflower called sandplain gerardia was found there. This flower is very rare and protected. Because of this, the plans for more buildings were changed to protect the plant.
Montauk Downs is known as one of America's best public golf courses. In 2009, it was even ranked very high for its great value. People loved it so much that some golfers used to sleep in their cars. They did this just to get an early morning tee time, especially on busy summer weekends!
Since 2002, Rees Jones, who is Robert Trent Jones' son, has been helping to update the course. They are making the holes longer and adding new features. This helps keep the course challenging as golf equipment gets better. These improvements are done slowly so people can still play golf. Every year, a special event helps raise money for these course updates.
Playing the Golf Course
Montauk Downs is located near both the Atlantic Ocean and Block Island Sound. This means it can be a very windy place! The weather can change how the course plays each day. Most of the holes have small greens, which means you need to be very accurate with your shots. There are also five water hazards on the course.
The 12th hole at Montauk Downs is considered one of the toughest on Long Island. It's a long hole, 228 yards (209 meters) for a par 3. Players hit from a high spot to a high green. They must hit the ball over a deep valley of tall grass. The green is also protected by three sand traps, making it even harder.
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 74.7/141 | 398 | 161 | 444 | 430 | 530 | 370 | 508 | 186 | 458 | 3485 | 499 | 326 | 228 | 496 | 219 | 465 | 377 | 420 | 461 | 3491 | 6976 |
| Blue | 73.5/139 | 386 | 148 | 421 | 410 | 520 | 353 | 500 | 167 | 445 | 3350 | 480 | 305 | 200 | 485 | 195 | 444 | 370 | 403 | 441 | 3323 | 6673 |
| White | 72.0/136 | 372 | 115 | 374 | 396 | 488 | 326 | 490 | 154 | 435 | 3150 | 464 | 289 | 170 | 474 | 185 | 407 | 362 | 372 | 417 | 3140 | 6290 |
| Red | 75.5/137 | 352 | 101 | 335 | 370 | 467 | 301 | 454 | 117 | 398 | 2895 | 453 | 274 | 120 | 441 | 159 | 376 | 334 | 351 | 384 | 2892 | 5787 |
| Par | Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap | Handicap | 11 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 4 |
Park Staff
Tom Dess is the general manager for Montauk Downs and other state parks in Montauk. Charlie Reidlinger is the superintendent of the golf course. He used to work at Bethpage State Park. Angela Tocco is the head golf professional at Montauk Downs.
The Clubhouse Building
The park's clubhouse has a very unique pyramid shape. An architect named Richard Foster designed it. It was built in 1969 when the Montauk Golf and Racquet Club opened. This new clubhouse is much bigger than the first one, which was destroyed by a fire.
The top floor of the building offers amazing 360-degree views of the golf course. This level used to have the main dining room and a bar. It has high ceilings and glass walls, with an outdoor terrace. The main entrance was on the lower level. This level had another dining room, a kitchen, and locker rooms. It also had a pro shop where you could buy golf gear. The lower level is mostly hidden by a grassy slope. This makes only the top part of the building visible from outside. A basement area stores electric golf carts.
The clubhouse even won a special award in November 1969. It was recognized for its great design.
See also
