Bethpage Black
Located about 30 miles east of New York City, the Black Course at Bethpage State Park is about as exciting as it gets on a public course. Yes, the narrow fairways, overgrown fescue and hard-to-hold greens are the biggest challenges on this 7,336-yard course. The real thrill, though, comes at the cash register, where you can hand over $60 (for in-state residents, $120 out-of-state as of 2009) and tee it up at a course that hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open Championships. You'll need to arrive early to get the opportunity, as cars show up in the parking lot at midnight during the peak months.
99 Quaker Meeting House Road
Farmingdale, NY 11735-1847
(516) 249-0701
nysparks.state.ny.us/
Links at Union Vale
Parkland designs dominate the great New York area golf courses, but the Links at Union Vale offer a fresh links style of golf. Located about an hour north of the city in Lagrangeville, the Links measure 6,829 yards on more than 200 acres of old cattle farmland. The open layout and rolling fairways play just like an old Irish course you'd find across the pond at a British Open. There's no let-up on this course, which features plenty of pot bunkers. Even the straightaway holes, such as the 307-yard, par-4 13th, are far from gimmes. You have to battle water on the left side of the fairway and an impossible eight bunkers scattered around the landing area. A back-to-front sloped green awaits from there, surrounded by three deep bunkers.
153 N Parliman Rd
Lagrangeville, NY 12540-6218
(845) 223-1000
thelinksatunionvale.com
Yankee Stadium
There is no greater cathedral in all of baseball than the New York Yankees' $1.5 billion palace in the Bronx. The 52,325-seat Yankee Stadium opened in 2009, replacing the old Yankee Stadium, which first opened in 1923. Gone are the days of the "House that Ruth Built," but it's replaced by a modern-day baseball mecca run by the likes of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees christened their new facility with a World Series in November 2009---their record 27th championship. If you need need to stretch your legs, check out the 31,000-square foot passage between Gates 4 and 6 called the "Great Hall." It features shops, dining areas and a 24 by 36-foot video screen to keep you in tune with on-field action.
Yankee Stadium
1 E. 161st St.
Bronx, NY 10451
(718) 590-0290
yankees.mlb.com
About The Author
Sean Quinn is a writer and editor based in New York City. He has spent the last decade covering major sporting events from the NFL playoffs to the U.S. Open. He has written for the Kansas City Star and ESPN, among others. He is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
