Bethpage Black
The Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, located about 30 miles east of New York, is a true golf experience. Like making a trek to St. Andrews or to Augusta, the journey to Bethpage is one of the golf's true rites of passage. You have to show up at the parking lot by around midnight the night before just to secure a morning tee time during the spring-summer season. The course itself plays 7,065 yards from the back tees and has hosted the U.S. Open Championship in 2002 and 2009. It features long, narrow fairways and patchy fescue in the rough.
99 Quaker Meeting House Road
Farmingdale, New York 11735-1847
(516) 249-0701
nysparks.state.ny.us/golf-courses/11/course-information.aspx
Links at Union Vale
The greater New York area is scattered with parkland designs, but the Links at Union Vale provides golfers with a true links experience. Largely considered the best links course in the area and voted a top public course by the readers of Golf World, the Links is located about 60 miles north of the city. Bunkers are not as deep as you would see in Ireland, but they are strategically placed around the greens on every hole. The rolling fairways carry the ball well, but be wary of the pin placements, which will punish you for an errant, risky approach shot. If you are taking public transportation (Metro North Railroad), feel free to grab a drink at St. Andrew's pub in Times Square before or after your round.
153 N Parliman Rd
Lagrangeville, NY 12540-6218
(845) 223-1000
thelinksatunionvale.com
Bronx Zoo
If the hills at Union Vale are too much for you, feel free to walk around the Bronx Zoo, which is settled on 265 acres in the city's northern borough. Take to the trails from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and expect to pay $15 for adults and $11 for children 12 and under. The zoo features more than 4,000 animals and welcomes up to 2 million visitors every year. The zoo usually undergoes renovations in the winter time, so it is more than beneficial to make the trip during May to see the new animals and additions. Some of the more popular exhibits include the African Plains (lions, zebras), Congo Gorilla Forest (settled on 6.5 acres) and Tiger Mountain (Siberian tigers).
2300 Southern Blvd.
Bronx, NY 10460
(718) 220-5100
bronxzoo.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.
