Marine Park Golf Course — Restaurant in New York

Maybe I'm spoiled by all the inexpensive golf we can play in Florida. Honestly, I'd give Marine Park a 3.5 stars if I could. It's better than average because of the course conditions after a crazy amount of rain the prior 5 days along the east coast. It's pricey except for the location, in NYC. I think we paid about $48 plus the cart fee each, so I think it was around $70. Again, not bad if you're in Brooklyn on vacation. When we stepped up to the first tee, I felt that I'd have an easy round. I'm a 9 handicap at 61-years-old, trying to hold on to a decent game. After making par on a dead straight, easy par 5, I felt like I'd be able to shoot in the high 70s to low 80s at this links-style course. The greens are not at all elevated. The fairways are wide, and you can miss them and still have a shot at the green. I played terribly, including a triple out of a bunker, and 2 straight doubles along the way. Shot an 88, so not a good round, but I did finish 18 with a hole out. An embarrassing one, but a hole out par on the final hole, a par 5. I had hit a terrible second shot, cold topping my 3 wood trying to reach the green, and had to hit my 3 hybrid on my 3rd shot, which I sent into a greenside grassy "bunker." I was on an upslope and tried flopping my shot all the way to the pin, but duffed it about a foot. I was so mad at myself that I stepped up and hit the same shot without setting myself, and it flew perfectly, landed 5 feet from the pin, and rolled right in for a par. We had a chili dog and local IPA beer after our round, and the long time waitress/bartender couldn't have been nicer. I want to mention that this place has a great practice facility, with a putting green AND a separate green for chipping and bunker practice. Everyone on the course was really pleasant. Guys in gym shorts and t-shirts was something I am not used to seeing on a golf course, but it was kind of cool. I've never played in NY before, and will be playing in Jersey City at Skyway this coming week. One day, Beth Page Black? I sure hope so. Yes, I'd play Marine Park again. The course itself was in great shape. The people were nice. Ah heck, I'm changing my rating to 4 stars. It's not a 3 star course, really. They deserve better. 4...

Where do I even start? This was hands down one of the worst golf course experiences I’ve ever had. The conditions were terrible — patchy fairways, unkempt rough, and just a general feeling that the place hasn’t seen proper maintenance in a while. For the price they’re charging, you’d expect at least decent playing conditions, but instead, you’re paying a premium for a course that feels like it’s been neglected. The one small positive? The greens were actually alright. But that’s about the only nice thing I can say.

What really pushed this from bad to awful was the staff, particularly someone named Bruno. My buddy’s golf bag ripped, so he didn’t have a bag to carry his clubs and instead of offering any kind of help or understanding, Bruno told us before we even teed off that he was going to make it his mission to make our time miserable, pretty much word for word, and I REALLY wish I was kidding. When I walked into the clubhouse to ask a simple question about the carts, I was greeted with a rude “What do you want?” — not exactly the welcome you expect at a golf course at 9 in the morning.

Between the poor conditions, ridiculous prices, long waits, and downright hostile staff — especially Bruno — I highly recommend avoiding this course altogether. Save your time, your money, and your sanity. There are way better...

Despite the rumors, this golf course was in fantastic shape. I played 18 here on Saturday and had a great time. Plus, I was pretty content with my 84. Considering that Sandy was less than a year past, this course showed little to no signs of damage. Fairways were plush and the greens were running smooth. This was my first time playing here, but it was obvious the owner (whom I met briefly) is doing an amazing job at making improvements.

A course that is flat and open has it's benefits for many golfers, but can be too easy and appear boring to others. One smart solution that I noticed was they created large mounds of soil covered in fescue along the edges of the holes. These mounds not only acted as a clever way to create hole separation and a more appealing terrain, but also increased the difficulty if you're shot went astray. I can also assume that these dirt mounds (some towering 15-20 feet high) would act as protection against another super storm.

My advice for any golfer in Manhattan or Brooklyn is to try this course out. They are running a nice operation over there. I may be playing some late fall golf here, and Marine Park will definitely be in rotation for next season too.

Enjoy & play well.

P.S. - Thank you to the owner of this course who treated my friends and I to some Class A...