NOTE: An updated course flyover was posted in April 2010. Check it out by clicking here.
Normally I wouldn't write about a course that I have yet to play in full at least once. After passing by the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course in Woodbury numerous times over the years while working in Syosset and taking note of its water holes, deep bunkers and manicured fairways, I finally teed up a Titleist there for the first time late in the Summer of 2008. Due to dwindling daylight and a slow pace, I only made it through nine holes.
So why not wait to play all 18 before commenting on the course? Simply put, the front nine at Oyster Bay is the toughest nine-hole collection I've encountered on Long Island. And I say that even after three consecutive pars to start the round, a feat I accomplish rather infrequently.
Incredibly narrow fairways and elevation changes make Oyster Bay's front nine a grueling test of accuracy. Golfers who like to spray the ball around and recover don't match up well with the layout. Between the opening pars and another on #9, I missed targets badly and took a nasty beating. It's the only time I've ever felt overwhelmed by a golf course.
Oyster Bay opens with its most forgiving hole, a 301-yard par-4 (348 from the back) with plenty of breathing room. The honeymoon ends once the flagstick is back in the cup. Hole #2 is a long, suffocating par-5 with out-of-bounds right and a thin line of small trees on the left. A stretch of rough at the far end of the fairway and a very narrow entrance to the green force this hole to be taken entirely through the air.
The fourth hole is Oyster Bay's toughest test and probably one of the meanest par-4s anywhere on the Island. It is a 380-yarder (414 from the back) that bends right, then goes vertical. A missed target off the tee leaves no way to aggressively navigate the mountain upon which the green sits. Heavy rough and a big trap swallow up anything left short of the green, meaning subsequent shots will be uphill hacks out of thick grass or a long-distance bunker shot.
You'll take aim at another super-tight fairway on the 351-yard seventh, followed by a 212-yard par-3 with a large trap and significant dropoff to the right. On the short par-4 ninth, the fairway sits up on a ledge before it takes a right turn toward the green. Keeping your tee shot on the fairway gives you a strong chance at par, but missing the fairway to the left sends your ball down a slope and lengthens the hole.
Oyster Bay is a great course that challenges even the most skilled golfers. The front nine can be brutal for high-handicappers and players who rely more on distance with the driver than control and accuracy. From the middle tees, the front stretches just short of 2,700 yards.
Unfortunately, I don't anticipate finishing a full round at Oyster Bay
anytime soon. The town doesn't exactly roll out the welcome mat for
non-residents. Anyone coming from outside Oyster Bay Town to play the
course on a weekend during peak season is looking at a $100+ round if they want to ride,
thanks to the astronomical $65 cart fee for non-residents (as of
2008). The evening rate is pretty reasonable but attracts a crowd.
So, for now, the back nine will have to wait.