The South Fork is the land of prestigious private golf clubs, but look closely and quickly on a drive through the Hamptons and you'll find an oasis open to all players — the nine-hole Poxabogue Golf Center. This year is Poxabogue's 50th anniversary, which might come as a surprise to visiting golfers who step on the gas between Shinnecock and Montauk without ever noticing the quaint golf facility on the north side of Route 27.
New golf director Steven Lee, a Calverton Links transplant, is hoping to change that little by little, starting with the removal of roadside hedges that hide the course from onlookers, wrote Newsday's Mark Herrmann last month. Bad weather pushed an anniversary celebration from June to September. In the meantime, the course goes on for another season welcoming locals and celebrities alike.
Poxabogue has had issues in recent years, many of which have been documented here. There have been municipal snags, legal battles and other concerns. It all culminated in a sale to the Town of Southampton in 2012.
Herrmann writes:
Yes, there is a lot to be said for little Poxabogue: the new mats on the expansive driving range, the reconditioned bunkers, the Colonial bent grass fairways overseeded by superintendent Jeff Seeman, the weekday rate of $18 for Southampton and East Hampton residents, the fact you can play in an hour and 20 minutes.
But there is more than meets the eye. The host of "The Tonight Show" plays there. Sure enough Jimmy Fallon once brought Justin Timberlake along. Jon Bon Jovi brings his son for lessons. Or you might see Giants chairman Steve Tisch or reality TV star Bethenny Frankel. Alec Baldwin and Alan Alda are known to frequent the course's restaurant, which is open year round for breakfast and lunch. The other golfers just let them be. — Mark Herrmann, Newsday, 6/26/2014
The course is a 1,583-yard par-30, with several holes of the pitch-and-putt variety. For more on the course, visit the Poxabogue website.