Huntington Town has renamed Crab Meadow Golf Course to honor the former town supervisor who played a key role in developing Huntington's parks system and two municipal golf courses.
Robert J. Flynn, Huntington supervisor from 1959 to 1965, was instrumental in the town's creation of municipal parks and recreational facilities in the early 1960s, preserving open space for public use rather than private development. The Northport golf course was rechristened Robert J. Flynn Crab Meadow Golf Course in a Friday ceremony with government officials and Flynn family members on hand, per Newsday.
Flynn's early vision of a town parks system eventually led to a 1962 referendum that paved the way for golf courses at Crab Meadow and Dix Hills Park. Crab Meadow was built on the grounds of the former Northport Country Club, a 1920s-era Devereux Emmet course that was abandoned for nearly two decades before Flynn's push for a new centerpiece golf course. William Mitchell designed the course, which opened in 1965.
From Newsday:
Flynn served as a supervisor until 1965. Along with revitalizing Crab Meadow, now named the Robert J. Flynn Crab Meadow Golf Course, Flynn adopted the first master plan of any town in New York State and a town ethics code.
Calling Flynn "the founding father" of the town’92s park system, Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said the Bronx native’92s vision for Huntington "ensured open space, protection of our environment and quality of life for future generations." — Keldy Ortiz, Newsday, 8/13/21
Flynn passed away in 2013, and the town board passed a resolution to honor Flynn with the name change this past December.