jacknyc

Gorgeous course that's a bit rough around the edges. Some tee boxes lack grass, but fairways are playable, and greens reasonably consistent. Long cart rides between holes are like a low country national forest tour.

All aspects of the course in good shape. This is a pretty and fun course.

I'm writing this review to make note of the outstanding work by the course Ranger working during my round. I didn't get his name. He is a gentleman with glasses and a mustache. This Ranger did an outstanding job keeping everybody moving on a very busy afternoon while at the same time keeping everybody satisfied and in good spirits. He did it by observing what was going on and communicating very well with everybody about the situation.

Moreover, when our group we placed food orders at the turn, rather than complain that we didn't place our orders earlier, instead he told us to play ahead and then brought the food out to us! Never seen that before. I wanted to thank him for such unusual courtesy but before I had a chance he sped away in his cart to check on a few groups behind us. This man is a gem!

Greens, fairways and tee boxes all in great shape. Tough and reasonably interesting track. Pleasantly surprised.

NYCC is one of those courses that presents itself as a "country club experience" course. It even went so far as to name itself "country club."

What does it mean when a daily fee place seeks to sell itself this way? One should expect: better customer service, attentive and friendly staff and superior course conditions, especially the greens. And of course, elevated greens fees.

Right now, it should be renamed "New York Golf Course, " and should be offering $40 weekend rounds.

I should first note that some aspects of NYCC are still meeting the high expectations. Clubhouse staff and the men who help you with your bag when arriving or leaving are still friendly and helpful. (I personally would prefer to load my own bag onto my cart, and skip the "wipe-down your clubs?" routine, but I understand that is part of the country club treatment.) As before, NYCC features very pretty and nice ladies in the restaurant.

As for the couse. The tee boxes are in good shape. It's a pretty good track, with only a few weird holes (##9 and 17, for example). Not much else is good. The fairways were spotty. Most of the waste bunkers have weeds growing into them, which was not the case before. The greens were really beat up around the holes -- looked like they had been neglected for a while, and pins badly needed to be moved. Greenside bunkers are all infested with bees, and if you choose to play your ball despite the bees, you will find the sand to be packed and muddy -- not what they should be at these prices.

Particularly troubling was a ranger, with a tattoo on his forearm, who confronted us in a hostile, drill sergeant way. Acted as though we had snuck onto the course, while we had been sent out by course staff, in the absence of a starter. We were especially disgusted to hear him make what sounded like an ethnic slur against the man who loaded our clubs for us. Maybe he didnt intend the remark that way; but he doesn't belong at even the worst muny course.

For the big bucks this place is charging, I suggest any of the nearby alternatives.

I've been playing the Moor since taking up golf in 2007. It's a challenging, old fashioned municipal course constructed along the Hutchinson River.

Since 2007 there have been numerous physical upgrades -- plantings, attractive stone retaining walls, fresh bunker sand, rehab of the restaurant and pro shop, attempts to correct poor drainage holes.

Used to be, when a 3 foot putt mysteriously would swing away from the hole, or stop dead short, I would say I got "maplemoored." But when I played there yesterday, the greens were a revelation. Country club quality. Seriously. Healthy, nearly perfect (except for pitch marks), rolling true, and fast. I only played the back 9, but the guys I paired up with said the whole course was like that. Can they keep it up through the hot summer months? We'll see, but I give the greens managers high marks for trying.