Newsday Ranks Eisenhower Red Among Top 10 Public Golf Courses on the Island

In its May 31 paper, Newsday ranked the Eisenhower "Red" golf course at Eisenhower Park No. 4 among its top 10 public golf course on Long Island.

The Red course, one of three 18-hole golf courses at Eisenhower Park, has a storied history. Originally, it was part of the exclusive Salisbury Golf Club, begun by wealthy Long Islanders such as A.T. Stewart, a 19th-century retailer and property magnate who founded the Village of Garden City. The Red was designed in 1914 by a prominent local golf course architect, Devereux Emmet, who was married to one of Stewart’s nieces. Emmet was also a descendant of Thomas Addison Emmet, a founder of New York City’s Tammany Hall political machine.

Most of Emmet’s courses were designed during the era of hickory-shafted clubs and were short by current standards, at around 6,000 yards. (The U.S. Golf Association did not accept the use of steel shafts until 1924.) Today, the course measures 7,030 yards from the championship tees, 6,784 yards from the middle tees, and 5,588 yards from the forward tees. Working with PGA Tour architects, the Parks Department’s experienced golf crew is continually enhancing the quality of this championship course.

The Red Course’s history with championship golf goes back to 1926, when the course hosted the PGA Championship. In that contest, legendary golfer Walter Hagan won the third of four consecutive PGA titles, capturing an $11,100 purse in the process. These days, the Red course plays host to the PGA Tour’s Commerce Bank Championship. PGA golfer Lee Trevino has called Eisenhower Red “one of the better and one of the toughest courses we play.”

From June 29 - July 1, PGA Tour golfers will again gather at the Red Course for the Commerce Bank Championship. This year’s much-anticipated event features some of the finest players on the senior tour in a spectator-friendly venue. Among those expected to compete are Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Gary Player and Jim Thorpe. The event also includes numerous family-friendly activities. For information, call (516) 802-GOLF or visit www.commercebankchampionship.com.

Ahead of that event, the Parks Department is opening the course for a special day of Monday play on June 11.