Why the Glen Cove golf course needs revamping? City council votes next Tuesday
Glen Cove’s municipal golf course has become a muddy, waterlogged expanse, leaving golfers frustrated and disheartened. What was once a local gem is now plagued by dysfunctional drainage, turning fairways into marshes and sand traps into soggy pits.
With greens overrun by weeds and crabgrass, the course has become virtually unplayable after storms, driving golfers to seek out better-maintained venues and leaving community members concerned about the course’s future.
But at Tuesday’s pre-council meeting, the City Council discussed a resolution to hire Cameron Engineering, an engineering design firm, to replace the golf course’s irrigation system. The resolution is expected to be voted on at the next council meeting, on Aug. 27.
“We’re also going to rebuild the bunkers, which are the sand traps, which is far more than just throwing sand in them,” Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said, emphasizing that the improvements would require a more comprehensive approach to ensure the course’s long-term viability.
The Glen Cove Golf Club has been a treasured recreational facility for five decades, but it has had its share of challenges. In 2012, during Hurricane Sandy, a bridge near the 13th hole was all but destroyed when the stream that it crosses flooded, overwhelming the structure. Saltwater from the Long Island Sound meets freshwater from a tributary beneath Lattingtown Road in the stream, and the bridge has since been replaced with a temporary structure, but its location makes it particularly vulnerable to flooding damage, and the temporary bridge has long been slated to be replaced by something more permanent.
A study by Cameron Engineering will be the first step toward overhauling the course’s infrastructure. City Attorney Tip Henderson said the results of the study will shape a comprehensive proposal that the city will submit to the state Department of Environmental Conservation for approval, a process expected to take about three months. If the DEC gives its approval the city will solicit bids from contractors to construct the new irrigation system. The goal is to start by September 2025.
Panzenbeck acknowledged that while the city has made significant investments in the course’s upkeep it has suffered this year.
“I think I’ve spent a fortune on the golf course in my first two years, redoing the pro shop and redoing the driving range,” she said. “I got new carts, but the course this year, sadly, was supposed to be the focus, and it suffered. So now we’re going to be working on that.”
The city’s plans extend beyond the irrigation system. There are proposals to repair and enhance other critical elements of the facility, including cart paths, bridges and bunkers. The fairway on the second hole, notorious for its poor drainage and often waterlogged conditions, is on the list of areas slated for improvement. The city has also discussed increasing the number of maintenance workers at the club.
Members of the Women’s 18-Holers Club have been particularly vocal about the deteriorating course, but O’Grady said she was happy that Panzenbeck was receptive to their concerns after she met with the mayor last week.
Despite the challenges, the community remains deeply committed to the golf course. Fundraising efforts by club members over the past four years have brought in more than $60,000, some of which has been used for tree trimming and the removal of tree stumps. But the money is only a fraction of what is needed to fully restore the course.
“I hope we can find a resolution and bring the golf course back to what it once was for the residents of Glen Cove,” Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola said. “That’s really what we all want. It was a place you wanted to play. It’s not giving that vibe anymore.”
John Grella, the golf course manager, did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment. Panzenbeck, on behalf of Grella, said he declined to speak with the Herald.
