Biz of the Week: Holbrook Country Club

The Holbrook Country Club, a Town of Islip public course, opened its greens in 1992 and has established itself as one the area's premier public golf courses.  The golfing season at Holbrook runs from March 15 to December 15. The course, and the excellent pro shop,  is run by head golf professional Bill Leposa.  

The course is known for being rather narrow and tree-lined, making for challenging play with little room for error around the sidelines. The course rating is 69.8, with a slope rating of 128. (Course rating is primarily a measure of difficulty used by "scratch" golfers; slope rating is a handicap rating for "bogey" golfers.)

Bill Leposa, the golf pro, says that the course's most notable and interesting hole is No. 17, a par 3 with alot of trees as well as a wrap-around gully. Additionally on the course, ponds come into play on two holes.  The course utilizes Bermuda Grass on the fairways and on the greens, Bent Grass.

On a recent visit, the course was in excellent condition and the staff was friendly, including two personable starters: Paul Streicher and Gregory Holz-who gave me sage advice. A regular player was on hand, and he offered to take me on a golf-cart tour of the links. Friendliness is in no short supply here.

Back at the shop, several players agreed with Leposa's advice to learn the game by "starting from the green and working back to the tee. Too many new players want to go the other way, focusing on long drives. Master the short game on the greens first."

Leposa can provide personalized half-hour lessons for $45, or five lessons for $195.  Lessons are almost always necessary, say the players, to make it past the frustrating early trials of picking up the game. There must have been a reason Mark Twain said, "Golf is a good walk, spoiled".

Weekday greens fees for Islip residents are only $26; non-residents pay $32. After 3:o0pm the fee for all golfers is only $20.  Golf carts are available for rental; however, the course can be easily walked, being mostly flat and an easy ramble. There is a putting green available for practice as well as a driving range.

The club is offering its Junior Golf 2010 program beginning April 18. The program provides six sessions of hour-long group lessons featuring range-time and short-game instruction. Young golfers can start at anytime with no appointment required. The cost for any six sessions is $150 per student.

The club also features tennis and handball courts as well as outdoor basketball.

The on-site restaurant and catering facility is Trio, which can accomodate diners every day except Tuesdays, when they handle golf outings.  There is also a bar and a private room for parties of up to twenty people. On or off-premises catering is available for non-profit, corportate, or family gatherings.

For an excellent, affordable round of golf on a terrific public course, try the Holbrook Country Club and its restaurant, Trio, for a top-notch golfing experience, and remember to develop your game "from the green to the tee."

If you have a local business in mind for Sachem Patch's "Biz of the Week" column, email Sachem Patch editor Chris Vaccaro at Chris@Patch.com