[Jay Flemma]

Holy three-toed sloth from Ice Planet Hoth!  Rockaway Hunting Club was phenomenal, an amazing restoration by Hanse!

This seems like a total GCA.com place - half Emmet, half Tille, great greens, phenomenal routing and quirky in a good way:)

I love the mounding around the greens - so Emmet (at least 1-5 an 15-18, those are his holes, I believe...

1. What a away to start the round



2. My Fave hole...the angles!  The green contours!



Four and Five - the 1st crossover is puckishly cool!



Cool green extension on six



7. Tee - the other crossover



8 - Wow, are we in NYC or Carolina?



17 - just exhilarating.



What a place.  What do you all think of Hanse's work?  The routing?  The fantastic greens?

[corey miller]

I absolutely love this golf course and the work done by Gil and team.  The opening up of the landscape in the 7-13 area providing grand views as well as more wind is wonderful.

I do wish Gil had gotten first shot at the renovation in the early 2000's.  Some of the changes from that plan (range,17,18) were not materially reversed by Gil. 

Jay, I am a little surprised by your choice of #2 as your favorite.  Even with all the tree work, more needs to be done as too many trees exist to the right of the bunker in the picture.  I suspect it is one of those (good player issues) where the trees provide some defense up the right side.  I did discuss this area with Gil and was hoping the hole area between one and two would be "waste-bunker" like.

Is #6 actually just a greens expansion?  I though it would also serve as a back tee for #7 but was told by a member that was not the case.

Nonetheless, #7 tee shot is one of the best in the game.

I am not sure I can pick a better place to walk and carry on a late afternoon, of course followed up with the famous Goslings Southside.

[Dan Herrmann]

FYI - This is pretty close to JFK airport.

[John Kavanaugh]

FYI - This is pretty close to JFK airport.

And this is code for what?  I am very impressed with the detail of their etiquette requirements as outlined here: http://rhcny.com/Club-Etiquette.aspx

[Sam Morrow]

Might be the worst logo ever.

[John Kavanaugh]

Might be the worst logo ever.

Looks like someone stepped on a wasp.

[Tim Martin]

Might be the worst logo ever.

Looks like someone stepped on a wasp.

I love the logo!!!

[Sam Morrow]

Might be the worst logo ever.

Looks like someone stepped on a wasp.

Didn't see that but I'm sure the club is full of wasps.

[Jay Flemma]

I love 2 because of the perpendicular alignment of the  bunker and the incredible green contours!  2 and then 17 are my faves. Wonderful horizontal sweep to the fwys.

Is this logo worse than Toilet Plunger Club?

Who cares about the logo:) As Fran Drescher said, "The White Album? What was that? There was nothing on that GD cover..."

[Sven Nilsen]

Any evidence of any Maxwell touches remaining from his work in the late 30's?

Interesting that the club does not include Emmet or Maxwell on their website.

[Mark McKeever]

Looks awesome Jay.  A couple of us had this one lined up over the summer, but it fell through.  Gotta get out there based on these pics!!

Mark

[Jay Flemma]

Sven, I have no idea, but I will ask.  Do you know what holes he might have done?

[SPDB]

Might be the worst logo ever.

Looks like someone stepped on a wasp.

Didn't see that but I'm sure the club is full of wasps.

The club may be full of wasps, but the course is full of green flies, some as big as sparrows. In the summer and depending on the wind, the area around 1 and 17 greens and 2 tee is almost unplayable due to the proliferation. Still a great place and a real antique-gem of a course. #8 on a windy day is a load of fun.

[Sven Nilsen]

Jay:

Rockaway was one of a few courses that Maxwell worked on after the 1938 Hurricane.  Around this time he seemed to be doing a lot of touch up work (including his work at ANGC), including reworking the greens at many courses. 

I don't have any information on particular holes he may have touched, but was wondering if any greens jump out at you as indicative of the Maxwell Rolls.

Sven

[corey miller]

The greens at #15 and #16 seem to be much different than the others.  Have only played Prairie Dunes, none of the greens seem as complex as what is found in Hutch.

[Jay Flemma]

I'll ask while I'm working on the article...see if anyone has some details.

[ChipOat]

Several threads on RHC in years past, but none since Hanse's work began.  A very strong-willed member lead the charge to remove many of the trees, re-do almost all the bunkers and other things that had been discussed as "good ideas" for years (e.g. the sixth green extension towards the water hazard).  The green complexes have always been excellent.  RHC should join Inwood and St. George's as Long Island's true hidden gems.  Not sure what could be done about the practice range - it's always been there.

[Jay Flemma]

And here's a picture of that green extension...



Here's some other shots:



Quite comfortable.  Splendid.  In fact, capital.



The beautiful Emmet rolls on the perimeter of the GP are perhaps, Hanse's greatest success on a micro level.  Gorgeous!

[ChipOat]

While the work that Gil did that was propelled by the member in charge is excellent, several good changes were made ten years ago that deserve recognition.

New tee boxes on #'s 6, 8, 11, 13, 14, 17 and 18.  Also, the bunkering at the dogleg on #6, in combination with the new tee box, was especially effective.

I hope that the green complex on #11 can be restored.  The false front and the deep green-side bunker on the left had to be sacrificed to install much needed drainage in that area.  No idea if those wonderful characteristics can be "re-installed", or not.  If yes, it would be icing on a most excellent cake.

Sam Morrow:

Presumably, you also don't like the logos of Myopia Hunt Club or Green Spring Valley Hunt Club?  Maybe, RHC's is a touch busy, but the worst you've ever seen?  You need to get around more.  RHC's logo is an excellent representation of the club's genesis.

[corey miller]

At the end of the day,  what was a great place to play has been significantly improved.

Is the Green expansion on #6 officially a Green expansion?  When I saw it I thought it was a new back tee for #7 that had been melded into the #6 green.  The left front bunker seemed to have a lot of rough (from the back edge) to the new green expansion and the expansion itself looked unusually square.

Either way, at the end of the day, it could always be used for that purpose making it an all-world driving hole for the low handicapper.

[noonan]

Looks great!

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Have played there several times prior to the Hanse renovations. Thanks for the photos! I had heard that new renovations were being done and this is the first I have seen of it.

Did you notice the "Taco Bell" house?

I will never forget playing in the late afternoon on an overcast day when all the inbound flights were arriving from Europe into JFK. The sight of one jumbo jet after another descending low and slow, out of the overcast and right overhead, with the wingtip vortices spinning will always be with me.

[ChipOat]

Taco Bell house was purchased and "de-Taco'd" about 8 years ago.

[RJ_Daley]

Not being at all familiar with NY Met area, I never heard of it.  But, it sure looks inviting. Is the course completely redone from any of Tom Bendelow's routing or hole-trap designs?   Of course with the sometimes misleading impression of photo evaluation, I'd still have to say the pix remind me of Tidewater in N. Myrtle Beach. 

[Jay Flemma]

I wonder how the storm affected them. What a mess.

What's the story of "Taco House?"

Dick D, what a place!  It does have a coastal Carolina feel to it.  And it plays magnificently.  A completely transportive round of golf.

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