[Steve_ Shaffer]

https://nassaucc.com/dsp_history.cfm


https://nassaucc.com/dsp_golf.cfm


Glen Cove, New York (Oct. 5, 2021) – The renovation of Nassau Country Club’s historic layout is complete. The existing course has undergone numerous changes over 122 years—both natural and manmade—with the most recent work conducted by Fazio Design under the guidance of Tom Marzolf, Senior Design Associate, and Bryan Bowers, Design Associate.
The scope of work included:Removal of all old bunkers (note: Course went from 114 bunkers to 48)

• Placing bunkers in the proper landing zones based on modern distances

• Tree removal for better fairway alignment

• Fairway reductions and extensions

• Added low-mown, bent grass green edge surrounds on 16 holes, placing an emphasis on short game options

• Cart path removal and redirection

• Addition of both forward and back tees (the par-70 course eventually will play close to 7,200 yards)

• Reshaping green surrounds

• ]Read more:
  
  
  
  
  https://www.firstcallgolf.com/industry-news/release/2021-10-05/nassau-country-club-completes-golf-course-renovation

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Too much local competition has kept Nassau in the background over the years. The renovation may help;


1957 Aerial courtesy of Josh Bills:





   

[Joe Bausch]

I've made that large aerial 'fit' and be clickable to the larger size:

[MCirba]

Really curious what constitutules an "old" bunker needing removal vs a "modern" bunker "in proper landing zones". 


Hope the work turned out well for the historic club but wonder how much history is still reflected in the golf course after this renovation?

[David_Tepper]

https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/fazio-design-completes-renovation-at-nassau-cc-in-new-york

[Josh Bills]

I have not played Nassau but have enjoyed looking at some old aerials.  One difference to the current course is the seemingly complete lack of hazards that occupy large areas, hopefully a maintenance saver.  In the 1957 aerial there almost appears to be a Hell's Half Acre on 15, I think is the hole, and now nothing. Only the members will know if it plays better, but it definitely appears different.  Enjoy the aerial comparisons.


1957





2021 Pre Work





2021 Post Work

[Michael George]

Heard neighboring Brookville CC narrowly missed passing a cool renovation this week. 


Wondering if members will be moving over to Nassau or other neighboring courses.

[Tom_Doak]

Nassau has always bean important club (the third club in the Liberty Bell tournament, along with Piping Rock and The Creek).  But the property is flat and the course has been a mishmosh of about eight different renovations.


At least the new version will be more consistent, I presume.


My client at Sebonack was a member at Nassau and wanted us to reproduce the green of their Short hole somewhere on his course.

[David_Tepper]

Nassau CC used to have grass tennis courts. I saw a grass court tournament there 50 years ago. Back in the "golden age" of amateur tennis (the 1930's-40's-50's), the Nassau Invitational was one of the tournaments on the grass court circuit leading up to the US Nationals at Forest Hills. That tournament was won by the likes of Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Bobby Riggs and Jack Kramer.

https://www.nassaucc.com/dsp_tennis.cfm

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

Nassau was once a great golf course.  It might not be as hilly as parts of Creek, Engineers, North Shore, or Old Westbury, but it is far from being flat.  In fact, there probably is not a flat lie to be found on the entire golf course.  16 of the greens are top of the line Emmet and Strong creations with an awful Cupp flattening of the 9th and an imitation ANGC 12th by Cynthia Dye McGarey, replacing the short par 4 3rd to create a 2nd par 5 as the 4th.  Meadowbrook is actually the 3rd club in the Liberty Bell, but Nassau has always been considered among the top North Shore clubs, and was the NY home club of Bobby Jones.  During my 25 years as a pro on LI  I was fortunately to play there many times in tournaments and for fun, since quite a few members were long term students. It can be set up to play incredibly difficult because the greens have exceptional contour with many super difficult hole locations. For many years, only Deepdale maintained faster greens on a consistent basis.  Not sure how accurate the account, but Nassau was supposedly the last course in metro-NY to plant trees because Ridgewood got the 1974 US Am due to it's wonderful trees.  In 1989 the pines were definitely 10-20 feet shorter than all the other clubs trees.

[jeffwarne]

No doubt each and every renovation had a long list of bullet points...

[Tom_Doak]

Nassau was once a great golf course.  It might not be as hilly as parts of Creek, Engineers, North Shore, or Old Westbury, but it is far from being flat.  In fact, there probably is not a flat lie to be found on the entire golf course.  16 of the greens are top of the line Emmet and Strong creations with an awful Cupp flattening of the 9th and an imitation ANGC 12th by Cynthia Dye McGarey, replacing the short par 4 3rd to create a 2nd par 5 as the 4th.  Meadowbrook is actually the 3rd club in the Liberty Bell, but Nassau has always been considered among the top North Shore clubs, and was the NY home club of Bobby Jones.  During my 25 years as a pro on LI  I was fortunately to play there many times in tournaments and for fun, since quite a few members were long term students. It can be set up to play incredibly difficult because the greens have exceptional contour with many super difficult hole locations. For many years, only Deepdale maintained faster greens on a consistent basis.  Not sure how accurate the account, but Nassau was supposedly the last course in metro-NY to plant trees because Ridgewood got the 1974 US Am due to it's wonderful trees.  In 1989 the pines were definitely 10-20 feet shorter than all the other clubs trees.

Do you know if/when the Liberty Bell changed venues?  I’m pretty sure Nassau was the third course back in the 1980’s when I became aware of the event, because that was the impetus for me to go and see the course.

[Jaeger Kovich]

Nassau was once a great golf course.  It might not be as hilly as parts of Creek, Engineers, North Shore, or Old Westbury, but it is far from being flat.  In fact, there probably is not a flat lie to be found on the entire golf course.  16 of the greens are top of the line Emmet and Strong creations with an awful Cupp flattening of the 9th and an imitation ANGC 12th by Cynthia Dye McGarey, replacing the short par 4 3rd to create a 2nd par 5 as the 4th.  Meadowbrook is actually the 3rd club in the Liberty Bell, but Nassau has always been considered among the top North Shore clubs, and was the NY home club of Bobby Jones.  During my 25 years as a pro on LI  I was fortunately to play there many times in tournaments and for fun, since quite a few members were long term students. It can be set up to play incredibly difficult because the greens have exceptional contour with many super difficult hole locations. For many years, only Deepdale maintained faster greens on a consistent basis.  Not sure how accurate the account, but Nassau was supposedly the last course in metro-NY to plant trees because Ridgewood got the 1974 US Am due to it's wonderful trees.  In 1989 the pines were definitely 10-20 feet shorter than all the other clubs trees.

Do you know if/when the Liberty Bell changed venues?  I’m pretty sure Nassau was the third course back in the 1980’s when I became aware of the event, because that was the impetus for me to go and see the course.

Pretty sure Meadow Brook is the 3rd course.

[jeffwarne]

Nassau was once a great golf course.  It might not be as hilly as parts of Creek, Engineers, North Shore, or Old Westbury, but it is far from being flat.  In fact, there probably is not a flat lie to be found on the entire golf course.  16 of the greens are top of the line Emmet and Strong creations with an awful Cupp flattening of the 9th and an imitation ANGC 12th by Cynthia Dye McGarey, replacing the short par 4 3rd to create a 2nd par 5 as the 4th.  Meadowbrook is actually the 3rd club in the Liberty Bell, but Nassau has always been considered among the top North Shore clubs, and was the NY home club of Bobby Jones.  During my 25 years as a pro on LI  I was fortunately to play there many times in tournaments and for fun, since quite a few members were long term students. It can be set up to play incredibly difficult because the greens have exceptional contour with many super difficult hole locations. For many years, only Deepdale maintained faster greens on a consistent basis.  Not sure how accurate the account, but Nassau was supposedly the last course in metro-NY to plant trees because Ridgewood got the 1974 US Am due to it's wonderful trees.  In 1989 the pines were definitely 10-20 feet shorter than all the other clubs trees.

Do you know if/when the Liberty Bell changed venues?  I’m pretty sure Nassau was the third course back in the 1980’s when I became aware of the event, because that was the impetus for me to go and see the course.

Acccording to Newsday, The Liberty Bell has been played at Meadowbrook, Piping Rock and The Creek since the event's inception in 1973.

[Brad Tufts]

Those aerials look great.  Wouldn’t that style of bunkering be awesome to restore, at least in part?  Isn’t that what would make Nassau unique?


I read the gca mag article with all the Marzoff quotes and the quotes about the design just read so blah blah blah blah.


I realize the people that destroyed that bunkering did so long ago, but I don’t understand how the winning restoration plan was “we’ll make it like anywhere country club USA.”

[MCirba]

Brad Tufts,


+1

[Joel_Stewart]

I realize the people that destroyed that bunkering did so long ago, but I don’t understand how the winning restoration plan was “we’ll make it like anywhere country club USA.”

I continue to be amazed that some clubs continue to make bad decisions especially with all the research and photos that are available.  When you look at the courses on Long Island and the Met section it's very easy to see the formula for doing it right versus who has done it wrong. It would be interesting to hear from some people at Nassau what other options did they entertain? Marzoff is coming off what looks like a successful restoration at Fox Chapel.  Did he or another architect present a restoration plan and the club reject it?


I personally witnessed it in the Bay Area and specifically my former home club. Meadow Club, Claremont CC, San Francisco, and Cal Club did it right. Lake Merced and Olympic did it wrong. Now Olympic is about to pay $38 million to fix the mistakes and bad decisions. 

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

Unfortunately, Nassau once did it right.  In the mid-90's Ron Forse completed 12 holes, with holes 18-5  left to be completed one Fall.  Quite a few trees on holes 11-15 were removed along with a few on holes 6-8.  The future plans involved a cutting similar to what had recently occurred at GCGC, and a really cool new back tee on the 4th behind and to the left of the old, now plowed over 3rd green.  These plans were cancelled in a board coup instigated by several older prominsteembers who had been responsible for the original tree planting.  The justification was that they had become injured climbing out of newly restored bunkers.  That fall Cupp came in and built  Mickey Mouse ear bunkers on every green except for the 5th.  Since then the architecture of the course has been on a downward spiral.  I have not seen the current course, but my friends claim that all the greens are back to their original sizes.

[Greg Stebbins]

The greens at Nassau could indeed be back to their original sizes, but the slopes were significantly softened when they re-grassed them all 2012. 


Does anyone else think the end result looks like an attempt to replicate the look of Glen Oaks?

[Joel_Stewart]

Its hard to blame Fazio or Marzoff because they clearly had instructions from the board to do the work. Its obvious Fazio is willing to do anything to any golf course for the sake of putting his imprint and name on the course.


The business of operating a country club in competitive especially on Long Island.  Its possible the board felt that to attract new members and differentiate themselves from other clubs they needed to renovate the club into a modern style. 

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