Marine Park Golf Course has always won praise for its country club greens. These days visitors to the Robert Trent Jones gem at the end of Flatbush Avenue are playing their rounds in country club type times – completing 18 holes in under 4 ½ hours!
During two recent weekday rounds (one in mid-morning the other in early afternoon) our foursome completed each of our rounds in just over 4 hours. “Let’s face it, nobody wants to be on a golf course for 6 hours,” says Dominick Logozzo of East Coast Golf operators of Marine Park.
Part of the improvement to longer headways between foursomes. While most public courses try to push groups out as fast as possible, (in some places as little as 7 minutes apart) the headways are 10 minutes at Marine Park.
Along with the 10 minute headways tee time reservation times honored. If you have a 9:30 tee-time (barring frost and other weather delays) Logozzo promises to get you out there for at your reserved time. “Our reservation system doesn’t allow for a 9 o’clock and a 9 o’clock a, 9 o’clock b, and 9 o’clock. And we don’t squeeze people in between groups,” he says.
Other improvements to the golf course itself are also helping to speed up play and making for a more enjoyable round.
Since taking over operations at Marine Park last year East Coast Golf, with the approval of the Parks Dept., cut down more than 200 trees and removed much of the overgrown vegetation. Golf is played so much faster when you can find those wayward golf balls. A Border collie and series of wooden silhouetted wolves have thus far successfully reduced the geese population and the mess they leave behind.
And then there are those greens. For all their reputation and good looks the greens at Marine Park were sickly under the surface.
“Actually the greens were very weak and there was a great deal of thatch. (Course Superintendent) Ryan (Volger) has done a great job,” says Logozzo. “Along with a lot of repair and restoration, we aerated them four times last year. It was tough. They’re still not where we want them but they’re coming around and are much healthier. They’re rolling well, and they’re rolling faster,” says Logozzo.
In addition, the clubhouse has been remodeled with new larger bathrooms; and both the pro shop and snack bar have been expanded. The practice green has been moved to the area between the clubhouse and the 18th green; and a pitching green has been installed between the clubhouse and the 10th tee. An “irons only” practice range is also under construction and Logozzo hopes to have it in operation by mid-summer.
East Coast Golf has also brought in the golf course design team of Steven Kay (The Architects Golf Club The Links at Unionvale ) and Douglas Smith to make other more substantial improvements. “They are going to redesign all the par 3’s which right now can all be hit with the same club and swing,” says Logozzo.
New bunkers and tee boxes as well as championship tees will be introduced lengthening what is already the longest golf course in the city to 7,200 yards.
“The response to what we’ve done has been nothing but positive. There’s a sense of excitement to see the changes taking place. Everyone who comes out tells us they’re totally in love with it,” says Logozzo.
“We are only in the middle of a three year plan. When its fully executed and we take in the design changes, the distance, the wind all on a course designed by perhaps the greatest designer of a generation Robert Trent Jones, this is going to be the best golf course in the city.”
And no one can doubt his commitment.
Not long after East Coast Golf signed a 20 year contract to operate Marine Park an audit by City Controller Bill Thompson discovered Logozzo’s father had loaned money to an alleged member of the Colombo crime family, and the city terminated the contract.
In March, Logozzo and East Coast Golf who claim they have been falsely accused have filed suit against the city to hold on to the golf course. Because of the litigation Logozzo cannot comment on the case or certain other aspects concerning the current and future operation of the course.
He has however collected signatures from hundreds of golfers on a petition urging the city to allow East Coast Golf to remain.
