From the new look club house to a diagrammed guide of the daily pin placements on the back of the scorecard, the improvements keep coming at Silver Lake.
Silver Lake operators Doug Johnstone and Eve Taranto have been working non-stop since taking over “The Lake” in May 2007 and their efforts can be seen everywhere.
The changes begin at the front door.
The quaint, picturesque clubhouse (which is featured on the scorecard) once housed a small pro shop, snack bar, bath and locker rooms has been undergone a major interior re-design. The pro shop has been moved out of the building (it’s now in a trailer that sits at the end of the driveway), and has been replaced by a 60-seat full service restaurant; and the old bathrooms have been replaced.
The changes are even move impressive on the golf course.
Long standing drainage problems are becoming a thing of the past and the course is well manicured from tee to green. Yardage markers (200/150/100) are easily found and the greens roll true and the speed is consistent from hole to hole.
Along with player-friendly pin placement guide (there are nine different placements which change daily) Johnstone is also expanding the greens to the original Van Kleek design.
“Word is spreading that we offering a pretty good product,” said Johnstone. “People are telling us how pleased they are with the changes.”
The improvements aren’t limited to the club house and golf course. Last summer Johnstone and Taranto also introduced a dress code. No cut-off jeans, sleeveless or collarless shirts would be permitted. The effort has been well received.
“We haven’t thrown anyone off the course,” said Johnstone. “Our goal was to educate and create awareness show respect for the game. So far a majority of the people respect what we’re trying to do,” he said.
With its easy access from the Staten Island Ferry and just minutes from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Silver Lake is certainly worth a visit.
Reservations can be made by calling 718-447-5686 or visit their website at www.silverlakegolf.com –BF
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We would like your thoughts on the new "Dress Code" being intordued at South Shore Golf Course on Staten Island. We have a number questions that we think may need answering from you the golfers of New York.
- Do you think this is a very good thing for golf and the golf courses?
- Will this turn people away from the NYC golf courses?
- Or will it make people more comfortable at the golf courses?
- Is it a "Freedom of Speech" violation?
- Is this a golf course decision or a company policy?
- Does NYC have a dress policy policy for their golf courses?
The new policy states that as of:
January 1st 2008 South Shore Golf Course will strictly enforce a dress code.
Dress Code
Conventional golf attire must be worn at all times on the golf course and practice areas. All articles of clothing must be clean, free of rips and free of holes. Shirts or tops must be worn at all times. This dress code applies to all areas of the club.
Examples of "Acceptable" clothing:
-
Hemmed walking shorts
- Sleeveless blouses with collars for women only
- Traditional slacks, khakis and jeans
- Denim shorts
- Designer warm-up suits
- Shirts with mock or traditional button collars
Examples of "Unacceptable" clothing:
-
Short-shorts, bathing suits, cut-offs, gym or jogging shorts, scrubs, cotton sweat suits, tank tops, jerseys or t-shirts.
- Sleeveless and/or collarless in general is not acceptable for men.
- Any article of clothing displaying an offensive statement.
- Any footwear that can cause damage such as jagged or ribbed-sole jogging footwear may not be worn on the golf course.
- Collars such as those on t-shirts.
Persons in violation of this dress code will not be allowed to play.
We thank you for your cooperation with our new policy. Please give us a call if you have any questions at all.
South Shore Management
South Shore Golf Course
200 Huguenot Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10312
718.984.0101
After years of operation by California-based American Golf Corp., Silver Lake Golf Course is now in the hands of a pair of Staten Islanders. And there is no doubt the “The Lake” is responding well under its new hometown caretakers.
It’s been just over six weeks that Doug Johnstone and Eve Taranto moved took control and the improvements are both subtle and sublime.
From the time you sign in and pick up the newly designed scorecard — featuring a Tom Flannagan watercolor of the clubhouse and its red brick veranda — and arrive at the first tee (and its newly redirected tee box) you can feel the positive vibes.
There is no better indication of how sincere and serious they are about turning things around then when you make the turn.
After unclogging and repairing drainage lines, the stream that cuts across the 10th fairway now runs the way it was supposed to run. And, if you find yourself short of the green you can actually walk to your ball without fear of being sucked into the netherworld underground.
And then you arrive at the (146-yard) Par 3, 11th Hole. The change is stunning!
All the overgrown vegetation that had turned what is supposed to be the signature hole into a blind Par 3 has been removed and you can actually see the flag from the tee.
“There is something not right about a blind par 3. This is a beautiful golf hole and all it took was man hours,” explained Johnstone. While putting in those hours the groundskeepers uncovered a forward tee box. Along with the new forward tee, Johnstone has added a new championship tee on the other side of the stream stretching the hole to 168-yards.
In addition to these improvements, damaged and downed trees have been cleared and removed and permits were obtained to cut down others; the course has been re-measured and new distance markers have installed; the greens are being expanded and the collars re-done.
“Did you know that John Van Kleek’s original design called for nearly all the greens to be 33-paces deep? You would never know that by the way they look now. We are going to restore them to that original design,” said Johnstone.
While their agreement with the city is for 20 years, Johnstone and Taranto who also operate the Staten Island Practice Center near the Bloomfield tanks, have a five-year plan and bigger changes on tap for the Silver Lake.
Golf course architect Stephen Kay has been tapped to make those changes. Among the ideas being planned are new bunkers. Currently there are only 13 bunkers on the 107-acre course; and, extending the (397-yard) Par 4 9th Hole into a long Par 5.
“We’re just getting started,” said Johnstone, 52. “Right now we want to get things to where the conditions should be for people to enjoy their round. If we do that I know people will come out and play.”
And those who do will not be disappointed.
–Bill Farrell
After a long bidding war for one of Staten Island’s public golf course, Doug Johnstone and Eve Taranto have been awarded a new twenty-year contact to run the facility.
Johnstone and Taranto, both avid golfers and active in the Staten Island golf community, also own and operate the Staten Island Practice Center.
They have promised many improvements to the course over the next five years, including upgrading the clubhouse, parking lot and various improvements to the golf course.
They have pledged to donate $10,000 annually to junior golf programs on Staten Island.
For many years, Silver Lake Golf Course, located near Victory, Forest and Clove Boulevards, was operated by the American Golf Corporation.
Good luck to Doug and Eve!
