Pelham Bay & Split Rock Golf Courses

I found this venue on several websites and was excited to visit and possibly book for my wedding day. Unfortunately we had 2 appointments consecutively rescheduled with little to no notice. The first appointment was rescheduled because they forgot they had an event booked for that day. (Which personally alarmed me because they only host 1 event at a time). The second appointment was rescheduled after I called to confirm my appointment scheduled for the day as I had not heard from them. I received a phone call back stating that John had an emergency and needed to reschedule. I ‘m pretty sure at this point that they forgot the appointment, because I did not receive any confirmation prior to my phone call. Planning a wedding is an exciting time, but also a venue should be just as interested in and excited to help cater to your needs. I was offered to reschedule my appointments, but 2 missed appointments is a clear red flag that they are not attentive.

Attended a wedding there yesterday the location is very pleasing to the eye. The reception started at 5pm the staff was nice not as attentive as I thought they could be but nice. The food was okay not the best it seemed some what like microwave food. There was no scene of freshness in the food and bland. I had the beef with potato over some grave and broccoli. The broccoli was huge and the sauce was just blah. They had many choices to choose from at the cocktail hour, many selections like paella, assorted cold cuts and cheese but for me freshness is key. Maybe they were having an off day will try it one more time on another occasion in hope to be able to change my view point. :)

This is for the Split Rock Golf Course. Played here on a Sunday morning and aside from the super cool starter and the pace of play I have nothing nice to say about the course. The grass was in a terrible state — the greens were yellow, the fairways were hard as a rock and dry and the bunkers were filled with hornets. Our reservations got messed up and the Pro Shop staff was rude and unaccommodating, even when we showed them the reservation emails (the starter was cool so he fixed it). Don’t even get me started on the carts, which are barely mobile and dirty. We came really early and we were done in 4.5 hours, which is a decent pace. In terms of difficulty — it is an interesting and challenging course, but unfortunately I will never come back as the state of it is terrible.

This place is not interested in you at all. All they want is your green fee. Tee times are a joke. You will wait 30 – 60 minutes to tee off. The round will be 5 – 6 hours depending on how many people thay can squeeze on to the course. Try complaining to anyone and the refrain is the same — I just work here.
Yesterday, I had a tee time for 9:45 and I didn’t get off the course until after 4:00. Its nearly impossible to play golf when you are waiting on every tee and fairway. The back nine plays a little quicker because people eventually quit.
Drive 30 – 60 minutes to Westchester, LI or NJ for a better experience.

As much as I want to give this place a better review, the pace of play is so terrible that it makes for a frustrating, unenjoyable experience. We left after 11 holes, as we were on track for a 7-​hour round. This place is a joke, and I’m never coming here again.

Attended my friend’s wedding here over Memorial Day Weekend and had a great time!
It’s not accessible by public transportation so you will have to hail a taxi once you get off the Metro North or 6 train at Pelham Bay Parkway, but its only a 10 minute ride so it’s not too bad. The venue itself is shared with a golf course so that’s why I am only giving them 3 stars; during and after the ceremony there were two men adjacent to the gazebo playing golf and the guests and I were thinking how livid the bride would be had the golf ball flew over into our area.
Other than that the venue is clean and spacious and offered good photo ops for the guests. The hors d’ouevres could have been better but the five hour open bar definitely made up for it! For the reception, guests were ushered into a giant tent and given menus to order from. I went with the prime rib and made a TERRIBLE mistake! Our waiter Edward was friendly and efficient and told me they only had three options, those being rare, medium or well-​done but nothing in between (no medium-​rare) so I went with rare. When my prime rib came, it was beyond well-​done and tasted like a slab of defrosted meat that they tossed into microwave. It was really inedible so I just gobbled up the side up the side of potatoes and veggies. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING! I hope the other options on the menu tasted better than the prime rib.
Come here for the golf, not a wedding.

Really bad management!!! I’ve been playing golf now for over 8 years I have never seen anything like this before… they let people out to play regularly and then let out a huge group of outing shot gun so that put two group of foursome on almost every tee. so when you at the 14 and it take you another 2 hour to finish your early morning round!!! Really??? What the fuck???

We were here for a wedding in August 2014. Yes, this review is 9 months overdue. Whatever.
Here’s what I originally wrote in my notes:
Amateur hour
poor service
Bad coordination
Food came out late for different tables
I still remember all of this very clearly. It seemed like they were not very well organized and didn’t know how to run a large event like a wedding. Many of the wait staff were young and not trained well. Hopefully some of that has changed in the last 9 months.
Why two stars? When the weather is nice out, the golf course in the background is simply beautiful.

tee times were cramped, but complimentary cart helped the flow.
greens rolled well and the fairways were in wonderful condition.
laid back run of it, not too snooty here.
great customer service on phone & at pro shop.
ultimately, very satisfied with experience.

This is at the upper level of what you will get at a public golf course in NYC. The staff in the pro shop are really cool and accomodating, and there is 2 courses, both of which are pretty solid. Its not California, so dont expect a paradise golf experience, but for NY it will fit the bill nicely.

I recently played Split Rock and really liked it. It played long with plenty of challenges to make you think about how to set up your play. The course was in a great shape and the greens rolled well (at like an 8). I liked this track much better than Van Cortlandt. I look forward to playing Pelham Bay next time.
I am updating this review after finally getting a chance to play Pelham Bay. While I liked the general layout and play of Pelham more than Split Rock, the course was extremely backed up and we did not even get to tee off until 30 minutes after our tee time. I understand this happens and our pace sped up a little after the first par 3, but while on the tee box of the first par 3, we had to endure listening to some of the rangers get into a shouting match with the golfers behind us (who of course were paying customers). The reason for the argument was because one ranger told the group behind them (two back from my group) to hit even though the group ahead was still within range, which resulted in one golfer being hit in the foot by a ball. The man who was struck was not upset at the golfer who hit the shot, but rather with the ranger (reasonably so). Instead of trying to resolve the issue in a professional manner, the ranger blamed the (struck) golfer for not hitting his ball far enough and playing fast enough. The rangers involved eventually found my group and apologized but I witnessed them not only skip apologizing the group they were arguing with, but also give a very aggressive stare to that group while they were finishing up a hole.
The lack of professionalism in this instance is more than shocking to me as the rest of the staff was great. The slow pace of play was annoying but likely not enough to keep me from returning. However, the actions and behavior of the rangers could very likely keep me from returning here as I do not want to have golf balls purposefully hit at me by the instruction of the course staff, especially when the staff (rangers) were partially responsible for the slow play since they were not doing a very good job at controlling the tee box on the par 4 first hole (two ladies who were walking waited until the group ahead was on the green until they teed off with no instruction to hit from the rangers).
I guess the best advice for other golfers is to try and play this course in the afternoon when it’s (hopefully) not as busy… and to of course look out for rangers telling golfers to hit at them.

Sorry Golfers, this review is about my wedding that I was fortunate enough to have here. If you’re planning a wedding, this should get top consideration.
We spoke to Tammy, the events coordinator. She was nice and honest about the price and planning. Just plan ahead with her as she’s always busy.
The maitre d’s were Victor, and John. They were fantastic in planning, setting up, and decorating. They went above and beyond. All my guests said the wedding was very well organized, and I have them to thank. Kelly did a great job assisting my wife as well.
All the vendors they recommended did a great Job. All except the valet service, which I will inform split rock about later. The food that was served was excellent. I went with the prime rib, chicken Marsala, and Salmon for the main courses. All were great. I heard from a couple of guests that the Salmon was exceptional.
The wedding cake was included in the price and there vendor is Conti’s on Morris Park Avenue. I have to give Conti’s a separate excellent review. The cake came out way better than expected and was delicious.
They also do other benefits and functions besides weddings. My wife and I will be visiting the bar they have set up on the right hand side. Bottom line is that you won’t find this type of service anywhere else. If you want your wedding more personalized than the catering halls that churn out wedding after wedding, than go with Split Rock.

A — ok folks.
This review is based on a Special Event I attended at the golf club.
I adored the tent space and the chandeliers. It have such a classy touch! The up lighting was good too and they had Chivari chairs and good table setting presentation as well as the food presentation. I think the space could accommodate 100 ppl with plenty of space and a big dance floor.
The food:
I had the prime rib — very moist and tender. I really liked it. The salmon — I was told was dry and overlooked. The chicken — I was told was just chicken.
The warm chocolate chip cookies were also delish at first but has a weird after-​taste. I still ate it. Lol.
The waiters try to be «white glove» waiters but it’s still apparent that they are all amateurs and just need more training. LOL.
Overall, I enjoyed my time celebrating!
Cheers!

I’m happy to report after playing a round today that Split Rock is back in fantastic shape. Bunkers were filled and generally well maintained (though often short on rakes), while the undulating greens rolled true, fast and gave quite a challenge. Overall, Split Rock is the best of the public courses in New York City (a back-​handed compliment – Trump Ferry Point not withstanding). Split Rock’s layout presents an enjoyable challenge over gently rolling hills and puts a premium on driving accuracy. There isn’t too much water, but there are some massive bunkers and strategically placed creeks, requiring well-​struck carried shots through the air.
The other course there, Pelham Bay, is considerably shorter, with two drivable par 4’s and 2 par 5’s that are reachable with two well struck shots, but the par 3’s are pretty tough. With an open layout, Pelham Bay typically allows you to play strategically or go long shots without being punitive. The challenge comes on the greens, which are undulating and well maintained. Only complaint was the inconsistency in the speeds. Unless you know the course well, you better be on in regulation as you’ll be hitting a lot of putts.
If you’re a serious golfer with access to a car and don’t want to venture far from Manhattan, Pelham Bay & Split Rock courses should be at the top of your list.

This review is for Pelham.
This is definitely a jewel in NYC. Compared to all the other NYC courses, this one blows the others away. Its almost as if the groundskeepers here care about the course. For $ 50 a round walking, it can’t be beat. The courses are somewhat challenging and conditions surprisingly great for a public city course. The one issue I have with this course is the wait. I teed off at 6:30am and finished at 12pm. 5.5hr round even that early in the morning is unacceptable. I didn’t see any rangers maintaining pace in the groups ahead of us. If they can fix this this course would be a 5 star course.

Q: How do you kill two golf courses in one season?
A: Put all of your $$$ into making this place a wedding destination, and totally neglect the courses.

Wow! I attended an outdoor wedding reception in mid-​October this year. I was quite impressed by the way the reception felt personalized. From the moment I walked into the mansion as it seemed, I was speechless. It felt as if I had walked into the home of the new couple which had photos of the bride, groom, their family and friends. The lounge area was beautifully furnished and perfect for cocktail hour. The remainder of the reception was held outdoors under a white tent which had a dance floor. I did not know the Bronx had such hidden secrets.
I must say it was a pain to walk to and from the parking lot. Ladies, I recommend carrying a pair of flats with you. The pathways are difficult to walk on with heels and as far as I saw, there was no valet parking either.
The food was delicious. We had a really great time and took plenty of photos. Very lovely place but easy to miss. They need signage along the route. A few of us followed the numbers and drove in the wrong direction, but eventually figured it out.

I also waited a long time on the tee. The wrong tee.
We had a tee time at Split Rock and sat on the line for the Pelham course for 20 minutes (10 of those after we had given our receipt to the starter). The starter looked a bit overwhelmed.
Need more signage directing people to Split Rock.
Otherwise, not bad as far as the city courses go. You know it’s going to be a slow round. And the greens do not roll true (I’ve never seen a ball put the brakes on a putt like this before).

People are totally right with the reviews, with the long wait time.
We had to wait more than 40 minutes before we started, and some group of guys tried to cut us off on the first hole. That was a mess there. There’s only a few things I liked about this course. 1. The inside staff was nice 2. The clubs were super nice rentals brand new ones. I’ve rented constantly and these were the nicest. 3. The golf clubs were prettier.
The fairway wasn’t that meh, a lot of patches and beer bottles galore. Didn’t people hear about throwing away garbage? And so many twigs!
Other than that, mehh. We kept waiting for people ahead of us, and some guy comes up to my group and starts flipping out at us, says we’re taking too long, while the idiot didn’t realize we were waiting for the group in front of us, and so many people kept asking us to play through, NO BITCH WAIT YOUR TURN, you act like your a pro while your ball goes into the rough and goes missing for a while.
And the girl who drives the cart around with food, please have a better selection, this golf course isn’t that poor, they can afford more than snickers and doritos. And COFFEE! No coffee! wth!

I was never blessed with natural ability for golf, but I do love the sport. Although I have played here about 5 times, I will enlighten you about my most memorable round at Split Rock this past summer.
I used
and reserved a morning tee time. Upon arrival, I paid a $ 2 parking fee and met my 3 companions. I walked to clubhouse and checked in. The signin and payment part doesn’t happen until they call your name on the PA system.
The Split Rock course was backed up at least a ½ hour. At hole #1, after we teed off, light rain poured, but we played through it. At #5, there was slight backup, but we finished the hole. It poured again. This time it was heavy, so we waited an hour under trees. The foursome behind us did the same. We continued playing and realized many golfers had left. The greens were soaked. Putting was terrible. By this my boxers and socks were wet. Imagine the discomfort, yet we decided to continue.
At #8, we started the hole, and it poured again. Now my colleagues were feeling depressed. We already passed 5 holes so we did not qualify for a raincheck for our greens fees. We decided to forget it and head home. As we passed #9, we saw the snack bar so we stopped for a hot dog and beer. We remained quiet and yet we had the look of disgust on our faces. What a waste of money.
The weather miraculously cleared up, so we drove back to hole #8 and played it through. By hole #11, the sun came out and stayed out. My undergarments were still wet, but the game continued.
A lot of golfers left at the first sight of inclement weather (maybe they had plans and only scheduled a 4 – 5 hour window to play golf). We were there for a while. Yes 7 hours. I understand, we paid with our valuable time, but this was the strangest yet most memorable golf experience to date.
My highlights for me were 3 bogeys in the back nine. You can imagine the double and trip bogeys, along with my double par holes.
The Good:
+ Nice golf course in the Bronx (see photos), part of the largest park in NYC (yes, Pelham Bay Park is larger than Central Park)
+ Split Rock is the better of the two courses, but Pelham is wider.
+ (for round plus cart) $ 70 for non-​residents, $ 64 for residents (get the ny golfers club card; it’s kind of like a county card, but it doesnt have your photo)
+ There is a pitching and chipping area where I can practice for free.
+ At the snack bar (you encounter it at Split Rock holes #1 and #9), there is a special where if you buy 5 of the same beer, you get the 6^th free.
The Bad:
— Not all of the yardage signs are up (missing)
— Live game may be wandering on the course, ie on the green.
— No driving range.
— Snack bar and cart girl accept cash only.
The Ugly:
– Finding droppings on the green. Eek.
– Delays will back you up, thanks to walkers. People lose their golf balls and take forever to move on. To the sh-​tty golfers, bring a lot of balls and maintain pace with the players ahead. I do.
Overall it is a must see/​to do in Pelham Bay park/​the Bronx.
Here is your moment of Zen: Tell the news, not the weather.
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O O IFHTP 3+ O O