Montauk Downs State Park Golf Course

I love this course! Think it’s the best public course on Long Island (aside from Bethpage Black). Great value for a course of this quality. It’s hard, it’s challenging, it tests every club in your bag. And it changes every time you play, depending on the wind, which does blow in Montauk! But the beauty, the wildlife and where you are make for a wonderful day of golf. And Charlie and his crew do such an unbelievable job of keeping the course in shape! If you haven’t played «The Downs» and you love golf, you owe it to yourself to make the trip!

Very well maintained course for the price. Beautiful views, carts with gps and plenty of wildlife to see. The holes are challenging with water on a few holes and a lot of fairway and green side bunkers. In the pro shop they kind of act like you are bothering them but the rest of the staff is very friendly.

This place is awful. Let’s start with the fact that they get you $ 93 for a round. And you have to pay extra for golf cart, and $ 7 for a bucket of balls on the range.
We didnt not see a beverage girl until the turn on 9 so we had no choice but to get food and bathroom. We then proceeded to t off at 10 w/​no one behind us. For the next 2 holes 2 Different marshals hounded us like mall security rent a cops.
I have played all over the world and never been treated like this.
Think this place needs some new management because the course is pretty decent.

The dining room at a 360 East Restaurant is a hidden gem.
Great view with outdoor eating. The food was surprisingly good and priced fairly.
The steak sandwich or lobster roll are two of the best dishes in town. High quality and super delish.
Plus if your beau wants to golf you can spend the day by the Olympic size pool for $ 5.00 a day.
Winning”

Playing golf on the tip of Long Island certainly has its pro’s and con’s.
Getting to the course is no easy task from Queens, nor from Southampton where I lived for a bit of time. Driving on Montauk Hwy through the other Hamptonian towns, not to exclude Water Mill, can take some serious drive time when the summer season is in full swing.
As one of the only public courses that far out on the east end, tee times on the weekends and weekdays can be difficult to come by. The reservation system is based on obtaining a card from the state park for a minimal fee. Then simply dial into their system, shared with Sunken Meadow State Park Golf Courses, pick the day, the time and number of players.
As a single player, walking up at 8:00 am, I have been on more than one occasion waiting until my tee time of 3:00 pm, which is about the worst news a single can receive. No exaggeration there, it has happened on more than one occasion. Don’t fight it. We all could use a three hour practice putting and chipping session,. But once you get on the course, it is easy to understand why the times fill up quickly. The more shots you can pull off, the better (much better) you will fare out on the links.
The routing is not very intricate as you play nine out and nine back, but you can really sense wind direction much better with that design. But let me say that when the wind blows, you will be battling for bogeys like you have never have previously. Number nine plays into the wind most of the time, or a little over your right shoulder. Swing easy when its breezy and just safely work your way to the turn, its not a hole to mess with.
The par 3, second hole plays about 100 yards, that’s all. I have carded a 7, 8 and I think an 11. The par five’s are reachable on the right days playing to low greens, elevated greens protected by lots of bunkers and did I mention that there is lots of wind?
Par 3, number 16 hole is there signature hole. 190 yard shot over a waste area to a narrow green. (I stuffed one six inches behind the flag and was convinced I had an ace, what a hole to get one on, or not)
The rough is different from every other Long Island course as it is thick and have the construction of vines. Almost like the grass in the south, but much harder to advance the ball through. You can not hit a flop shot, as the vine grass will twist the club in your hand, pitching it will not give you the height to hold the green.
Its not an easy track but so very worth the trip and pray you do not get rain on the day you play. It makes an already difficult course much more difficult. About ten shots more difficult.

Just so happens I played this course the week after The Open Championship, and got to play in some of that tall thick Fescue grass we all saw Tiger Woods chunkin’ the ball out of. Amazingly I only went in the thick stuff once, but it is EVERYWHERE, so be careful.
First off, this place is super cheap. And long and beautiful to boot. I went to the driving range here the day before I played and looked down #4, and saw a hole straight off of the Golf Channel. Long, rolling, bright green fairway leading up to a well guarded slightly elevated green. So excited to play there. Pictures don’t even give this place justice. Indescribable. So much so that I’d rather just list…
PROS:
~Driving range to warm up on.
~Nice practice green.
~Friendly staff.
~Really nice layout (Google satellite view it before you go)
~Long tee times so your not getting chased the whole time. (I believe they have 9 minute tee times as opposed to 8 at most courses. That one minute makes a huge difference.)
~The water coolers were full, yayyyyyyyyyy…
~Challenging in every way. Blind second shot to a green guarded by a huge pond? They’ve got it. 200 yard carry to get on in two, or lay up to the right of another great lake? They’ve got it. Bunkers EVERYWHERE? Yup!
~Fast, quiet carts.
~GPS accurate within a yard.
~#12. Long par 3. Elevated tee, elevated green, death all around. Miss the green? Just go ahead and mark an X on your scorecard.
CONS:
~They have NONE, this place knows what they are doing. Other courses should do their training here.