Our state golf courses host thousands of rounds each year. Everyone who puts a peg in the ground has a story to tell about themselves, their round, why they chose that club and that ball, or why they showed up to that course on that day. And what keeps them coming back.

With the Ryder Cup coming up at Bethpage State Park in September, we wanted to share stories we discovered during a recent visit to three other lesser-known but phenomenal courses — one in our Long Island Region and two others that are Hudson Valley staples. We hope you’ll pay a visit to these this year or find a favorite among the 19 in our state park system. Tee it high and let it fly – or tee it low and watch it go. Either way, we’ll see you out there!

Sunken Meadow Golf Course, Kings Park

This summer, expect lots of swings, rolled putts and glimpses of the resident crane fishing for lunch in the six-and-a-half-million-gallon pond at Sunken Meadow (Alfred E. Smith) Golf Course. The “T” shaped park on the North Shore of Long Island, under the leadership of Park Manager Sean Cruickshank, has just about everything you want in a state park – including 27 holes open for daily play. Course superintendent Geoff Gralow and Assistant Park Manager Marco Flores rotate their three nines every day for a complete 18 plus another nine to keep the course fresh, challenging, and to make sure the golfers can get out and play.

“I hesitate to call it a hidden gem because we’re packed daily,” said Gralow. “I really love this course.”

“Every time you come, you get a different course,” said league golfer Martha Anderson. “The people are really friendly here; everybody is really friendly no matter who you play with.”

Even with the tough winter and rainy spring, Sunken Meadow averages 475 rounds a day. Lately, it’s been climbing: 594 rounds both on June 13 and 19; 619 rounds on June 20!

“We usually don’t see those numbers until after school is out,” Gralow said.

What’s led to the recent influx of new faces? Most said they usually play at Bethpage State Park – about 25 miles southwest as the traffic flows. With the build-up for this fall’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, more and more golfers are “discovering” Sunken Meadow just off the Long Island Sound and have decided to expand their horizons.

And get ready for more. As of June 30, Sunken Meadow will be teeming with kids taking part in summer camps. Those run until September 1. PGA pro Rich Doino keeps his juniors organized while also juggling leagues (ladies’, men’s, senior’s) and the PGA Hope chapter.

“It’s close to home, it’s on the water, the scenery is beautiful,” Anderson added. “It’s a little bit cooler in the summer, you get a nice breeze, and the course is really well kept.”

Sunken Meadow is also the home course for four area high schools and a steady stream of bookings for those just hoping to get in a quick nine. Donna Coles and Thomas Brooks in the golf clubhouse office do their best to get people out on the course and keep it all organized.

“We’re really busy,” Doino said. “Every day there are people who want to play.”

On an early Thursday in June, we found Gary DeStefano with some buddies on the fourth tee of the green course. Paralyzed from the waist down, Gary was shot 17 years ago while trying to protect a co-worker. He uses an adaptive cart on the course that allows him to still play the game he loves.

“Let’s put it this way: if I can play here and I can enjoy it, anybody can. The people around here are phenomenal,” said DeStefano.

He was working at his insurance office in Bohemia when his administrator’s ex-boyfriend burst in the office. It turned into a fatal, horrific day and Gary was shot twice. One bullet lodged in his spine.

“Thanks to my wife and the support and love of my family, I was able to see all three of my kids grow up,” DeStefano said. “My oldest daughter is married, and I am now a grandfather.”

In addition to golf, DeStefano is working with the Stand Up and Play Foundation. The adaptive cart can drive anywhere on the course – including bunkers and greens – and helps people stand to swing. He wants everyone to enjoy Sunken Meadow as he does.

“I know playing the game is big for me and without a doubt it will help a lot of members in this community in similar situations as well as amputees and people with MS, etc.,” he said. “Children can also use this cart. ‘Stand Up and Play’ will run clinics and train anyone in need of the cart including golf lessons.”

Also on Long Island, please make plans to visit:

Montauk Downs State Park Golf Course: 50 South Fairview Ave.

Sag Harbor State Golf Course: Barcelona Point Road

Robert Moses Pitch & Putt: Babylon

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Over in our Taconic Region, you will find two courses that take on all comers – James Baird and Dinsmore Golf Courses. While they are about 22 miles apart, it is just about a 30-minute drive on the winding roads of the Hudson Valley. So, if you can’t get a tee time at one, don’t give up – go to the other.

James Baird Golf Course, Pleasant Valley

Starter Jim Riley greets a group with a smile: “Have a good day, guys.” Riley’s been working at James Baird Golf Course for five years. Even with some dark clouds on the horizon, one of the players he interacts with stays optimistic in his response: “Hey, we’re out here – it’s already a good day.”

The course in Pleasant Valley was designed by famous golf architect Robert Trent Jones. It is very walkable, but on foot or in a cart, it’s a challenge with some forgiveness along the way. It plays 6,787 yards from the tips, 6,248 yards from the white and 5,337 yards at the red. The front nine has one par-5 and a trio of par-3s, while the back has three par-5s and two par-3s for a total of par-71. Some say a tough stretch would be holes 10-13. And don’t forget to grab a snack at the shed behind the first and tenth tee box.

The course is built on farmland once owned by James Baird, a contractor and engineer whose firm constructed the Lincoln Memorial. In 1939, he donated the 590 acres of land to New York State. The park and course opened a decade later, after World War II.

As the humidity settled in on this Friday afternoon in June, three buddies were putting out on the elevated 18^th green near the starter’s gazebo. They made their way up the hill pushing their three-wheeled carts and shared their thoughts on their round.

“For the shape of this course, it’s so affordable,” said Greg Kantor of LaGrangeville. His buddy Dave Kehoe from Hyde Park joked that “the course won today.”

A few groups later, a golfer from Yorktown described Baird as “wide open,” noting how much he liked it. A dad was sent up to the first tee after first adding his ticket under the “Baird rock” at the gazebo. He had dropped his son off at school and was here to get in a quick nine before the rain (and school pickup).

James Baird Park Manager and course superintendent Kevin O’Brien has been with State Parks for 21 years. Besides the golf course, his facility brings in those who love tennis, basketball, softball, pickleball and day-use picnicking. You can also find seven miles of trails for hiking or cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. 

O’Brien cut his teeth, and the grass, at Bethpage State Park. He worked there every summer during college and a year after graduation. At Baird, players rave that during O’Brien’s time here, the course has never looked or played better, and that the team is responsive to player concerns and suggestions. There are lots of friendly faces and a positive atmosphere.

“I love the layout, I love the freedom,” said Kregg Moyer of Purdys. “There’s not a lot of peripheral noise. There’s a certain silence that is so enjoyable.”

Dinsmore Golf Course, Staatsburg

The original nine holes at Dinsmore – in the Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park adjacent to Staatsburgh State Historic Site – was laid out in 1893. Redesigned in 1962 to add another nine, players seem to enjoy their time at Dinsmore.

“I didn’t know there were so many state courses around,” said Robert Dominguez of Poughkeepsie, a veteran. “They’re in great shape, the price is right, better than anything else around, really.”

Pulling off Route 9, you can get a real panoramic view of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains from the parking lot. In the fall, Mother Nature’s leaves are not to be missed.

After checking in, take a minute to walk through the pro shop and snack bar to find club trophies and plaques, creative artwork and even a Laurel and Hardy figurine. They all illustrate a golf course with a deep history.

If the whole family doesn’t golf, drop the player off and the others can find a hiking trail or old carriage road. Also, Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park has a marina, a kayak operator and an environmental center, as well as camping and cabin facilities.

Jason Ward, course maintenance supervisor, has been with State Parks for over 28 years. “We have (worked on) our irrigation system and have added more blacktop to help the golf carts get around the course,” he said.

The par-70 has a very comfortable yardage – 2,489-yards on the front nine (par-34) and 3,230-yards on the back nine (par-36). The red tees are 4,567-yards and the gold are 4,407-yards.

“It’s easy to get on, it’s reasonably priced and it challenges your ability,” said Joseph Novak of Clinton Corners, who had just birdied 18.

The two holes the managers hear a lot about, and hope visitors enjoy, are both par-3s. Number six is nicknamed “Cardiac Hill” for the steep climb from tee-to-green. Players can’t even see where the ball lands unless they have a souped-up golf cart. And number 14 is called “The Crow’s Nest.” You can look right down into that target. In the winter, the kids love it as a sledding hill.

“It’s a fair course,” said Vincent Lu of New Paltz. “The greens here are beautiful.”

We found Eric Gross of Staatsburg after his round, sitting at the snack bar’s counter ordering a chicken parmigiana sub and an iced tea. Gross talked about his hole-in-one on #6 years ago and he admitted that when he was a kid, he used to sneak out and play a few holes before it got dark. On this day, before the food arrived, he took a moment to compliment Richard Stimson, who runs Dinsmore.

“They’ve done an incredible job with the course over the past ten years,” Gross said.

Please make plans to visit our other New York State golf courses here.

— Written by John Craig, Digital Content Specialist. All photos by John Craig.