They could only share a laugh while looking over their creation and realizing how far it had come. Hosting one of the PGA TOUR’s top events was not the goal when they started the renovation of Long Island’s Glen Oaks Club. But there they were, standing on the scaffolding behind the 17th green, mere weeks before the club would host THE NORTHERN TRUST — the first event of the 2017 FedExCup Playoffs. “Craig turned to me and said, ‘Never in my wildest imagination would I ever think we’d be getting ready for a TOUR event,’â€� said course designer Joel Weiman. Craig Currier is Glen Oaks’ superintendent. He has some experience preparing courses for prestigious events. He was hired at Bethpage Black for the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens. Currier came to Glen Oaks a year after the second Open, lured to the private club to lead a dramatic renovation of a tired, tree-lined course. Some golf enthusiasts refer to Glen Oaks as “the Augusta National of the northâ€� because its wide fairways flow into each other, the deep hues of green dotted by bright white bunkers. Of course, the Alister Mackenzie design down in Georgia holds an incomparable place in the sport. Weiman insists that they weren’t trying to copy one of golf’s most famous courses, but Glen Oaks’ crisp, clean look is the inspiration for the comparisons. Stewart Hagestad has played both Glen Oaks and Augusta National. He was the low amateur at this year’s Masters (T36) and played Glen Oaks in the 2016 Metropolitan Open, finishing 11th with a 54-hole score of 7-over 217. He called Glen Oaks’ conditioning “pretty elite.â€� “They really nailed the aesthetics,â€� said Hagestad, winner of the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur. BK Sweeney’s Parkside Tavern is a watering hole just outside the grounds of Bethpage State Park that advertises “family-friendly dining and delicious, hearty foodsâ€� on its website. It’s where Howard Smith went to meet the man he wanted to lead Glen Oaks’ transformation. Smith, a longtime Glen Oaks member, was the club’s president. Currier’s reputation, as the man who prepared a municipal course for two U.S. Opens, preceded him. They had never met, but Smith was able to procure his phone number and arrange a meeting. “I had heard, ‘If you want to hire the best, hire Craig,’â€� Smith said. “Based on that, I told myself that I had to give it a try. It was a process. I was doing a lot of selling on Glen Oaks and trying to convince him that going from a public course to a private course … would be a great next step. I guess I was appealing.â€� Currier grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, which gave him an appreciation for hard labor and long hours. A small private club, The Cedar Lake Club, was adjacent to the family farm. He started working on the course as a teenager. “I think my dad almost pushed me away from farming, told me I should do something else,â€� Currier said. “After growing up on a dairy farm, almost any job you do seems easy.â€� He worked at several clubs, including two winters at Augusta National, before becoming the superintendent at Bethpage in June 1997, months after the U.S. Golf Association announced it was taking its biggest tournament to the course. The $2 million Rees Jones renovation to toughen up the Black Course started two months later. It was a dramatic renovation that transformed a run-down municipal course into a worthy host of a major championship. “Craig had a reputation as being one of the best, certainly in the Met Section, but also the nation, based on what he had done with Bethpage,â€� Smith said. “I just saw the passion. I saw how dedicated he was. I saw his love for what he does.â€� Smith saw that dedication first-hand while he was playing Glen Oaks on a dreary Sunday. He spotted Currier, who had yet to accept the job, scouting the property. “He came somewhat unannounced, but he walked all 27 holes by himself, envisioning what he could do on each hole,â€� Smith said. What did Currier see during that visit? “It was like walking through a forest,â€� said Currier, who became Glen Oaks’ superintendent in 2010. “I’m not going to tell you I loved it. I liked the greens. Every hole looked the same to me. It was really tight. Literally, if you hit it off the fairway, you were punching out sideways. “They were looking to turn over a new leaf so to speak and re-do the whole place. It looked like a great challenge.â€� Long Island is home to some of the best courses in the United States, including Shinnecock Hills, the site of next year’s U.S. Open and the National Golf Links of America. Even the local courses that aren’t built on links land use fescue to create a rugged look. Glen Oaks wanted to do something to differentiate itself. “A lot of the courses in the area have a lot of native fescue, like Bethpage Black, a big, rugged golf course,â€� Currier said. “We were certainly trying to separate ourselves a little bit with a real clean, elegant, sharp, manicured look.â€� Said Weiman, “We couldn’t do Shinnecock better than Shinnecock, or National Golf Links better than NGLA, so we went 180 degrees in the opposite direction.â€� Weiman called the course’s metamorphosis a “bold transition.â€� Mother Nature helped the process. Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy a year later removed approximately 1,000 trees from the property. “The golf course was very tight, narrow and nondescript,â€� Weiman said. “It didn’t have a lot of memorable holes. It wasn’t very strategic by any stretch. We opened it up, created angles and options and gave each hole its own identity.â€� Weiman estimates that 30 percent of the property’s bunkers were removed, but the ones that remain were strategically placed to make players take risks to open up the best angles for playing the hole. The wide fairways encourage players to be aggressive and hit driver. Weiman uses the fifth hole, a dogleg-left par-4, as an example. Before the renovation, players had to nearly snap-hook their tee shot to keep it in the fairway. With the trees gone, fairway bunkers were built on the inside corner of the dogleg. Now players can take a risk by trying to carry those traps, or they can play safely to the right of them, leaving a longer approach. There is no rough between the fairway and bunkers. Short grass leads directly into the sand traps, and connects green complexes to the next hole. It’s a look that is reminiscent of that famous course down in Georgia, and shows how dramatically Glen Oaks has changed. Although Currier provided input with the strategic design elements, his main contribution, according to Weiman, was “to always push the envelope. In each instance, his first thought was grounded in the impact to the overall golf experience – not the impact to the future maintenance program.â€� Currier was dedicated to creating a truly unique facility in Long Island. Now Glen Oaks gets its opportunity this week to shine. “We were running with a bold vision,â€� Weiman said. “He never said, ‘That’s too much, that’s over the top.’ He was always willing to take the challenge, and that’s why it’s so spectacular now. That was the attitude, that the sky’s the limit.â€�
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3rd Round 2-Balls - B. Campbell / P. Rodgers | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Brian Campbell | +135 |
Patrick Rodgers | -125 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Henley / V. Hovland | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Russell Henley | +105 |
Viktor Hovland | +105 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - X. Schauffele vs V. Hovland | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Xander Schauffele | -135 |
Viktor Hovland | +115 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - B. Hun An / C. Davis | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Byeong Hun An | -125 |
Cam Davis | +135 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Conners / A. Scott | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Adam Scott | +150 |
Corey Conners | -135 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - J. Bridgeman / J. Highsmith | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Jacob Bridgeman | -120 |
Joe Highsmith | +130 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Dunlap / G. Higgo | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Garrick Higgo | -120 |
Nick Dunlap | +130 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Fitzpatrick / C. Bezuidenhout | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +120 |
Matt Fitzpatrick | -110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Thorbjornsen / J. Spieth | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | -145 |
Michael Thorbjornsen | +160 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - J.J. Spaun / A. Novak | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Andrew Novak | +105 |
J J Spaun | +105 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - A. Novak vs M. McNealy | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Maverick McNealy | -116 |
Andrew Novak | -105 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - D. Thompson / A. Rai | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Rai | +105 |
Davis Thompson | +105 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Norgaard / S. Valimaki | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Sami Valimaki | +100 |
Niklas Norgaard | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - D. Berger / R. MacIntyre | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Daniel Berger | -105 |
Robert MacIntyre | +115 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - D. Berger vs T. Fleetwood | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Daniel Berger | -110 |
Tommy Fleetwood | -110 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - H. Buckley / T. Phillips | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Hayden Buckley | +100 |
Trent Phillips | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - L. Aberg / H. Matsuyama | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Hideki Matsuyama | +120 |
Ludvig Aberg | -110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - E. Grillo / C. Young | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Emiliano Grillo | +100 |
Carson Young | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - M.W. Lee / M. McNealy | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Maverick McNealy | +110 |
Min Woo Lee | +100 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - M.W. Lee vs K. Bradley | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Min Woo Lee | -115 |
Keegan Bradley | -105 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Hadley / T. Olesen | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Thorbjorn Olesen | -160 |
Chesson Hadley | +180 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Young / E. Cole | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Cameron Young | +120 |
Eric Cole | -110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Fox / T. Widing | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Ryan Fox | -130 |
Tim Widing | +140 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Hojgaard / B. Griffin | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Ben Griffin | +100 |
Rasmus Hojgaard | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - B. Griffin vs S. Jaeger | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Stephan Jaeger | -115 |
Ben Griffin | -105 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - X. Schauffele / T. Pendrith | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Taylor Pendrith | +150 |
Xander Schauffele | -135 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - K. Yu / A. Putnam | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Kevin Yu | -125 |
Andrew Putnam | +135 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - D. McCarthy vs T. Pendrith | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Denny McCarthy | -110 |
Taylor Pendrith | -110 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - B. Silverman / P. Kizzire | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Ben Silverman | +100 |
Patton Kizzire | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - K. Bradley / T. Fleetwood | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Keegan Bradley | +130 |
Tommy Fleetwood | -120 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - D. Shore / N. Xiong | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Norman Xiong | -120 |
Davis Shore | +130 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Taylor / E. Van Rooyen | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Nick Taylor | -105 |
Erik Van Rooyen | +115 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Watney / W. Chandler | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Will Chandler | -105 |
Nick Watney | +115 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Burns / J.T. Poston | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
J.T. Poston | +115 |
Sam Burns | -105 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - S. Burns vs S. Im | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Sungjae Im | -115 |
Sam Burns | -105 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - S. Stevens vs J.T. Poston | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
J.T. Poston | -115 |
Sam Stevens | -105 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - H. Higgs / D. Walker | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Danny Walker | -125 |
Harry Higgs | +140 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Im / A. Noren | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Alex Noren | +145 |
Sungjae Im | -130 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - M. Hughes / C. Del Solar | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Mackenzie Hughes | -185 |
Cristobal Del Solar | +210 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Stevens / D. McCarthy | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Denny McCarthy | +100 |
Sam Stevens | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - T. Finau / H. English | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Harris English | +110 |
Tony Finau | +100 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - A. Bhatia vs T. Finau | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Tony Finau | -115 |
Akshay Bhatia | -105 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. Fowler / G. Woodland | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Gary Woodland | +100 |
Rickie Fowler | +110 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - Y. Noh / K. Gillman | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Yealimi Noh | -160 |
Kristen Gillman | +180 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - T. Detry / S. Jaeger | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Stephan Jaeger | -105 |
Thomas Detry | +115 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - M. Homa / T. Detry | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Max Homa | -110 |
Thomas Detry | -110 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - J. Thitikul / H. Naveed | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Jeeno Thitikul | -250 |
Hira Naveed | +280 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - P. Cantlay / M. Homa | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Max Homa | +170 |
Patrick Cantlay | -155 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - P. Cantlay vs J. Thomas | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Justin Thomas | -115 |
Patrick Cantlay | -105 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Boutier / J. Lopez | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Celine Boutier | -180 |
Julia Lopez Ramirez | +200 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - A. Bhatia / S.W. Kim | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Akshay Bhatia | +115 |
Si Woo Kim | -105 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - S.W. Kim vs K. Mitchell | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Si Woo Kim | -115 |
Keith Mitchell | -105 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - C. Cinganda / J. Bae | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Carlota Ciganda | -145 |
Jenny Bae | +160 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - R. McIIroy / C. Morikawa | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Collin Morikawa | +140 |
Rory McIlroy | -125 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - A. Lee / S. Kyriacou | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Andrea Lee | +105 |
Stephanie Kyriacou | +105 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - S. Straka / J. Thomas | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Justin Thomas | -130 |
Sepp Straka | +145 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round Match-Ups - S. Lowry vs S. Straka | |
Type: 3rd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN | |
Shane Lowry | -115 |
Sepp Straka | -105 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - K. Mitchell / S. Lowry | |
Type: Including Tie - Status: OPEN | |
Keith Mitchell | +130 |
Shane Lowry | -120 |
Tie | +750 |
3rd Round 2-Balls - N. Korda / S. Lee | |
Type: 3rd Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN | |
Nelly Korda | -155 |
Somi Lee | +170 |
Tie | +750 |
Major Specials 2025 | |
Type: To Win A Major 2025 - Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +160 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +350 |
Xander Schauffele | +350 |
Ludvig Aberg | +400 |
Collin Morikawa | +450 |
Jon Rahm | +450 |
Justin Thomas | +550 |
Brooks Koepka | +700 |
Viktor Hovland | +700 |
Hideki Matsuyama | +800 |
Click here for more... | |
PGA Championship 2025 | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy | +450 |
Scottie Scheffler | +450 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +1100 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1800 |
Justin Thomas | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2200 |
Jon Rahm | +2200 |
Joaquin Niemann | +3500 |
Brooks Koepka | +4000 |
Click here for more... | |
US Open 2025 | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy | +500 |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +1200 |
Xander Schauffele | +1200 |
Jon Rahm | +1400 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1400 |
Collin Morikawa | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +1800 |
Justin Thomas | +2000 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Click here for more... | |
The Open 2025 | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy | +500 |
Scottie Scheffler | +550 |
Xander Schauffele | +1100 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1400 |
Collin Morikawa | +1600 |
Jon Rahm | +1600 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2000 |
Shane Lowry | +2500 |
Tommy Fleetwood | +2500 |
Tyrrell Hatton | +2500 |
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Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN | |
USA | -150 |
Europe | +140 |
Tie | +1200 |