Little Golf in the BIG APPLE | Adventures in Golf Season 9

Little Golf in the BIG APPLE | Adventures in Golf Season 9

Hi, I’m Eric and this is Adventures in Golf. For this episode, we’ve come to New York City. I’m standing on the Highline. This was once a defunct mid-century railroad that’s become a modern urban park. Essentially proving that to live here, you must adapt. And golf is no exception. From fairways built on landfills to simulators hidden behind storefronts, golfers prove that when you run out of room, you have to make your own. [Music] What does it mean to be a New Yorker? Everyone has their own definition. Some say it’s being born here. Some say it’s living here for more than 10 years. Others believe it’s a state of mind, something that comes when you fiercely embrace the city despite challenges that tend to push others away. For me, both are true. I was born in New Jersey and at 16, I was waiting tables in Manhattan and I lived here for 10 years. Being in New York City on 9/11, the transit strike, and the blackout made me feel like more of a New Yorker than all of my 10 years combined, which is why coming back to the city is always a homecoming. A lot has changed since I lived here for both the city and for me. Back then, neither of us were very big into golf. In fact, my golf journey hadn’t even begun yet. Golf is booming now. But the interesting thing in New York is the game needs a lot of space and the city is short on it. All the courses around here have their own unique little character and charm just based on the quirks of the space they have available. Oh, that’s looking good. For all New Yorkers, this is just one more challenge in the growing community of golfers that live, work, and play golf in America’s largest city. What’s great about golf in New York is the scarcity of it. So when you get to do it, you’re so excited. Like the rest of the country, since the pandemic, New Yorkers are embracing golf like never before. There’s a million things you can get out of a round of golf that that don’t have to do with score. It’s not weird anymore to see someone with golf clubs on the street. Well, there are officially 18 courses in four of the five burrows of the city. Most of them are not easily accessible. So, how do golfers get a quick fix without busting their budget or losing half a day to travel? The answer can be found closer than you think. We are at the newest 5iron golf in Manhattan. It’s 1290 Avenue of the Americas. Beautiful location and it opens tomorrow. [Music] This is Jared Solomon, one of the founders of Five Iron, an indoor golf experience that combines golf technology and entertainment to make the game more accessible for serious golfers and beginners alike. So, I’m taking lessons with Mike Doyle, one of the co-founders of Five Iron in the back of a men’s clothing store in New York City. And there was a simulator. The first time I saw a simulator, too, was in the back of this men’s clothing store. When are we talking about? What? talking 2015, 2016, maybe even a little bit earlier than that. And it was really the first of simulators coming to New York and like, man, I I want somewhere to practice. And he said, well, you can’t practice here because my lesson book is full. And I’m thinking, wait, so there are a bunch of other people like me who also want to practice. And he’s like, yeah, they all want to practice. So I’m thinking, well, we should open a place where they can practice. At the same time, we also would go out to have a few drinks and we would have some food. And we also like the idea of of that world, the hospitality world as well. So, we kind of thought, well, at the very least, we’ll be a place for people to practice, but let’s also do a kitchen and food and kind of see what happens. And that was sort of how the idea started. In 2017, 5iron opened its first location in the Flat Iron District, bringing golf into the world of entertainment, the term coined in the arcade era, and it oversimplifies what 5iron provides. Our locations are packed at 6:00 a.m. with people that are trying to get better at golf. What we try to do is be the best place for the serious golfer. Which really underscores how serious 5iron is about growing the game. Come on, hit a car. Oh, he throws dynamite. Yeah, that’s worth 10. This game my 5-year-old daughter will play for 2 hours at a time, especially if you give her an Oreo milkshake out of five iron. And she thinks it’s the greatest place in the world. And to me, there is so much more that golf can do to get people just hitting their first couple of balls because guess what? She likes hitting balls into cars. Eventually, she’s gonna like hitting into a hole and she’s going to become a golfer and she’s going to metriculate into the sport. So, anyway, it’s really cool to see what the technology is doing to get people to the sport. I won. Dude, this is so cool. I like to believe that what success looks like for us is that when Penelpy grows up, my 5-year-old, and people say, “Does she play golf?” even if she doesn’t play 18 holes outdoors, but she might like simulators and that might be what golf is to her. And that whole definition of what golf is, the more that we can broaden it to anytime you’re hitting a golf ball at all, I think the better for for the entire industry. But what if you do want to play 18 holes outside? People are starting to realize more and more that with mass transit, you can branch out to some incredible destinations. This is Brian Kroll, GM at Bal’s Golf Links at Ferry Point. Located just north of the Whiteststone Bridge, this Jack Nicholas design course opened in 2015 and was touted as New York’s only linkstyle public course. In some ways, we’re victims of our own success because people drive by and they assume it’s a private facility. Sure. There’s no way I can just go in there and go to the bar and have a burger and hit balls. But you can. And we have to keep reminding people that we are public access. The land the course sits on was once a municipal garbage dump. And for decades, there was talk of cleaning up the landfill to be used as a public space. After years of stops and starts, the course finally opened in conjunction with a 20-year lease deal signed with the Trump Organization, who would sell the operating rights to Bal 10 years later. What do people who love golf that have never played in New York not realize about the game here? We don’t we don’t have the luxury of golf 12 months a year. So, when it is here, we’re we’re very fervent uh take advantage of every opportunity that we can. And we have some great city parks. We have some great uh municipal facilities nearby, but um I’d like to say that you’re sitting at the premier public access. Here we go. I’m so excited to play golf. It was really fun when I played it. Joining me on the course is golf writer, broadcaster, and reporter Stephanie Wei. Yeah. How long have you been working in golf as a journalist? Started in 2009. Um, I just started a golf blog out of nowhere on Tumblr. I didn’t want to have anything to do with golf after college. I was burnt out. And I started tweeting cuz that was around the time Twitter started becoming a thing. And it just kind of took off. I was 207, so you’re probably 185. I I guess like 165, 170. Yeah, you’re right. Closer to 180. Wrong club. How long have you been playing golf in New York? I moved here in 2005 after I graduated, so pretty much. So, 20 years. Wow. How do New York City golfers differ from golfers everywhere else in the world? Is there a difference even? I don’t know. I mean, this is the thing about New York, right? If you live in New York City, everything is more difficult. Basically, every, you know, just even taking my kids to school and like the subway and everything is just a little bit more difficult. So, I feel like you have to be really gung-ho, right? You have to be really devoted. It seems like if you’re a golfer, you’re looking for it. But to see people walking around with with a bag of clubs on in the city, it seems to be a little more common these days. Sit. You almost jarred it. just moving parts that you have to do to organize it, right? Like if you don’t have a car, like I used to rent a car if it’s not near a train station, right? [Music] It’s nice. It’s gotten better, I think, just all over the states, but it’s still really difficult. Go go in. I think the city needs more public golf courses. I guess there are 12, but they’re they’re kind of far out there. [Music] What’s cool about this is like if this golf course existed in Austin, Texas, I would play here all the time. Yeah. No, it’s amazing. It’s a really nice course. Yes, man. This place is stunning. Yeah. So, how often do you hang out at simulators? I used to more before I had two kids. So, I would play simulator golf, right? Which is a little bit different just because, you know, growing up playing on the grass. It’s just a different game. But, you know, it’s made it more accessible cuz there’s so many indoor facilities now. And at least I can stay in the city, right? And feasibly play around a golf on a simulator cuz you don’t have the opportunity to skip out to a golf course. No, it’s hard unless you’re like a member at Bayon or Liberty, which are, you know, you take the people would take the ferry, right? Right. They’re right across. Um, but even still, I mean, that fair is 40 minutes each way. Yeah, exactly. So, it’s still a commitment. Nice playing with you. You, too. There’s a golf course I’ve heard about for years, but never played. So, I traveled back across the bridge into Queens. The sun has set, but luckily Flushing Meadows pitching putt is open late. A full 18. I’ve never seen that. Full 18hole pitch and putt. Longest hole, 80 yards. Total yardage of the entire golf course, 965. Par 54. Let’s get it. What a vibe. Flushing Meadows Pitch and Putt. The only fully lighted golf course in New York City. When did you move here? last Friday. It’s Monday. You moved here 3 days ago. Yeah, I did my training over the weekend and we’re good to go. And you’re here all alone. Yeah. They’re like, “See you later, Mark.” Well, I mean, I got the snack shop next to me to help me out. So, what have you seen on your first day at the Flushing Meadows Pitch and Pot? Everybody comes. It’s families, all everybody from beginners to people that are pretty good. Uh, we have people that come regularly. So, I’ve met a lot of people that are freaked out because they’ve never seen me before and they’re like, “Who’s this guy?” Um, I think, uh, New York is very tight-knit, you know, so it’s a huge place, but if you get to know somebody, everybody like loves each other, you know? They’re like, “Who are you?” And you’re like, “I’m just moved here on Friday.” Yeah. Have you played the course yet? Yeah, I have. So, I played on Saturday. Uh, super good course. It’s all getting airrated right now. Um, so the greens were a little bit rough, dude. Well, thank you, Mark. I appreciate it, man. I was thinking about bringing one club. So I feel like that’s just leave the putter behind. Just putt with the bottom of the wedge. Yeah, we can do that. And then I was just imagining first green just blading it and you know, a jeez, this guy thinks he’s sick. Tonight I’m joined by Sebie from Course Maps. Originally from Connecticut, he made his way to New York 5 years ago and has been designing and selling maps of golf courses ever since. Oh goodness, that’s so pretty. I mean, you’re either you’re either hitting again or you’re having a crazy up and down. There’s no no hitting again. Last year, Sebie achieved his goal of playing every golf course in New York City, which is harder than you’d imagine. So, when you got to the city, you immediately started exploring. Right after school, I lived in Chicago for a couple years, and that’s how I made all my friends, and that’s how I just had so many good experiences was like every weekend trying to find a new golf course, whatever. All right, managed to hit it. And I always wanted there to be some sort of like just like a resource or something that people could go to and I couldn’t find it. So I was like, “Dude, I’ll I’ll do it myself, right?” Just started trying to see everywhere. Nice shot. All right. Oh yeah, got me one down in a hurry. We are We are playing a match, right? I’ll play I got a $2 bill in my wallet. A that go a long way for the scorecard. What do you think architecturally is so special about golf in New York City? Well, it’s a really unique, I guess, a brand of golf where all the courses need to fit in these very confined parameters of the available space. You don’t get a big sprawling piece of property anywhere around here that you can kind of do whatever you want. They all have their own character, which is cool. Go. So, I’m going to be really honest here. First time I was on a golf course was to go sledding when I was like an adolescent. I would have liked that closer. Second time on a golf course like I was a teenager and uh it was actually just to hook up with a girl. This is what it was about. Come on. Get in. Third time was to smoke some weed. And um this feels like all of those experiences all captured into one. I feel like we’re not supposed to be out here. [Music] Night golf, man. Such a vibe. How many courses are in the city? There are exactly 18 golf courses in New York City. Wow. How poetic is that? I know, right? Do you know anybody who’s played all of them aside from yourself? Yeah, cuz I’ve been yapping about it on social media and a handful of people have been like, “Yeah, I’ve done that, too. All right, Eric wins the front. When’s the last time you played nine holes as quickly? Yeah, like 25 minutes. So, what would you say you learned about golf in New York after playing all of the 18 courses in New York City? The insane array of different people that you’ll meet at the golf course really anywhere. It was that was probably the coolest part of the experience was just meeting all these random guys. I mean, I played gosh, man. I played at like Marine Park with this guy who’s like a 75year-old construction guy who’s had six heart attacks and he’s like, I’m going to go out on the golf course, whatever, like popping an aspirin while we’re playing. Like funny guy like that. You just meet all kinds of like young guys who are getting into it. People from just all walks of life. They’ll show up at Dyker Beach or they’ll show up at one of the public courses in the city and they’ll get out there and they’ll have the same good time that you and me are having right now, which I think that’s the coolest part about just the little local golf community that we have. I feel like I might need to go because we don’t have a marker. Styies if you want. Okay. Styies. I love it. I’m just volunteering to make my life easier. You volunteered that. Well, it might come back in handy. You know, you never know. I mean, you could also back stop. Oh, that’s the the golf gods right there dished me one. That was awesome. Come on. Come on, man. Two up on 14. Oh, that’s bad. I got to I got to I got to mount a comeback here, you know. I think that light like night golf should just be more of a thing in general. I just don’t understand why it’s not. There’s so many courses that would be so cool to have this. I love being in the shadow of LaGuardia. Uhhuh. I think there’s so many great courses that are right next to an airport. [Music] I mean, it literally feels like we’re in a movie set. It doesn’t feel like movie set. Men in Black. Yeah. Oh, that’s right. It was done out here. All right. Three to play. All square. Oh my god. I mean, that could work. That’s so bad. Oh, this is right where I want to be. This is right where you want to be. The whole time, man. That wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wanted to be here. [Music] Down, down, down, down, down. So, basically, if you miss this, it’s over. You lose. Come on. Ah, it hurts. It hurts. There’s a lot of golf brands starting in New York. New York is not the first place in the world you think about when you think of like golf and all that, but it might be the first place where you think about emerging energetic young brands. So, it’s cool. Wow. I was going to say I don’t know if I deserve to make that one. Good round, man. Yeah. Good plan. This is a ton of fun. Yeah. Oh, let’s go. Let’s go. Shake my hand. Hold the $2 bill out. Give me one of these. I love it. I love it. What if you’re looking to get some cuts in without any of the extras? For that, you would head to the East Village and stop by Ready Golf Club or RGC. No relation. It’s here that you’ll find a selfservice autonomous golf simulator offering 24/7 access with just a few taps on your phone. Tap to unlock door and check in. Door unlocked. [Music] I don’t know what the Manhattan version of the rough is, but we’re in it. Little f I mean, it’s sick, dude. One minute you’re walking down the street in Manhattan, next minute you’re playing Bandon Dunes by yourself inside of a building. Fly is like an extension of your living room. No one works here. You’re able to just book it on the phone, walk in, and like it feels like your own personal space, which is really nice. It’s kind of like a Airbnb for simulators really. There’s like a there’s like a how-to. Mind the wall in your back swing. Clean up after yourself. No food or drink. If the touchcreen stops working, unplug it. If issues persist, call the support line. I can’t stop slicing it. That was a terrible shot. When you’re playing a golf course that you’ve played in real life on a simulator, it requires the same thing that it requires to watch this video, which is suspension of disbelief. I’m hitting here with a golf club thinking I’m on the golf course, but really I’m in a building in Manhattan. I mean, there’s something about simulator golf that’s like super addictive, you know, cuz it’s like all you can eat almost, you know, like the buffet. All right, I guess time for one more hole. I would probably be here a lot. Like if I got into golf and this all existed, like I would be here very often and I would sort of try to make this my social life where I’d be like, “Hey, let’s meet at, you know, the sim.” Cool. All yours. Back in the car and across another bridge into another burrow. This time it’s Brooklyn. How’s it going, dude? This is Carson York, founder and creative mind behind Gumree Golf and Nature Club, a brand built on the idea that golf isn’t separate from nature, it’s shaped by it. It’s a beautiful sport and it’s such an endless journey of trying to become good at it and you know elation and frustration and whatever the things that make the game amazing. But for me, golf is about kind of getting away from things and having a a bit of a mental health break and a walk in nature. And I thought, how can I kind of come up with a message that allows people to almost just take that pressure off? And it’s like even if the worst thing that happens to you is you slice it into the woods, then you get to spend some time in the woods. So, you know, you might actually help your mental health and just feel a little bit better when you come out. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Karsten came to New York in 2017 as an advertising exec. After years of moving up the ladder and away from the actual creative process he loved, he gave it all up to pursue Gumree full-time. I wanted to make like a New York brand that’s about nature because I feel like it’s it’s something that a lot of New Yorkers are looking for. Like it’s something that I’m looking for. And I think the tension in the fact that there isn’t much nature in New York is what makes it intriguing. Um a nature club in the middle of like, you know, a big concrete jungle is is kind of cool. And I think um you know empowering people and to to feel and to know that you can love nature and be in New York City I think is is awesome. I I’m really interested in this idea of like how golf in New York is relying on its own, you know, community members to create it, whether it’s Gum Tree, whether it’s Ready Golf, whether it’s Course Maps, whether it’s, you know, Fiveiron was a a little simulator inside of a suit shop. Yeah. you know, and so all it’s relying on you to build golf for its citizens. Golf is really special in New York because it’s hard, you know, it’s not like an easy thing to do necessarily. So, I think there’s just like really cool communities in New York City because the people that end up finding the sport and finding each other are the ones that, you know, really, really want to do it. Yeah. Um, and that’s kind of cool. A perfect example happens later in the evening when Carsten turns his studio space, also used as his storefront, into an event space. Tonight, he’s hosting a talk with Iona Steven, a former pro golfer turned broadcaster and host of On the Road with Iona, a social channel dedicated to stories in golf. New York’s got a very distinct environment. It feels very urban and I’m impressed that you were able to stay in the city but still develop this kind of concept. Yeah. How have you done that? Did you ever think about sort of leaving further a field? Oh yeah. Every day. Yeah. I love the creative energy of New York City and I think I’m in a really unique position where I have this background and I have this skill set and I’m not using it for corporate America or whatever. these clients that I used to work on. I’m deciding to bring it to this city that I feel there are a lot of people here kind of craving that connection to nature. A lot of people that are in New York obviously aren’t native New Yorkers and they’re all missing something I think that they’re looking for beyond the exciting thing that they actually moved to New York City for. Um so, you know, I think with golf we find a lot of that people from all over. I go play by myself all the time just for that that kind of reason. And the people that you meet, they’re they’re from they’re from everywhere and they’re just looking for that that connection. For example, I played at Marine Park, which is like a a great public track down um near the Rockaways and in the winter cuz not many courses are open and you know, if you’re brave enough, you can layer up and get out there if it’s just above freezing. that there was a local guy from from Brooklyn down there who had a a drill a little cordless drill in his golf bag because he had to drill his tea into the ground because the ground was still frozen. So he would pull up to the tea box, get his cordless drill, drill a hole, put his tea in, take his shot down the middle every time like this guy is a legend just in a hoodie and and pants, you know. What is it about um drilling into the frozen earth so that you can place a ball on a tea to play a game that has I don’t know. It just shows like how much people love this stupid game, you know, in a way. Yeah. It’s just like things in extremes. I think New York is is kind of like that. And that’s just another kind of almost perfect little example of that. The talk concludes and we continue to discuss our favorite subject. Among those here tonight is my friend Adam Rapaort, a New York City creative exec and publishing veteran. Adam agrees to join me for one last city stop, the OG driving range at Chelsea Piers. Long before 5ir and Ready Golf, this was the only place in town to get a few cuts in. And while there have been plenty of updates over the years, sometimes grinding at the range is all you need. Coming back here now after not really playing golf in New York that much and going to all the simulator places, like this feels like if if if simulators are CDs, this is VHS. I’m going to need a minute on that, but it’s we’re going to workshop this one. If I got it, I got it. if simulators are Whimos. Whimos. This is Tesla. Okay, there you go. Now I’m with you. It’s It’s still advanced, but it’s not nearly advanced. In New York, like you just don’t get to play that often. Yeah. And so sometimes you’ll play once every two weeks or whatever, right? You know, and that’s good. Yeah. So it’s like I’m either slumping to Brooklyn to play at Dyker Beach or I’m like literally getting on a train to go see friends up at Ry and you get there and you’re like, I can’t believe I’m getting to play golf this morning. Like the night before I’m like lying in bed thinking about the first tea. I’m thinking about the layout of that course and like you get up and you probably just go, “Oh yeah, we got to go play golf today.” Like for me it’s like I wouldn’t say that. I won’t give you that. But but you live somewhere where you belong to a club. I don’t belong to a club. And so it’s like yeah getting to play golf is like a thing that you I really look forward to. And then like I’m one of those guys that when I’m going to sleep that night, I am replaying every shot of every hole right in my head. Like that’s how I go to sleep. So the ratio of like thinking about golf and obsessing about golf to playing golf is like 100 to one. Yeah. Sure. Yeah. I mean 100 units of obsession one of playing. Yeah. New York is one of those places. It has a grip on you. It’s like man this place is such a pain in the ass but it’s so awesome. It’s like one of those difficult relationships that you can’t extract yourself from. Yeah. But when it’s good it’s like better than any place. Yeah. But you got to put up with a lot to live here. And as if to prove that point, we’re getting shut down. I have to stop this way. Really? Okay. And it’s so New York that we got kicked out, too. As Adam pointed out, New York is a fickle place. It can be simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. It’s sometimes harsh, but when you least expect it, it can reward you in ways you never saw coming. After leaving Chelsea Piers, we drop out him off at an intersection that was oddly familiar. That’s when I realized I used to work at this corner restaurant. So, I run in to say hello to my old boss, Cladio. This is one of these rare moments where the episode writes its own ending for me. This is crazy. So, I worked here for a year when I was 21. I used to weigh tables in here. I had like the longest list of specials. This is the kitchen where I used to steal tiramisu every night of my chef. Yeah, you have to show us this outside. This is too crazy. So, when I worked here, this was nothing. But Clauddio’s turned it into my stress. You have to see this. Yeah. This is a putting green stick. [Music] I couldn’t do that again if I tried. I couldn’t do that again if I tried here. That’s I got to see you hit one. That’s great. I love it. That’s a full circle story right there. Full circle. As if the most personal and poignant example of this entire episode. Golf does indeed find a way. [Music]

Being a dedicated golfer living in New York City is downright difficult.

Erik Anders Lang returns to his roots and finds how the locals find creative ways to sneak a little golf in the Big Apple on this Adventures in Golf.

The intersection of golf and culture.

Behind every drained putt or hosel rocket into the stands is a human being with complex emotions—among them, an insatiable appetite for golf. That’s what we’re after. Golf’s humanity is what makes it so special to us. There have never been more reasons to love this game, and we’re endeavoring to explore them all.

Subscribe to Skratch on YouTube and don’t miss out on the most entertaining golf content online.

Check out our website: https://skratch.golf/
Hit us up on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skratch
Check us out on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skratch
Follow us on Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/Skratch
Say ‘hey’ on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skratch