It’s tee time! The golf facilities from Riis Park to just over the bridge on Flatbush Avenue have found a par-fect match in new owners, Riis Beach Collective. This group of locals brings a knowledge of the community and vast hospitality experience to the greens, making it a welcoming experience for golfers from all around. The Riis pitch and putt course has become the Rockaway Beach Country Club, the driving range on Flatbush is now the Brooklyn Golf Yards and finally, mini golf is back after being closed for more than a decade!
On Tuesday, July 7, Brooklyn Golf Yards’ mini golf finally opened to the public once again at 3200 Flatbush Avenue, offering another option for families to bring the kids, adults to bring their dates and friends to enjoy some quality time over a fun pastime. It joins the driving range which opened in June, offering golfers of all levels a place to hit balls in one of 70 bays, including some with Toptracer technology, giving kids a chance to play some fun Angry Birds golf and transporting adults to courses like Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, right on Flatbush Ave. The Brooklyn facilities come after the Riis pitch and putt course opened in May, now known as Rockaway Beach Country Club, where all golfers can play 18 holes on the greens including casually, as part of a group outing or even in kids’ summer camps.
While the names sound elevated, and the facilities are looking better than ever, the guys of the Riis Beach Collective say Rockaway Beach Country Club is “where everyone is a member.” Much like when Riis Park’s pitch and putt originally opened in 1938, the new owners say they’re sticking to tradition, just making it better. As an original mission statement read, “May 14, 1938, the park’s 18-hole pitch and putt course officially opened at a time when golf in New York meant private clubs and membership fees, but this course was deliberately and proudly different. No membership, no dress code, no barriers, just a public golf course steps from the ocean, but for the people in New York City.” Co-owner Eugene Brennan says, “The mission has never changed and isn’t changing now. No shoes, no clubs, no problem. You can play in board shorts and flip flops and rent clubs and enjoy 18 holes, steps away from the beach.”
Since 2022, Riis Beach Collective, made up of local residents Michael Reen, Dylan Sirgiovanni, Brian Keane and Eugene Brennan, has run the Riis Park concessions at Bay 9 and other boardwalk areas. So when the National Park Service (NPS) was getting ready to put out a Request for Proposals for a new group to take over their golf facilities, Riis Beach Collective threw their club onto the course. With an already established partnership and proven experience, NPS selected the local group to expand their expertise and pour $1.2 million worth of improvements into the facilities over 10 years. “We were so excited when they called us last year,” Brennan said. In April, the group was given the keys to the three facilities, and they hit the greens running. “Forty acres of land and we’ve gone nonstop since. Our first goal was to get pitch and putt open, which was in complete disarray, and the next step was refurbishing the Brooklyn spot,” Brennan explained.
Opening the facilities wasn’t simply par for the course. For the pitch and putt area in Riis, Brennan said, “We had to reseed the whole thing. The greens were destroyed and left in disarray by the previous lessees. Nothing was put into the place in years. It was overgrown, geese destroyed it all winter. It was a huge undertaking to get it open in a month and a half.” The driving range was no easier. “We got all new balls, 72,000 of them, all new mats, new dispensing machines and we redid the inside of the Pro Shop, which came out fantastic. We have a lot of fun merch in there,” Brennan said. What seems like the smallest part, mini golf, has taken the most work. “So much work! You don’t realize how big it is until you’re putting down 700 bags of mulch,” Brennan said. The water elements of the past have been turned off, so it’s no longer mosquito friendly, but with floral landscaping done by Dylan Carey, red, white and blue tires, a boat and other nautical elements and obstacles to come, it’ll be a fun space for the whole family.
And it’s affordable. Rockaway Beach Country Club’s pitch and putt course is $20. The driving range at Brooklyn Golf Yards is $10 to $20 for a bucket of balls. And mini golf is $15 for adults and $13 for kids, with clubs, ball and score card included. Walk-ins are accepted on a first come, first served basis, or tee time can be reserved at www.brooklyngolfyards.com.
So far, the community is embracing golf once again. Their first summer camp for sixth through tenth graders, where pros and high school golfers show kids the basics, was sold out. Group outings are already being booked, with The Graybeards stopping by for theirs on Friday, and St. Camillus Special Olympics and DSNY are getting ready for theirs in September. And locals are already riding their bikes to the various facilities for some casual tee time. “The community has been extremely supportive,” Brennan said. “It seems everybody is very excited about the new management and the love that’s gone back into both properties. I feel everybody has the same feeling as me after seeing it underutilized and not taken care of for so long, that just a little bit of love goes a long way.”
Riis Beach Collective is just getting started. Toptracer technology is still being added to some more bays at the driving range. A picnic area is in the process of being built at Riis. They also expect to have a liquor license soon at both Riis and Brooklyn, improving the experience for those who want to grab a casual drink or host a party. There are also plans to turn a small building near the mini golf facility into an arcade, so kids will have multiple aspects to enjoy at Brooklyn Golf Yards.
“Come in, have fun, enjoy the fresh air, enjoy some family time, parties, outings. We’re open for business,” Brennan said. “Golf is back!
The Brooklyn Golf Yards driving range is open from 8 a.m. to dusk. Mini golf opens at 10 a.m. until dusk, with plans to add lights to the facility to stay open later. Rockaway Beach County Club’s pitch and putt is open from 7 a.m. until dusk. For more info, see: www.brooklyngolfyards.com
