By Mark Hallum
Alley Pond Golf Center in Douglaston has unveiled a $3 million renovation to the facility that is designed to draw golfing enthusiasts of every stripe.
The upgrades feature an expanded clubhouse with a bar and grill, temperature-controlled driving stations with roofs, a face-lift for the mini-golf course, an indoor PGA simulator and an improved parking lot.
Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski and state Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside) attended the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place Friday on the patio of the clubhouse.
“The exciting thing is having a new facility where you can eat and drink and recreate with your family. In the back there is a party room with a simulator where you can play any golf course that’s in the United States,” Lewandowski said.
“My colleague to the west, Assemblyman Ron Kim, and I, we like to come here and invite our colleagues from the city,” Braunstein said. “We usually hit a few golf balls and go someplace else for dinner. But now we can stay here and see what executive Chef Marcos has to offer. So I look forward to getting together with Ron and my colleagues and experiencing everything this great facility has to offer.”
Lewandowski, Braunstein and Spencer An took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony with An holding the scissors.
Dale Spina, PGA certified pro for Alley Pond Golf Center, demonstrated how guests will be able to play indoor golf at the new facility by shooting a double bogey at a simulated version of Augusta National Golf Course. Other courses the simulator features are Pebble Beach, Firestone Country Club, and Doral’s Blue Monster. Alley Pond offers private lessons from licensed professionals as well as a summer golf camp.
The outdoor driving range has a total of 72 golf stations that are temperature controlled.
The Alley Pond Sports Bar and Grill has a clean, modern look, with wooden, vertical beams lining the walls to create an interior that is shady but doesn’t block out the sunlight entirely. The clubhouse, which has tripled in size to 7,000 square feet, offers cuisine from a four-star chef.
Alley Pond Golf Center is part of Alley Pond Park, which is the second largest park in Queens, according to city Parks and Recreation. Operation of the golf center is managed by Alley Park Driving Range. The center is located at 232-01 Northern Blvd. and is open between the hours of 6 a.m. and midnight seven days a week.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
