+ Excellent signage and poured tees


+ Two tees on every hole ("Main" and "Red"); the Reds are noticeably shorter


+ Wooded, but with a fair number of open holes. Others with tree lined fairways with cleverly-placed baskets protected by trees. Puts a high premium on shot shaping from the tees or on your approach


+ Standout holes: There's a run of very nice wooded holes starting with #4; #18 and #19 are wooded, but give you a wide lane to the right if you have the arm to hyzer; #21 plays through a spectacular tunnel created by towering pines on either side


+ Hole #10 and #11 are an interesting pair of dogleg par 4's. #10 gives you the dogleg early on (left, maybe 180' off the tee). But at the corner, you're still 450' away! #11 is the opposite challenge: dogleg right, but the turn isn't until almost 300'. If you have a big arm, you have two really interesting and different tee shots to execute for any chance at birdies. If you have a moderate arm, you're gonna be pretty pleased with pars

- Old Discraft baskets aren't very visible


- A few spots with difficult navigation (For example, when finishing #3 the easiest tee to spot is #8 and it's directly beyond the line you just played - but the tee for #4 is behind you, back near where you just played from. I doubled-checked later in my round, and didn't see anything to point you in the right direction). But the navigation problems are pretty minor, and would not a problem after first play


- Thorns and ticks. Both of them will get you. This being Long Island, the tick warnings should be taken seriously. Avoid them (and the parking fee) by playing in the winter

COURSE AMENITIES SUMMARY: Great tees, very good baskets, lots of parking, a giant field for practice (though no practice basket). Long walk to the 1st tee. Very Cart-friendly. Bathrooms available in the park




~ Hard finish: the back 12 has longer par 3's, and it starts with the massive #10 (700' par 4). All the par 4's are healthy, and the back 12 features three of them (700', 627', 569'). Add these to a half-dozen Par 3's in excess of 400' in that same back 12, and you've got a lot of distance to cover with 40 throws




~ A very good course: better than average, although nothing really memorable. Very flat, with open lanes through the woods. An elevated/hanging basket or two would add some personality without making the course gimmicky

I really liked the tee pads here, concrete bordered by brick gave them a great look. Good size, grippy, no complaints. I saw that they were still in the process of adding them as the last few holes still had turf tees (which were pretty good).

The holes were a good length as well that spanned the gamut from short ace runs to a couple longer holes for the big arms. On the longer holes there generally wasn't much to worry about in terms of losing a disc, they were either really open or the rough wasn't particularly dense. I was having a pretty good round so I can't speak for errant shots on some of the other holes but for the most part that light rough seemed to be the case throughout the course.

The course (and park in general) were all really well maintained as well. Also, "Next Tee" signs are all over the place. The only one I had even a little trouble finding is the first hole.

The cons have more to do with the land than the course itself. As others have said, there isn't any elevation here but that didn't detract from the fun factor. The open holes here are *really* open as well barring the occasional tree.

Also, there aren't tee signs yet but I see that will be remedied soon enough as they seem to be in the process of having them made up (and they will be nice looking and informative!).

A few holes seemed to follow existing trail systems which tends to be kind of meh but these were mostly tweener holes to get you from one place to the next. It definitely wasn't prevalent.

The first tee is a bit of a hike from the parking area. Thankfully they put up a few "Starting Tee" signs to lead the way.

I went to Long Island to visit some friends and had to get at least one course in. This is the one that was closest to their place and I walked away pleasantly surprised. I did see all the tick signs mentioned but didn't see much tall grass around. Maybe tick season is over in late August or they just got on top of mowing but I left tick free.

I really enjoyed my round here but I'll throw in the disclaimer that these park type courses are my thing. If you're someone that enjoys ridiculously tight lines then you might walk away disappointed or consider the course "boring". But if you want a few technical holes, a few where you can air it out and maybe some in between then you can't go wrong stopping for a round here. Next time I'm in the area, I'll definitely give it another play.

- It exists. Considering the dearth of disc golf options on Long Island, this course is a huge asset.
- 21 holes, so you definitely get your money's worth.
- The course really demands accuracy. It's challenging but reasonable, as long as you can keep your throws on line.
- The course is spread out nicely. The fairways don't risk running into each other, and even in the few places where you might encounter hikers, they probably won't get in your way.
- Well-maintained, fairways are cut, and several holes have benches and concrete tee pads. Decent signage between holes. Looks like more concrete pads and even second tees are forthcoming.

- There is an entry fee per car most of the year, but it's free from late fall to early spring. You can also park on a nearby sidestreet and enter on foot via a hiking trail, but that adds a lot of walking to an already long course.
- Variety is decent, but a few holes do feel repetitive, especially since there's no elevation to work with.
- Still a work in progress in many ways. Not all of the holes have concrete tee pads yet, but you can see where they are being laid out. The holes still need signs that show the layout (since not all baskets are visible from the tee), and the par.
- Ticks. You should really use insect repellent and wear long pants and sleeves to minimize the risk of being bitten.
- Lots of thorns and other unpleasantness in the woods to punish errant drives, so maybe not the best place to bring a beginner until they have the basics down.

Considering that the course is carved out of trails and meadows in the woods in an area with with no elevation, the designers have done an excellent job making this course both interesting and challenging. The variety of holes and shots is adequate; I'd prefer more, but it does make the most of what it has. There are handful of wide open meadows to launch drives, but generally you're throwing through a narrow lane in the woods. Most baskets are either guarded by some trees or are right alongside heavy forest. Several holes give you ample room to drive but then have a real "thread the needle" approach to the basket, so that drive still needs to be well-placed. Overall, this course is a good challenge for players of all skill levels. It forces you to make good accurate throws, but I don't think any of the holes are ever unreasonable or unfair. Even if we do get a few more courses on Long Island (which I am really hoping for), I would still play this one fairly regularly.

great variety of shots, some long, some short - some gripper and rippers, some slightly wooded, requiring more finesse

Decent signage - well marked trails, next tee signs. Grounds well kept in general, some holes have benches. Not crowded the day I went out (Tuesday AM in July)

Park/course is easy to find and has some amenities - at least one bathroom near the course.

-lack of elevation

-ticks

For being the most densely populated island in the country I expected to see more people out but luckily I only saw maybe 5 other golfers during the whole round. Playing at 10 AM on a Tuesday may have helped, but I still expected more people out.

Prepare to walk - this is not a short course.

There's a balance here - some nice open shots, some that are more wooded. The main traditional hazard here are trees, but the one that really affects your game are the ticks, which, while I was out, were not terrible, but were definitely present. I only saw three the whole round, and only had to remove one. They wind up causing you to play a little safer than you normally might, just to avoid the brush and ticks. Amateurs should be very wary of taking risks with shots because of this - also, for those interested, outdoor stores sell a little gadget called a Tick Key - it's around $7 and makes removing the little bastards really easy.

All in all it's a great course, concrete tees are being installed, maybe half of the holes have them already. There are a few benches, but not at every hole yet. Other than a hole map at each tee if I were to add anything it'd be bag holders which would be especially helpful here with the tick situation.

9 is a doozy - you need a good RHFH or LHBH followed by an accurate thread-the-needle to get near the basket for par. It's nowhere near the longest hole but was one of the more difficult ones for me.

*UPDATE* - Seems like more concrete tees have been installed. Playing here in winter is a lot less stressful as the ticks aren't nearly the issue they are in the summer. Holes 10 & 21 stand out as signature to me. 10 is super long with a dog leg left halfway to the basket and 21 shoots down the long tunnel of pine trees you'll see as you pull into the parking lot. I'd give the place a 3.75 if I could - 3.5 in the summer w/ ticks, 4.0 in the winter w/o them.

Very nice course in a beautiful park. Definitely the best DGC available on L.I. The signs were visible and easy to follow, in most cases. The course was virtually vacant during our visit - we only saw a couple other players during the day. The course offers some nice wooded (narrow) shots as well as wide-open fields - great variety for an intermediate to advanced player.
Would've been a great day, if I didn't contract a tick-borne disease...

I played this course while visiting a friend in L.I. I read the warnings about ticks so I sprayed my body head-to-toe with DEET. A couple days later, I started exhibiting chills, muscle pains and other fever-like symptoms. I visited a doctor and I was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis from a tick bite. Fortunately, I recovered in about a week.
I understand that ticks are everywhere in this part of the country, so I'm not knocking the course - in fact, there was a sign at every tee warning patrons of the ticks which featured pictures to help with identification.
Besides that horrible illness I contracted during my visit, the only other cons I observed were the lack of paved tee pads and some of the signs are in need of updates or repairs.

I realized later that I failed to spray my bag with DEET, so I'm guessing that's how I picked up a tick. Please learn from my mistake!
I did like the course, but after getting so sick I doubt I'll be visiting again...

grounds were in near perfect condition when i played. all fairways cut low (helpful not just for golf but ticks as well)

active local player base

course is in a state park, adjacent to the beach and with loads of other activities and amenities

practice basket next to the parking lot, large disc golf sign with rules, etiquette and local info

21 hole layout with some true par 4's

coming up with a list of cons for this course is mostly nitpicking

it's a really good layout but there is a significant amount of walking between holes, so this does matter when you consider that the course is already 8500+ft long

more nitpicking, but imho the course layout isn't "balanced" in the sense that while there are some true par 4's, there are perhaps too many of what i call "tweener" holes between 400-500 or so feet that tend to be pretty standard par 3's and after playing the course twice i would have liked to see some of these tweener holes extended to 600+ (there's plenty of room available for this) as well as shortening a couple to the 250 or so range with the pins in precarious positions. there really aren't any "short" par 3's on the course, i believe the shortest was in the 260 or 290 range with a variety of trees protecting the approach. i think with 21 holes it's a-ok to have 2-3 "easy" par 3's up to 250 to offset the numerous 400-600+ ft shots of which there are many.

there's only one set of tee's right now, and there aren't any tee signs indicating distance or par so my first round through i had to basically walk the course twice, once up the fairway to spot the basket then back to the tee to throw. the reason that 1 tee pad is a problem for this course is that the course is 8500+ft long and i got stuck behind groups of beginners several times. the current tee pads are going to cause a struggle for beginners and advanced players due to the length and challenge. the lack of tee signs is quite likely only due to the fact that most of the permanent tee pads haven't been poured yet, making the tee's themselves temporary so that is just going to bump this course up a notch once those tee signs (and hopefully a set of beginner/adv tee pads goes in)

the course is perhaps 10 minutes drive or so away from f&b, please make sure you bring enough of whatever you need and make sure you save your park entrance receipt so they don't make you pay 8 dollars twice if you have to leave

ticks! i pulled off at least a dozen over my two rounds and felt compelled to leave my bag quarantined outside my house to try and prevent bringing any hitchhikers inside. this problem with ticks is obviously not only a heckscher problem, but just disc golf anywhere so again this is just nitpicking. make sure you bring something containing permethrin and check yourself constantly.

this is a great course that will make you bring out your A game or send you home crying into your beverage of choice. almost everything that i've listed in the Cons above is either due to this being a relatively brand new course, or due to an explosion in the tick population this year in the north east. you really shouldn't miss this course if you are anywhere near by and several of the holes will remind you why you love the game of golf. if it weren't for the hour drive and 30 dollars worth of tolls and state park entry fees to play here i would play it a lot more often. really looking forward to seeing how this course develops and plays when tee signs and hopefully another set of tee pads goes in. this is a 4+ out of 5 course, just needs a bit more time

Heckscher park is located on the beautiful south shore of Long Island along the Great South Bay.

This park has exactly what you would expect to see in a large state park: hiking, biking, boating, sports facilities, picnic areas, and even a beach for swimming.

The course is located on a large section of the west side of the park, its is very secluded, however it is not exclusive to disc golfing. You may see the occasional jogger or dog walker, but for the most part you have the place to yourself.

The course is always well landscaped, the staff is very friendly and attentive to keeping the entire park beautiful.

Great practice tee right off the parking lot with distance markers.

Next tee signs, and small bricks with arrows directing you to the next hole.

This course will give you plenty of different variety in holes. From wide open grip it and rip, to short tunnel shots.

This course has many fun and memorable holes. I think Holes #1 and #21 would be in the running for the signature holes.

This is a long course. Not only in the number of holes (21) but long distance holes, and long walks between holes. Bring lots of water because there is no where to buy or refill near the course.

Some holes feel a little forced to make the flow of the course better, and because of the lack of elevation some holes feel slightly repetitive.

Bathrooms are located in another section of the park so make sure you go before you throw.

There is a lack of elevation, but this course did amazing with the land it had to work with.

Only two concrete tees, but the rest are on the way. No signs yet, but its because they are determining the exact tee placement.

This course is not beginner friendly, however they are working on multiple tee placements for beginners. Check out Cedar Beach DGC if you are looking for something easier, only 15 min away from each other.

The ticks are no joke. There are great products out to protect yourself- use anything with permethrin in it and you will be good.

The course plays through a huge portion of Heckscher state park that is mostly remote and away from the crowds. Even on weekends you will mostly find an occasional dog walker or mountain biker here and there. Very scenic and close to the Great South Bay but not close enough to be in view or have to deal with any wind. Deer and foxes can be seen regularly throughout the course. The layout plays very long but does have all kinds of shots, open fields to tight wooded tunnels. The baskets are brand new Chainstars and while there aren't any official tee signs with maps there is good signage pointing you to the next tee box. The tees are marked by a green a post with yellow numbering for each hole.

Lack of elevation can make some of the holes feel repetitive. Very punishing if you happen to miss any of the fairways. The brush is thick and unforgiving but that's normal with a new course and will eventually get worn in with use. As of now in the fall the ticks haven't been bad at all but can be terrible in the warmer months. Poison ivy is an issue on some holes. The course does play very long which leads to a few 'in betweener' holes meaning Par 3.5's. Playing very long also it isn't very beginner friendly either due to the long drives required on a few holes. The natural tee boxes are rough, the area around the posts are already starting to get worn in and are very uneven. Finding some good footing could be an adventure after any kind of rain. Outside of Holes #3,#12 there aren't too many birdie holes unless your able to bomb it off tee.

This course has been a long time coming with lots of hard work by the designers. Most of the cons mentioned can be fixed or corrected as the course starts to develop more with use. TEE PADS ARE NEEDED! Alternate tee boxes geared toward beginners to intermediate also but I'm sure that will come with time. There is so much potential to be had with this course I'm very excited to see how it develops.