David Zinkand and Joel Weiman to Restore Hempstead Golf & Country Club
Alex Elias
Zinkand Golf Design (ZGD)—led by golf course architect David Zinkand—has been selected, in partnership with Joel Weiman of Weiman Golf Design, to restore New York’s Hempstead Golf & Country Club.
Working together for the first time, though they have been close friends since rooming together while studying landscape architecture at Cornell University, Zinkand and Weiman will oversee a large-scale bunker renovation set for 2028-2029, with additional course improvements continuing through 2033.
"Hempstead presents a rare opportunity to restore both an exceptional Tillinghast golf course and the remarkable landscape that shaped it," said Zinkand. "Our goal is to connect those two stories in a way that feels authentic to the club's history and serves generations of members to come."
“The master plan strengthens the course's natural flow by capitalizing on Hempstead's compact footprint and reinforcing the distinction between its spacious outward nine and more intimate inward journey. Expanded sightlines from the clubhouse will immediately draw golfers deeper into the property, while the routing creates ideal opportunities to restore classic Tillinghast features,” said Weiman.
Of the aforementioned features, a dramatic Great Hazard—a Tillinghast template in which a mass of bunkers typically comes into play on a player’s second shot on a Par-5—on the 13th hole will be repositioned to challenge today’s golfer yet remain faithful to its Golden Age origins.
Holes 16 through 18 will also be enhanced to create a compelling sequence of risk-and-reward decisions that bring the playing experience to a rousing crescendo.
"The masterplan creates an exciting balance between preserving our architectural heritage and preparing Hempstead for its next 100 years," said Steven Perkowski, superintendent at Hempstead Golf & Country Club. "David and Joel have embraced the property's history and recognized the unique opportunity presented by the Hempstead Plains. Their vision respects what members cherish about the course while introducing improvements that will strengthen both playability and long-term stewardship."
