Letter from Southampton: traffic in the Hamptons puts brakes on US Open hype

The congestion is nothing new to those in the swanky New York location. 

Rory McIlroy walks to green on the first hole during a practice round for the US Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills. Pic: AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Perhaps you are aware of a long-ago American baseball player named Yogi Berra. He was a catcher on several New York Yankees World Series teams, and a damn good one. That’s why he is in the baseball Hall of Fame.

But Yogi also became known for his hilarious malapropisms, too many to count, some undoubtedly the product of urban legend. Among his more famous quips: “The reason I go to so many funerals is I want to make sure somebody comes to mine.” Or, the one about a popular restaurant: “Nobody goes to that place anymore. It’s too crowded.” That came to mind this week as I sat in traffic heading to Shinnecock Hills, a mere eight-mile journey from my rental home that might as well have been 80 miles. It gives you a little time to think.

Such as... what the hell is going on here?!

“You are no more than 10 miles from where I live in Southampton, but good luck getting anywhere near my house in the morning,” said Myron Holtz, a longtime resident. “And it’s like this all the time, US Open or not.” Nobody wants to come here because… well everybody is coming here!

Obviously, when there is an event that is the size and scope of the US Open, there are going to be traffic issues. It comes with the territory. There are a large number of people trying to get to a confined space that has all kinds of infrastructure necessary to occur, and there are bound to be backups.

Southampton itself is a town of fewer than 5,000 people but the “Hamptons” is a well-known affluent location on the Eastern end of Long Island, a 90-mile-or-so drive from New York City and a haven for the rich and sometimes famous.

And while they might be thrilled to have Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler in their midst for the week, they are not the reason for the traffic snarl.

According to the locals, it is called the “Trade Parade.” Each morning, especially in the warmer summer months, usually before 5 a.m., Routes 27 and 24 become a parking lot filled with vehicles all trying to get to the same place, inching along roads ill-suited for the purpose.

Why such odd occurrence?

Well, the Hamptons are so exclusive and affluent that those who do all the work can’t afford to live there.

So they commute from the West along these roads. Carpenters, laborers, landscapers, housekeepers, electricians, plumbers… you name it, they are on those roads getting to their swanky destinations.

The July 4 holiday is approaching and many who live in the Hamptons are only seasonal residents. They come for the summer. Or they might visit on weekends to get to away from the madness that is the Big Apple. And, hey, they need things done at this high-end place!

And it just so happens that some of the finest golf courses in the country are located in this little area.

National Golf Links of America, designed by Charles B. Macdonald, borders Shinnecock Hills. Maidstone Club dates to 1891. Southampton Golf Club. East Hampton Golf Club. Montauk Downs State Park. And there are more.

Shinnecock, of course, is the crown jewel.

It hosted the second US Open in 1896 when it was just 36 holes and the property was completely different. Founded in 1891, it is one of the original five members of the United States Golf Association along with Chicago Golf Club, The Country Club, Newport Country Club and St. Andrew’s Golf Club. Four of them have hosted U.S. Opens, the Country Club having done so most recently in 2022, won by Matt Fitzpatrick.

Despite its ties to the USGA and its role in hosting just the second U.S. Open – after Newport – Shinnecock didn’t get a second try until 1986, the tournament won by Raymond Floyd, who at age 43 became the oldest (then) US Open champion.

Infrastructure issues along with access had always been the reasons given for not coming back, but once that successful event went off, the USGA worked to come back. It did in 1995, with Corey Pavin winning. And then again in 2004, when Retief Goosen made everything on a treacherous final day.

The course conditions that day and the set up gave the USGA pause, which is why it didn’t return again until 2018. Again, those issues came into play, but the venue has been considered too good to ignore, and is now on a short list of places such as Pebble Beach, Winged Foot, Pinehurst No. 2 and Oakmont where the USGA will return a bit more often.

But about that traffic. It simply is amazingly aggravating and makes you wonder why the USGA bothers. Practice round attendance was light, mostly due to the knowledge. It was going to be a colossal hassle getting here.

Like Yogi sort of said, nobody comes here anymore because it’s too popular.