Published in Newsday BY ERIK BOLAND STAFF WRITER September 29, 2005 Several years ago, when developer Bruce Barnet walked the 122 acres he had just purchased in Riverhead, he saw a housing development. This was just in his head, of course. Barnet, of Barnet Holdings, was walking on land that at the time was a sod farm that had yielded potato crops years before that. But what Barnet also saw on the flat land was the opportunity to build a golf course. "We thought it would enhance the value of the homes," Barnet said. What Barnet, who also owns Tallgrass Country Club, ended up with was a fairly typical-looking housing development that runs alongside an atypical golf course. "It far exceeded my expectations," Barnet said. Olde Vine Golf Club officially opened Sept. 15. The scorecard suggests a rather easy, mundane course - it measures just 5,810 yards from the back tees - but the yardage is misleading. The course is virtually treeless and the winds that usually whip on the Island's East End provide more than a viable defense for the course. But what is most striking about the course is its rolling hills and undulations on previously flat land. The 75 housing units, 41 of which have been sold, run along the east side of the course. Bordering on the west is more-level farmland. Designer Buddy Johnson and course shaper William Kellers bulldozed the dirt already on the property and created 18 holes, none of which look remotely identical, with a variety of slopes and dunes that look as if they occurred naturally. Several holes stand out, including the 485-yard, par-5 11th hole - think of a slimmed-down version of the fourth hole at Bethpage Black - and the 172-yard 17th hole. The 17th, complete with a 7-foot deep pot bunker to the left front of the green, seems as if it was plucked from a links course in Scotland. "It's absolutely beautiful," said Olde Vine member Debbie Maino, who recently moved into her house on the course from Manhasset. "It hasn't completely grown in yet but you can see the potential is there for a spectacular course." Maino is one of about 150 who have joined Olde Vine. The club's general manager, Ed Wankel, said membership would likely be capped at 399. The club began selling memberships last summer at $32,500 but the fee has been raised to $42,500. And, as was the case last summer, Olde Vine members have playing privileges at the Woods and Links courses at nearby Cherry Creek. "That's the really unique thing, is that you can play three different courses and really don't have to travel," said Wankel, a former New York State Parks Deputy Commissioner, who played a critical role in bringing the 2002 U.S. Open to Bethpage Black. Not that those are anywhere near the aspirations for Olde Vine. It is not Bethpage, Shinnecock or National Golf Links of America and that's just the way Barnet wanted it. "Members keep talking about the enjoyability of the course," Barnet said. "This is what a community golf course is about. We think eventually, it should be rated as one of the top 100 new community courses in the country." Olde Vine is off to a good start to that end.