The Maidstone Club was founded by a group of wealthy East Hampton Village, once called Maidstone, summer residents almost 120 years ago. Still a private family club, with a tudor revival-style mansion off of Old Beach Lane, the club offers golf courses with holes that overlook the Atlantic Ocean and Hook Pond, tennis, and private access to Egypt Beach. It's so private, that even the Web site is member-access only.
The original nine-hole golf course was one of the first 100 ever built in the United States, and the 18-hole course has been named among Golf Digest's Top 100 courses.
East Hampton Golf Course is a private golf club. It's spread out over 126 acres owned by the Bistrian family, which once farmed potatoes on this land. The championship-level course was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, a hall-of-fame golfer. The number of memberships is limited. Membership includes access to a full-length practice range, a putting green, and a 21,000-square-foot clubhouse with a restaurant, lounge, pro shop, men's and women's locker rooms, and areas to relax. The club entrance is on Abraham's Path, but the course stretches all around it, down to Accabonac Road and Springs-Fireplace Road.
East Hamptom's tennis club, Hampton Racquet, is a hub where people of any age can learn and play tennis. Students learn how properly grip a racquet, serve, volley and play the game. Call for information about membership.
Buckskill Tennis Club, owned by the DeGroot family, operates from the spring to the fall, and then the Buckskill Winter Club takes over with an outdoor ice rink. It is the only ice rink on the South Fork. A machine covers more than 200 feet of tennis courts for ice-skating fun. In warmer months, there are three grass courts, six Har-Tru courts, and one Deco-Turf court to play on. There is a club house with a concession and a small pro shop. During the winter, the tennis raquets and tennis apparel are moved off the shelves for skates that can be rented. For more information on the Buckskill Winter Club visit the Web site: www.buckskillwinterclub.com.
