The City of Glen Cove, the Glen Cove Golf Club and the Soundview Restaurant celebrated the grand opening of the new driving range at the Glen Cove Golf Club, when Mayor Ralph V. Suozzi and the Glen Cove City Council, along with former Mayor Mary Ann Holzkamp, officiated at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, May 26.

The driving range, which features 24 stalls, is fully lighted and heated, open year-round, and, of course, offers that magnificent view of the Sound. The one-of-a-kind driving range has been called accessible, accommodating and high-tech. For one thing, it offers the latest technology in golf, known as the e-range electronic system. Glen Cove's range is one of just a few ranges on Long Island to provide this computerized mechanism, which allows golfers to pre-pay and directly deposit bills into the machine, eliminating tokens.

The new driving range has been the vision of Director of Golf Howard Robertson for a number of years and he first presented the plans to Mayor Holzkamp during her administration. Mayor Holzkamp said, "I want to thank Howie and everybody who has worked so hard on this project. I believe this achievement to be one of the greatest of my administration. Many people felt it was too large an undertaking at the time, but when Howie brought me the plans, they made sense to me. It is a wonderful feeling tonight to have seen the plans from the beginning and to see the completed result be exactly as planned."

Calling the Glen Cove Golf Club "one of Glen Cove's major assets," Mayor Suozzi said, "The stewardship of the golf course is in very capable hands. The new driving range was built with great thoughtfulness and with room for future expansion. I want to thank Mayor Holzkamp for her foresight, which had a great impact on the project."

Mr. Robertson also thanked Mayor Holzkamp "for believing this would work and for her efforts in getting the city council on board. I also want to thank Mayor Suozzi for continuing the effort and seeing the original plan through. I believe that by raising the level of this facility, we will help make the golfing experience even better for our members, as well as work to bring new members in. I thank everyone involved with helping me see my vision become a reality." He then turned to look at the driving range and putting green and smiled. "Look at my office," he said. "Who's got it better than me?" However, despite the location of his office, Mr. Robertson finds he does not have the time to play as much golf as he would like.

The Soundview Restaurant, with a Tiki Bar and large open areas for sitting, was recently purchased and completely renovated by Joseph Graziose, Jr., known in less formal circles as Joe Graz. With his staff, and family members such as his father Joseph Graziose, Sr. and son Joseph Graziose, the new management offered a complimentary buffet prior to the more formal ceremonies and live entertainment before and after.

Mr Graziose's firms of Paramount Development Associates and JMB Architecture were the designers and builders of the new driving range.

The driving range is open to the public Monday from 5 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Labor Day. The Soundview's hours are Tuesday through Sunday 11:30 am to 11 p.m., with cocktail hours those same days from 4 to 7 p.m. The restaurant offers a Sunday brunch, where non-golfers can relax while waiting for their foursomes of friends to play the course, or simply enjoy the atmosphere without, in Mark Twain's words, "a good walk ruined."