LIRR doubles service to Shinnecock Hills for U.S. Open

The Long Island Rail Road will double service to Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open, giving Suffolk County one of its clearest traffic relief valves as the championship returns to Southampton. The railroad plans an average of seven to eight additional trains a day during tournament week, a sharp increase from 2018, when the MTA said the Open drew more than 77,000 fans to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

The schedule is built around the tournament’s busiest stretches. For practice rounds June 15 through June 17, the railroad will run 22 trains serving Shinnecock Hills Station, up from 11 total trains in 2018. During Thursday and Friday, it will operate 25 trains, compared with 15 in 2018. On Saturday and Sunday, it will run 26 trains, up from 18. The temporary station sits next to the Stony Brook Southampton campus, and fans will cross a pedestrian bridge over County Route 39 after ticket validation and security screening to reach the championship grounds.

For Suffolk residents and regular commuters, the plan is designed to do more than move golf fans. The U.S. Golf Association says its 18-month transportation plan was developed with the Town of Southampton, Suffolk County, New York State, the MTA Long Island Rail Road and local law enforcement to minimize traffic impacts on residents, businesses and commuters. That matters around Shinnecock Hills, where the 2018 tournament brought warnings of delays of up to two hours within 10 miles of the course.

Drivers heading from western Long Island have another option: complimentary parking at the BLUE Lot at Calverton Airfield, with shuttle service to Gate 1 starting daily at 5:30 a.m. and continuing for one hour after play ends. The official fan guide also lists ferry service, ride-share drop-off, bicycle parking, Hampton Jitney and BLADE helicopter service. BLADE is the official helicopter provider for June 18 through June 21, with a landing zone at the Shinnecock Nation Powwow Grounds.

There is no public parking near Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and illegal parking, unauthorized drop-offs and parking violations will be strictly enforced. For Southampton and the surrounding Hamptons corridor, that makes rail and shuttle service the main pressure-release point for a week that will test the East End’s roads. Shinnecock Hills, founded in 1891 and one of the five charter clubs that formed the USGA in 1894, will host the U.S. Open for the fifth time, but this year’s real story for Suffolk may be how many cars stay off the road.