They’ve got off-roading down to a tee!
Cops took a swing at all-terrain-style patrol at the Ryder Cup on Long Island Friday with a tricked-out new emergency golf cart — complete with chrome wheels, a siren and speeds up to 30 mph — to handle potentially unruly crowds clashing over an American vs European rivalry.
“The golf cart that we were using has a little bit of a wow factor on it. It’s very modern, even has a video screen on it. So, it’s pretty sharp looking,” New York State Parks Police Major Anthony Astacio told The Post.
The cutting-edge ride has thick, ATV-style tires that can zip across the grassy and muddy landscape at the tournament at Bethpage Black golf course — where the competition pits 12-player teams from the US and Europe against each other.
Police said the new high-speed cart, which cost $10,000 with custom upgrades, allows them to zoom across the course — faster than a car — when responding to a potential security, crime or health emergencies.
“It’s going to help the police render aid quicker — for any reason,” Astacio said. “We have a helipad on the other side of the park for helicopter landings to get over there probably would be 20 minutes by car. It took me probably about six minutes in the cart.”
The cart is the first of its kind for state park police, and initially belonged to Todd Miller, Long Island lawyer and passionate golfer who sought to better equip the authorities with help from his business partner, Gregory Caggiano,
“They were actually looking to purchase a golf cart for the Ryder Cup, and that’s when the lightbulb went off in my head,” said Miller. “I’m glad it’s going off without a hitch.”
“It was plain Jane when they got it from my garage, they did a really nice job adding in all the bells and whistles,” he said.
As of early Friday, golf fans who traveled from near and far had been nothing short of class acts in Nassau County, officials and workers said.
“They’re very nice people. Very well-behaved,” Astacio said ahead of Friday’s opening round of play, which 55,000 people are expected to attend.
“The way things have been going over the last couple of days with the practice rounds, if the tournament is going to be anything like that, I think it’s going to be kind of tame,” he added.
Astacio’s comments came after Team Europe has been bracing for the worst jeers from American fans, as the continent’s best golfers simulated fever-pitch decibels with virtual reality headsets to gear up for the three-day international showdown.
However, red, white, and blue diehards have been international ambassadors throughout the opening ceremony and warm-up days, according to volunteer marshal Mie Stricoff.
“I don’t expect problems,” said Stricoff, who keeps fans in check and quiet at the third hole.
Stricoff, a golf pro on Long Island who also worked the PGA Championship at Bethpage in 2019, added that demeanor leading up to the tournament is often an indicator of how things will go, even at the tensest of times.
“I think it’s just going to be loud voices. I don’t expect to hear any like whistles or beer can throwing,” she said.
Aside from merciless boos directed at New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Stricoff said she hasn’t seen fans acting out. Still, she’s expecting the USA faithful to bring the proverbial fireworks to energize the home squad.
“Like a party-type atmosphere.”
There also hasn’t been any riff raff invading neighborhoods around Bethpage State Park, according to chef Eric LeVine of the popular bar and restaurant 317 Main in Farmingdale — an area that’s become a transit hub for the tournament.
“Everybody has been great,” he said of visitors hitting the bar strip near the course.
“People are enjoying the experience of golf and the nightlife, but nobody’s going out to get banged up.”
David Fhagen, president of the Long Island State Park Police Benevolent Association, has worked the US Open twice at Bethpage, as well as the PGA Championship in 2019.
Even he’s taken aback by the tasteful restraint.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’ve never seen a crowd this well behaved and polite,” he said.
“So far, the fans are really giving a proper New York welcome…the police as well. We’re getting lots of ‘thank you for your service’ compliments.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
