FALL BENEFIT AT BRIDGE GOLF CLUB

Hallowed turf for those who followed the sport at that time, it’s where Mario Andretti met Paul Newman and where Bruce McLaren and Denis Hulme roared through “Echo Valley” in their McLaren, with NASCAR stock cars racing alongside Richard Petty among those in the winner’s circle.

After two and a half decades of great fanfare and lore, however, the racetrack found itself on the verge of being turned into a subdivision amid declining ticket sales and pressure from the city to develop the land. The last major professional race at Bridgehampton was a Trans-Am, held in June 1970 during a driving rainstorm. Amateur races continued for many years as the battle for the land on which the track sat progressed.

Just as things were looking grim, a summer resident, racing enthusiast, and car collector, Bob Rubin, along with The Friends of Bridgehampton, took the race circuit under his wing in 1981, investing considerable sums to address long-overdue maintenance and keep the track in usable condition.

In 1992, Rubin acquired the entirety of the Bridgehampton Road Races Corporation and eventually transformed the circuit into the golf course seen today. While the glory days of racing in Bridgehampton are over, the spirit of the circuit lives on there. The most important section of the original circuit remains intact, including the legendary Millstone Turn; the Chevron Bridge retains its authentic red and blue logo; the clubhouse’s interior décor serves as a virtual museum of motorsports and The Bridge; and in recognition of what used to be, checkered flags mark each of the 18 holes on the golf course.