Todd Barker is the Director of Golf at the Grossinger Country Club in Liberty
The green at the 185-yard par 3 fifth hole at the Grossinger Country Club is heavily guarded by traps amking club selection the key to scoring a par. The "Big G" Is One Of The Best
There is no question at all why the Grossinger Country Club is called "Golfers Paradise."
Golfers should not let the drive up the hill past the abandoned hotel dull their enthusiasm for what turns out to be a beautiful country oasis and certainly one of the elite golf courses in the Northeast.
Designed by Joe Finger, the Houston architect took the Grossinger land with its natural elevation changes, lakes, creeks, hardwood trees and designed this Catskill masterpiece.
Not many golf course architects reward ball flight and touch rather than brute power and distance but Finger's design makes golfers control their ball from uneven lies.
Each nine holes at Grossinger starts atop a hill, works down into a valley and then back to the top of the hill. Many holes bend, most right to left and go around water hazards and bunkers.
With the changes in elevation come all kinds of side-hill, uphill and downhill lies.
While playing this course we especially likes the risk-reward par fives, all reachable with well-placed drives, but loaded with danger and water hazards in front of the greens.
Part of the original nine holes at Grossinger is the 9-hole Vista course which was opened in 1925 and was believed to be designed by legendary A. W. Tillinghast. We'll report on the Vista course in a couple of weeks.
The Grossinger course has played host to many championship tournaments. From its early days as the Grossinger Open, a local tournament in the Catskills in 1976 and 1977 this event evolved into one of the richest and most prestigious regional championships in the United States, the New York State Open.
The Grossinger course hosted the event a number of years. Professional Jim Albus was its first champion and was instrumental in founding the State Open working with Mark and Mitchell Etess of Grossingers and the Metropolitan PGA Section to create the event back in 1976.
The course presently play host to the Thursday Sullivan County traveling men's league,
Todd Barker is presently serving as Director of Golf at both the Grossinger Country Club and Concord Resort.
He is the former Director of Golf at the Pleasantville Country Club in Westchester and in 1995 was the Merchandiser of the year in the Metropolitan PGA section. Todd has 8 career hole-in-ones and competed for 10 years in the Florida Mini-Tours.
Mike McNamara is the course superintendent and both he and his staff doing an excellent job in maintaining this beautiful course. The Grossinger Course plays a total of 7,004 yards from the blue tees and has a rating/slope of 74.7/139.
We outline the front nine this week which plays 3,492 yards for a par 35.
Hole No. 1 is a 441 yard par 4 with a wide open fairway. Take your tee shot left center which will take your second shot to a slightly elevated undulating green. Traps are left and right side of the green. A nice opening par 4 is available with proper club selection.
Hole No. 2 is a 392-yard par 4. It's best to take your tee shot left center. The green slopes from left to right but is reachable with a short iron on the second shot. Traps are front and left side.
Hole No. 3 is a 472-yard par 4 with a dogleg left. Take you tee shot down the right side of the fairway. Club selection is important on the second shot which takes a wood or long iron. The large green has bunkers left and right front.
Hole No. 4 is a 529-yard par 5. There is water along the left side of the fairway all the way to the green. Keep the ball straight here, there is a small pond in front of the green. Traps are left, right and front.
Hole No. 5 is a 185-yard-par 3. Watch the out of bounds on the left. Club selection is important here. There are traps left side front, front, right side and rear.
Hole No. 6 is a 418-yard par 4 with lots of water down the left side of the fairway. Take your tee shot down the right center of the fairway. Second shot to a green with traps on left, right and rear.
Hole No. 7 is a 219-yard par 3 which is the longest and a tough hole. Stay away from the left side or your ball will take a bath in water. This hole is made for the long ball hitter. Traps on the narrow green are right front and side and rear.
Hole No. 8 is a 383-yard-par 4 and this hole is all uphill. Take your tee shot to the right center and the second shot will be to an elevated green. Shots left will be out of bounds. Proper club selection here makes the par.
Hole No. 9 is a 443-yard par 4 and its best to take your tee shot left center. Long hitters can reach the green in two with a mid to short iron. Traps on this green are on the left front and right sides.
Next week we will take you through the back none (10-18) and the exciting Hole No. 13 with the Island Green.
The Golf Tip
By Robert Menges
Many things can lead to inconsistent putting results, but distance and direction are the areas we should always have at the top of our "How can I be more consistent?" list.
Distance is the biggest cause of inconsistency, because it equates to the "feel" of the putt and also ends up controlling the direction after impact. As we've learned, more speed equals less break, and less speed leads to more break.
On the other side of the coin, direction is the control we have in getting the golf ball started in the right direction before gravity and undulation take over the roll and path of the ball. Mixed in with all this is the factor that these two distinctions have to work together if we are to enjoy any success in putting.
Another way of looking at this is to think of our hands as the rudder and the engine/propeller of a boat. The rudder of the boat contorts the direction, while the engine/propeller generates the speed and distance.
When putting, our lead hand is the rudder.....it's along for the ride, but is also makes sure you are staying square to the target. The trail hand, which is usually our dominant hand, is the engine/propeller and determines how far the ball goes.
So, each "part" has its own function....and a very important function....but one working without the other is either a boat going in circles (no rudder) or simply going nowhere (no engine).
An important key to developing more reliability without distance and direction is to minimize hand and wrist movement, which, in turn, will maximize feel and control.
Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club, Mt. Hope Road, Swan Lake. He is available for private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by phone at 292-0323 or via e-mail at menges@hughes.net
Ed' Outlook
The 5th Annual Art Tursi Memorial Scholarship Tournament has been scheduled this year for August 9 at the Sullivan County Golf & Country Club in Liberty.
The tournament committee will be awarding 4 scholarships and this year has increased the total from $500 to $750.
Tee off times are 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.with breakfast in the morning, hamburgers and hot dogs all day long, plenty of beverages plus a chicken BBQ at 6 p.m.
For additional information call Denise Watson at 292-8737.
Tournament application blanks are available at the pro shop or by calling 292-9584.
There is no question at all why the Grossinger Country Club is called "Golfers Paradise."
Golfers should not let the drive up the hill past the abandoned hotel dull their enthusiasm for what turns out to be a beautiful country oasis and certainly one of the elite golf courses in the Northeast.
Designed by Joe Finger, the Houston architect took the Grossinger land with its natural elevation changes, lakes, creeks, hardwood trees and designed this Catskill masterpiece.
Not many golf course architects reward ball flight and touch rather than brute power and distance but Finger's design makes golfers control their ball from uneven lies.
Each nine holes at Grossinger starts atop a hill, works down into a valley and then back to the top of the hill. Many holes bend, most right to left and go around water hazards and bunkers.
With the changes in elevation come all kinds of side-hill, uphill and downhill lies.
While playing this course we especially likes the risk-reward par fives, all reachable with well-placed drives, but loaded with danger and water hazards in front of the greens.
Part of the original nine holes at Grossinger is the 9-hole Vista course which was opened in 1925 and was believed to be designed by legendary A. W. Tillinghast. We'll report on the Vista course in a couple of weeks.
The Grossinger course has played host to many championship tournaments. From its early days as the Grossinger Open, a local tournament in the Catskills in 1976 and 1977 this event evolved into one of the richest and most prestigious regional championships in the United States, the New York State Open.
The Grossinger course hosted the event a number of years. Professional Jim Albus was its first champion and was instrumental in founding the State Open working with Mark and Mitchell Etess of Grossingers and the Metropolitan PGA Section to create the event back in 1976.
The course presently play host to the Thursday Sullivan County traveling men's league,
Todd Barker is presently serving as Director of Golf at both the Grossinger Country Club and Concord Resort.
He is the former Director of Golf at the Pleasantville Country Club in Westchester and in 1995 was the Merchandiser of the year in the Metropolitan PGA section. Todd has 8 career hole-in-ones and competed for 10 years in the Florida Mini-Tours.
Mike McNamara is the course superintendent and both he and his staff doing an excellent job in maintaining this beautiful course. The Grossinger Course plays a total of 7,004 yards from the blue tees and has a rating/slope of 74.7/139.
We outline the front nine this week which plays 3,492 yards for a par 35.
Hole No. 1 is a 441 yard par 4 with a wide open fairway. Take your tee shot left center which will take your second shot to a slightly elevated undulating green. Traps are left and right side of the green. A nice opening par 4 is available with proper club selection.
Hole No. 2 is a 392-yard par 4. It's best to take your tee shot left center. The green slopes from left to right but is reachable with a short iron on the second shot. Traps are front and left side.
Hole No. 3 is a 472-yard par 4 with a dogleg left. Take you tee shot down the right side of the fairway. Club selection is important on the second shot which takes a wood or long iron. The large green has bunkers left and right front.
Hole No. 4 is a 529-yard par 5. There is water along the left side of the fairway all the way to the green. Keep the ball straight here, there is a small pond in front of the green. Traps are left, right and front.
Hole No. 5 is a 185-yard-par 3. Watch the out of bounds on the left. Club selection is important here. There are traps left side front, front, right side and rear.
Hole No. 6 is a 418-yard par 4 with lots of water down the left side of the fairway. Take your tee shot down the right center of the fairway. Second shot to a green with traps on left, right and rear.
Hole No. 7 is a 219-yard par 3 which is the longest and a tough hole. Stay away from the left side or your ball will take a bath in water. This hole is made for the long ball hitter. Traps on the narrow green are right front and side and rear.
Hole No. 8 is a 383-yard-par 4 and this hole is all uphill. Take your tee shot to the right center and the second shot will be to an elevated green. Shots left will be out of bounds. Proper club selection here makes the par.
Hole No. 9 is a 443-yard par 4 and its best to take your tee shot left center. Long hitters can reach the green in two with a mid to short iron. Traps on this green are on the left front and right sides.
Next week we will take you through the back none (10-18) and the exciting Hole No. 13 with the Island Green.
The Golf Tip
By Robert Menges
Many things can lead to inconsistent putting results, but distance and direction are the areas we should always have at the top of our "How can I be more consistent?" list.
Distance is the biggest cause of inconsistency, because it equates to the "feel" of the putt and also ends up controlling the direction after impact. As we've learned, more speed equals less break, and less speed leads to more break.
On the other side of the coin, direction is the control we have in getting the golf ball started in the right direction before gravity and undulation take over the roll and path of the ball. Mixed in with all this is the factor that these two distinctions have to work together if we are to enjoy any success in putting.
Another way of looking at this is to think of our hands as the rudder and the engine/propeller of a boat. The rudder of the boat contorts the direction, while the engine/propeller generates the speed and distance.
When putting, our lead hand is the rudder.....it's along for the ride, but is also makes sure you are staying square to the target. The trail hand, which is usually our dominant hand, is the engine/propeller and determines how far the ball goes.
So, each "part" has its own function....and a very important function....but one working without the other is either a boat going in circles (no rudder) or simply going nowhere (no engine).
An important key to developing more reliability without distance and direction is to minimize hand and wrist movement, which, in turn, will maximize feel and control.
Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club, Mt. Hope Road, Swan Lake. He is available for private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by phone at 292-0323 or via e-mail at menges@hughes.net
Ed' Outlook
The 5th Annual Art Tursi Memorial Scholarship Tournament has been scheduled this year for August 9 at the Sullivan County Golf & Country Club in Liberty.
The tournament committee will be awarding 4 scholarships and this year has increased the total from $500 to $750.
Tee off times are 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.with breakfast in the morning, hamburgers and hot dogs all day long, plenty of beverages plus a chicken BBQ at 6 p.m.
For additional information call Denise Watson at 292-8737.
Tournament application blanks are available at the pro shop or by calling 292-9584.
GOLF CALENDAR
August 22, Bob Rosen Classic Golf Tournament, Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club, Monticello. For additional information contact the United Way of Sullivan County at 845-794-1771 or e-mail unitedwayssullivan@verizon.net
August 22, Bob Rosen Classic Golf Tournament, Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club, Monticello. For additional information contact the United Way of Sullivan County at 845-794-1771 or e-mail unitedwayssullivan@verizon.net
This column is written by Ed Townsend, who is a consultant to the amateur sport of golf and professional golf facilities. If you have a topic that you believe would mke good reading or have league standings and tournament information, please call Ed at 439-8177 or send an e-mail to bowlgolfect1@yahoo.com
For a much more expanded version of this golf column, please visit the Web site http://bght.blogspot.com/
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