Golfing Highlights Column 7-31-09

The Buckley family are the leased operators of the Hancock Golf Course. Members of the family are, from the left, Charles Buckley Sr., Alice "Cookie" Buckley and Julie Buckley
Weyrauch.

The 140-yard par 3 at the Robert Trent Jones designed Hancock Golf Course.

The Robert Trent Jones Hancock Course

When Robert Trent Jones designed the nine-hole Hancock Golf Course he described the land as "sufficiently rolling to provide interest, yet not difficult or tiresome and admirably adapted to a nine-hole golf course."
Jones when he completed diagrams and surveys assured the sponsors that the new course would be "one of the finest nine-hole courses in the Southern Tier unsurpassed for beauty and scenery and one not too hard on the middle-aged."
Play at the present course will be greatly enhanced with the construction of nine additional holes.
Clearing for the new 126-acre course which will also house 1.7 to 8 acre home sites started this year and the additional nine holes are anticipated being open for play in two years.
A Rochester architect has designed the new layout which is presently planned to be completed in about a years time but owners say they expect to let the course set for one year before opening it for play.
The present nine-hole course is leased (since 1971) and operated by the Buckley family, Alice "Cookie" Buckley is the Director of Operations, Julie Buckley Weyrauch is the General Manager, Eric Buckley is the Course Superintendent (GCSAA), Charles Buckley Sr. (GCSAA) is the retired Course Superintendent and Charles Buckley Jr. is the PGA Professional.
The new 9-hole addition to the Hancock Golf Course and the home sites is owned by the Buckley family.
The golf course lease changed hands several time since 1959 and in 1971 Lucille Howel leased the course to Charles Buckley who brought in equipment and proceeded to make substantial improvements to the course.
In 2001 Buckley constructed a new clubhouse which now houses locker rooms and Cookies On The Green restaurant which is open only during the golf season and offers a nice outdoor deck.
The course is open 7 days a week from April to November 1.
The course plays host to a weekly men's, women's and mixed league.
Tee times and any questions can be answered by calling 607-637-2480.
The nine hole layout looks like this.
Hole # 1 is a 535-yard par 5 with a slight dogleg left and a big dip in the fairway. Most of this fairway offers a straight shot to the green with again a slight dogleg left and downhill to the green which has a trap on the left site. Be careful with that approach shot as there is a slope in the back of the green.
Hole No. 2 is a 398-yard par 4 so pretty much keep it down the middle. Fairway slopes downhill and there is a ditch across the fairway approximately 100 yards from the green which has no traps. Again there is a slope behind the green.
Hole No. 3 is a 335-yard par 4 with the fairway running uphill and a slight dogleg right. Take your drive straight up the middle to a slightly elevated small green. The approach shot is key here for a par or birdie.
Hole No. 4 is a 385-yard par 4 with a straight fairway bounded with trees right and left sides. Play your tee shot left center as there is a slight dogleg right.
Hole No. 5 is a 467-yard par 5 with a dogleg left. Better to come a club or two off the tee. After the dogleg there is a pond on the right side of a narrow fairway....watch out for the big rock in the fairway. A real nice golf hole.
Hole No. 6 is a 140-yard par 3 and proper club selection can get you your birdie or par. Take your tee shot right to left on this narrow tree-lined fairway.
Hole No. 7 is a 345-yard par 4 slightly downhill. Best to play the right side of the fairway. There is a ditch across this fairway and the green with a sand trap on the left front slopes left to right. The correct approach iron will keep you away from the trap.
Hole No. 8 is a 402-yard par 4 with the fairway running uphill. Stay in the center of the fairway for your approach shot to this narrow long green.
Hole No. 9 is a 158-yard par 3 with an open fairway to the left and then trees to the left and right of the green. Club selection is important here.
A real nice golfing experience and we and many other golfers await the opening of the second nine.

The Golf Tip
By Robert Menges

The Half Wedge Shot.
One of the shots most golfers fear is the dreaded half wedge shot. This means you are to close to the hole for a full swing, but to far away to chip or pitch the ball. When you are faced with one of these shots, it is important to have confidence before you make your swing.
To get set up for this shot, you should open your stance slightly, keep the ball in the center of your stance, and aim the club-face at the target. On your back swing it is important to limit your arm swing, the longer you swing your arms the more it will effect your distance and there is more of a chance for things to go wrong. Try to keep your lead arm from going beyond horizontal on the back swing. Make sure to cock your wrists fully and swing down and through the ball aggressively keeping your eyes on the ball and your head still.
When you finish, your hands should not be above your waist.....it is an abbreviated follow through.
This is a shot that requires some patience and practice to be good at. Keep practicing this shot and it will help you improve your scores.
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 at 292-0323 or via email at menges@hughes.net

Ed's Outlook

For the first time in three years and just the second time in a major championship as a pro, Tiger Woods was not around to compete on the weekend at the British Open.
The game's No 1 player shockingly missed the cut, shooting a 74 at Turnberry that had him headed back home to Florida on the same day that 59-year-old Tom Watson tied for the tournament lead.
Golfing fans can only wonder now what a playoff match between Watson and Woods could have done for this great game.

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a consultant to the amateur and professional sport of golf and to several golf writers associations. If you have a topic that you feel would make good reading or have league scores and tournament information, Ed can be reached at 439-8177 or by email at bowlgolfect1@yahoo.com For a more expanded version of this golf column, please visit our web page at http://bght.blogspot.com/

Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Dates and TV Times
First round: Thursday, July 30
TNT 10 a.m.-12 p.m. EST
Second round: Friday, July 31
TNT 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. EST
Third round: Saturday, Aug. 1
ABC 1:30- 3:00 p.m. EST
Final round: Sunday, Aug. 2
ABC 1-3 p.m. EST

Purse
US$2.2 million
£1.5 million

Top 10 Players by Country
Country # of Players
1. United States 32
2. South Korea 29
3. England 10
4. Sweden 10
5. Japan 9
6. Australia 8
7. Spain 8
8. Scotland 5
9. France 4
10. Taiwan 4

Ricoh Women’s British Open Field
All winners from this season’s Ladies European Tour (LET) and LPGA events.
47 of top 50 on Rolex Women’s World Rankings
32 of top 35 on the LET Money List
48 of top 50 on the LPGA Money List
5 of top 6 from LPGA of Japan

Kerr leads multiple stats categories.
Cristie Kerr leads the LPGA Official Money List, the Rolex Player of the Year points, Vare Trophy with lowest scoring average, rounds under par, top-10 finishes and has most birdies for the season (241).

Ochoa begins 4th week with new caddie.
Lorena Ochoa has been with caddie Greg Johnson for three tournaments and she’s enjoying the change. Ochoa said, “With Greg, he gets me a bit more…my thoughts and he is able to help me a bit more. I think it's somebody that is going to help me in a positive way, and that's what I'm looking for out there. We've only played together three tournaments; this will be the fourth. It's been good so far. I'm happy and I think we are both still learning from each other, but I think it's going to be something good.”

Ai Miyazato fans show support for her first win at the Evian Masters.
Miyazato said “My family probably be very happy for me. They cried in excitement. On my Web site, I had over 2000 comments, so I can tell from that that everyone was happy.”

About Royal Lytham
Learn more about the course -- www.ricohwomensbritishopen.com/Course.aspx

RICOH Women’s British Open Yardage at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club.
Hole Yards Meters Par
1 199 182 3
2 401 367 4
3 419 383 4
4 371 339 4
5 170 155 3
6 492 450 5
7 542 495 5
8 389 356 4
9 156 143 3
OUT 3139 2870 35
Hole Yards Meters Par
10 334 306 4
11 487 445 5
12 160 146 3
13 340 311 4
14 420 384 4
15 464 424 5
16 343 314 4
17 419 383 4
18 386 353 4
IN 3353 3066 37
TOTAL 6492 5936 72

New “Lumber Leader” Award to Reward
Top World Series of Bowling Qualifier

The Professional Bowlers Association has added another special event to the World Series of Bowling lineup, rewarding the “best qualifier” in all seven Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour events with a $10,000 bonus.

The “WSOB Lumber Leader” will be decided by the total pins knocked down in the qualifying rounds for all seven events, excluding Tour Qualifying Rounds. A “WSOB Gold Pin” will sit with the current leader after each qualifying round throughout the World Series, and the WSOB Lumber Leader after a total of 109 qualifying games will receive the $10,000 bonus.

The competition will involve 15 qualifying games in the Motor City Open, 14 in each of the five “animal pattern” championships, and 24 in the PBA World Championship. The winner will be announced on Sept. 3. The Lumber Leader contest will not include match play pinfall.

“The World Series of Bowling is a tremendous test of versatility for the players and that’s why we want to recognize the player who scores the highest throughout the qualifying rounds,” said Tom Clark, PBA Deputy Commissioner. “Fans online tracking the World Series will have this added race to follow throughout the seven Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour events. Fans on site will know who the current leader is when they see the gold pin on his pair of lanes.”

The Lumber Leader contest starts on Aug. 4 with the first event of the PBA World Series of Bowling, the Motor City Open at Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Mich.

Sands Regency PBA Regional Players
Invitational Returns to Reno

The dream of bowling as a full-time competitor on the Professional Bowlers Association’s national tour will be realized in mid-December when the Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational returns to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

The 41st annual RPI, open to the 25 points leaders in each of the PBA’s East, South, Central, Southwest, Midwest, West and Northwest Regions, offers a $7,500 first prize plus a berth in the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas. Based upon anticipated entries, the tournament will pay 90 places, but most important, in addition to prize money the top seven players will earn exemptions to bowl full-time on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour for the 2010-11 season.

Last year, John Nolen of Waterford, Mich., won the 40th anniversary RPI and then captured the 2009 United States Bowling Congress Masters in Las Vegas.

The tournament gets underway with a players reception hosted by the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino on Monday, Dec. 14. Following a practice session Tuesday morning, the entire field will bowl six-game rounds on the PBA’s Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark lane conditioning patterns over a span of three days. Final standings will be based upon 30 games of actual pinfall.

The 2009 Regional Players Invitational will follow the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour’s Red, White and Blue Open presented by USBC, which takes place Dec. 7-13 in Wichita, Kan. The inaugural Red, White and Blue Open – a tournament open to non-exempt and amateur bowlers as well as exempt tour players – will be unveil the United States Bowling Congress’ new “varying degree of difficulty” lane conditions for grassroots league bowlers, and it will provide a tune-up event for regional players headed to Reno.

The inaugural RPI was won by hall of famer Tom Hennessey, a member of the fabled Budweiser’s of St. Louis team, in Cincinnati in 1969. The tournament has served as a launching pad for a number of players who went on to careers as national touring players. Among the past champions who are still active as PBA Tour exempt players are reigning Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open champion Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas (1999); Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C. (2004); Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash. (2005), and Nolen.

In addition to Nolen, the 2009 RPI qualifiers who will compete on the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour are: P.J. Haggerty, Clovis, Calif.; brothers Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., and Brian Waliczek, Birch run, Mich.; Dave Arnold, Reno, Nev.; John May, Lincolnton, N.C.; Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, and Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif.

World Series of Bowling Kicks off
PBA’s ESPN Telecast Schedule

Sunday afternoon telecasts of the championship finals from the inaugural Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling will kick off ESPN’s 2009-10 coverage of the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.

During the coming season, ESPN will air 23 events resulting in 35 hours of original programming. Reruns and re-broadcasts of selected programs on ESPN Classic will expand the visibility for professional bowling on national television.

The PBA-ESPN season begins Oct. 25 when the finals of the PBA Women’s World Championship, PBA Senior World Championship and PBA Trick Shot Invitational air in a 90-minute show beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour regular season ends with live coverage of the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open from Baltimore on April 4 at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Two special events – the PBA Experience Showdown and the PBA Women’s Series Showdown – both presented by the United States Bowling Congress’ official web site, BOWL.COM, are scheduled to immediately follow the end of the regular season.

2009-10 ESPN LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR TELECAST SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern, all regular-season shows are 90 minutes, times are subject to change)
Oct. 25 – PBA Women’s World Championship, PBA Senior World Championship and PBA Trick Shot Invitational, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 5 at Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.)
Nov. 1 – Motor City Open, Taylor Lanes, Taylor, Mich., 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 5 at Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.)
Nov. 8 – PBA Cheetah Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Aug. 12 and 13 at Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.)
Nov. 15 – *PBA Viper Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 5 at Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.)
Nov. 22 – *PBA Chameleon Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.)
Nov. 29 – *PBA Scorpion Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.)
Dec. 6 – *PBA Shark Championship, 1 p.m. (taped Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.)
Dec. 13 – PBA World Championship, Northrock Lanes, 1 p.m., Wichita, Kan.
Jan. 3 – Red, White and Blue Open presented by USBC, 1 p.m. (taped Dec. 13 at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan.)
Jan. 10 – Don & Paula Carter Mixed Doubles, Lava Lanes, Medford, Ore. , 1 p.m.,
Jan. 17 – Earl Anthony Memorial Classic, Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl Dublin, Calif., 1 p.m.,
Jan. 24 – PBA Tournament of Champions, Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, 1 p.m.
Jan. 31 – Dick Weber Open, Fountain Bowl, Fountain Valley, Calif., noon
Feb. 7 – Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational, 2 p.m. (taped Sept. 25 at AMF Winston-Salem Lanes, Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Feb. 14 – USBC Masters, National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev., 3 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Gemini Championship, Brunswick Zone Wheat Ridge, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 1 p.m.
Feb. 28 – 67th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open, Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, 12:30 p.m.
March 7 – Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator, Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, 3 p.m.
March 14 – No telecast
March 21 – PBA Match Play Championship, Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center, Norwich, Conn., 1 p.m.
March 28 – Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship, AMF Babylon Lanes, West Babylon, N.Y., 2 p.m.
April 4 – Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open, AMF Country Club Lanes, Baltimore, 1 p.m.
April 11 – PBA Experience Showdown presented by BOWL.COM, USBC International Training Center, Arlington, Texas, 1 p.m. (two hours)
April 18 – PBA Women’s Series Showdown presented by BOWL.COM, USBC International Training Center, Arlington, Texas, 1 p.m. (two hours)
* Includes PBA Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM championship match

USBC TO PROVIDE LIVE VIDEO OF
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ON BOWL.COM

Bowling fans around the world will be able to watch the finals
and select semifinals of the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Women's
Championships on bowl.com. The United States Bowling Congress plans to live stream
from Las Vegas, Nev., portions of the event that will feature bowlers from 45 countries.

"We believe there is tremendous interest in watching this event both here in the United
States and internationally," said USBC Vice President of Media Pete Tredwell.
"Presenting the highest levels of bowling competition online can be a great way to gain
additional exposure for the sport."

The live stream will be distributed using Ustream.TV, a service that will insert
advertisements over the video at times. USBC does not control the content or frequency
of the advertisements.

"At this time, the ad-supported video stream is the financially responsible way for USBC
to provide this content for free," Tredwell said. "I am confident fans would rather see a
few pop-up ads than not see the action at all."

To view the live competition from the WTBA World Women's Championships, click on
the link on the home page of bowl.com.


WTBA World Women's Championships live stream schedule

Thursday, July 30
8:30 p.m. EDT Singles semifinals and finals
10 p.m. EDT Doubles semifinals and finals

Friday, July 31
9:30 p.m. EDT Trios semifinals and finals

Saturday, Aug. 1
9:30 p.m. EDT Team semifinals and finals

Sunday, Aug. 2
3 p.m. EDT Masters semifinals and finals

MENTAL TIP by
MICHAEL ANTHONY

"Anger or Instant Amnesia?"

While in his prime, Seve Ballesteros was asked during an interview how he keeps from getting angry when he misses a putt or shot. He replied, "Instant amnesia." Instead of getting and remaining angry, Seve merely forgot about it, and went right back to the business of playing golf.
Unfortunately, most golfers get upset or angry when things don't go as they wish while playing a round of golf. To compound matters, golfers tend to carry their anger for several holes or even the entire round after they have made a mistake or missed a putt or shot. Does this happen to you?
It is important to understand that your anger adversely affects your brain's chemistry and performance. If you allow anger to be a part of your emotional make-up, your stroke mechanics and mental clarity will suffer as a result. Your anger will cost you extra strokes.
Here is a game plan for reducing and hopefully eliminating anger. First, as soon as you become aware that you are angry, stop and acknowledge that you are upset. Do not suppress your anger or rationalize that you have a right to be upset because your anger will build and fester. Your performance will continue to suffer as a result.
After acknowledging you are angry, realize that you are merely reacting to a fact and have a choice how to respond emotionally. You can continue to be upset or you can decide to release your anger. The obvious choice is to regain control of your composure so you can play better.
Here is an excellent method for releasing anger. While taking ten deep breaths and exhaling slowly after each breath, talk to yourself. Tell yourself that you refuse to let a fact upset you no matter how unfair or unjust the fact may be. Realize that facts are merely facts!
You may not be able to control the facts, but you can control your emotional response to them. Once you are calm and have a smile on your face, get back into the present and focus on your next shot.
If you train yourself to have instant amnesia, you will become a better golfer and shoot lower scores.

BARNES FINISHES FOURTH
IN SINGLES AT WORLD GAMES

KAOHSIUNG, Chinese Taipei - Team USA's Chris Barnes finished fourth in singles recently at the World Games, narrowly missing an opportunity to bring home a medal.

A costly 4-7-10 split in the final frame of the last game kept Barnes on the outside of the top-three stepladder finals by 13 pins. He finished the 10-game round-robin match play with 2,221, including 60 bonus pins for a 6-4 match-play record.

Colombia's Manuel Otalora went on to win the men's title by defeating top seed Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong, 445-367, in the two-game championship. Otalora advanced from the semifinal with a 184-181 one-game win over Malaysia's Adrian Ang, who defeated Barnes 245-187 in the final game of match play.

"I'm really disappointed because there are so many of the guys on Team USA who could have come here and won this event," Barnes said. "I was really honored to be selected to compete here and to not finish the deal makes me feel like I've let my team down."

Heading into the position round game against Ang, there was a brief break to tabulate scores. Barnes said during that break he lost some of the momentum from the 257 he had in Game 9.

"During that little break I sort of lost my feel for what I was doing," Barnes said. "I threw it a lot better after the sixth frame to get back into the hunt, but it just wasn't enough. The last shot where I split, the ball was just about one board left of target and needed some help. It just wasn't my best effort."

On the women's side, Finland's Krista Pollanen, the No. 3 seed, defeated top seed Zara Glover of England, 407-378, to win the gold medal Liza Del Rosario of the Philippines lost to Pollanen in the semifinal, 215-210, and earned the bronze.

Bowling is one of more than 30 sports not currently included in the Olympics that are being showcased in the World Games until July 26. Bowling, along with archery, billiards and bocce, is classified as a precision sport.

For more information on the World Games, visit the official Web site of the event at www.worldgames2009.tw.

Here & There Column 7-28-09

Horton Brook Free Methodist Church part-time Associate Pastor Bob Landau, left, with Pastor Faustin Soneka of Ndola, Zambia

85 Percent Unemployment Is A Challenge

Economic stability and nine to 10 percent unemployment still remains a major problem in the United States but when told about 85 percent unemployment in the Ndola, Zambia area of Africa it would tend to make a lot of us Americans think we're living on the top of the world.
Pastor Faustin Soneka of the Christian Celebration Church in Ndola, Zambia, speaking before the congregation of the Horton Brook Free Methodist Church on July 22 noted that his area in Zambia is faced with 85 percent unemployment.
Pastor Soneka spoke about pastors from different denominations who meet together with a common goal to further the gospel and to meet the needs of the people they serve.
The difficult economic climate presently in Zambia has these clergy members working in small churches that have very limited resources and the pastors receive little or no money for their work and most of the time assistance provides pastors with only one meal a day.
Economic survival in Zambia is very simply stated, "it is one of the poorest countries in Africa" where 80 percent of the people live on less than one dollar per day and one out of every five Zambians is infected with HIV-AIDS. A little over 15 percent of all Zambian children aged 14 and below are orphaned and there are over 100,000 street children.
As citizens of Sullivan County, New York State and the United States we all know of the economic struggles facing us now, but, it is so difficult to comprehend how a nation like Zambia survives. It all comes down to the fact that its men and religious leaders like Pastor Soneka who with $25 monthly donations ensure that a pastor in Ndola can receive at least one meal a day. This meals consists of corn meal, cooking oil and or a small amount of sugar which are the basic parts of the Zambian diet.
We acquired great admiration for Pastor Soneka in his efforts to give care and support of children in his area with donated foot, water, clothing, housing, education, health care to HIV-AIDS infected children and facilitating training for live skills to children who no longer have parents to guide them through life.
We have tough economic times facing us but help can be provided to the Zambian Pastors Support Foundation at 110 Fuller Hill Road, Roscoe, NY 12776 or by calling 607-498-4539.

Golfing Highlights Column 7-24-09

One of the new holes under construction at the Hancock Golf Course.

The layout for the new 9 holes of golf at the Hancock Golf Course along with building lots.

Hancock Will Be 18-Holes In Two Years

Nine additional holes are being added to the present nine-hole Robert Trent Jones designed Hancock Golf Course which indeed has a very interesting history.
Clearing for the new 126-acre course which will also house 1.7 to 8 acre home sites started this year and the additional nine holes are anticipated being open for play in two years.
A Rochester architect has designed the new layout which is presently planned to be completed in about a years time but owners say they expect to let the course set for one year before opening it for play.
The present nine-hole course is leased (since 1971) and operated by the Buckley family, Alice "Cookie" Buckley is the Director of Operations, Julie Buckley Weyrauch is the General Manager, Eric Buckley is the Course Superintendent (GCSAA), Charles Buckley Sr. (GCSAA) is the retired Course Superintendent and Charles Buckley Jr. is the PGA Professional.
The new 9-hole addition to the Hancock Golf Course and the home sites is owned by the Buckley family.
The dream of every community to have it's own golf course started for Hancock in 1936 when resident Howard Merwin offered to donate a piece of land near Somerset Lake to the Town of Hancock for the purpose of developing a municipal golf course. Due to complications the project did not develop.
In 1940 another attempt to build a golf course came when the Town Board of Trade voted to solicit the services of Robert T. Jones of Thompson and Jones, architects of New York, as to the best location of a golf course.
A site north of the village was chosen for the eventual completion of a course of approximately 3,400 yards with a par 36. Robert Trent Jones described the land as "sufficiently rolling to provide interest, yet not difficult or tiresome and admirably adapted to a nine-hole course."
At that time, the Works Project Administration (WPA) had 65 men in the Town of Hancock on the government payroll and Delaware County WPA Construction Superintendent Olney Borden of Liberty, NY was working with the Board of Trade members regarding the possibility of the WPA becoming involved in a golf course project.
The Board of Trade voted to petition the Town Board to sponsor a municipal golf course in conjunction with the WPA and in June 1940 the board agreed to sponsor construction of a golf course with WPA aid. In December of 1940 the Federal Works Agency in Washington announced approval to construct a municipal golf course in the Town of Hancock.
The town was awarded a WPA allotment of $47,742 as sponsor of the golf course and the towns share was estimated at $10,000. It is interesting to note that the $10,000 contribution from the town took the form of the town providing machinery, other equipment and furnishing labor from the unemployment rolls of the town.
A local committee set a goal of $3,500 to purchase the land for the course and with surveys completed and deeds taken work was scheduled to begin in January 1941.
Architect Robert Trent Jones completed diagrams and surveys and assured the sponsors that the new course would be "one of the finest nine-hole courses in the Southern Tier unsurpassed for beauty and scenery and one not too hard on the middle-aged."
In March of 1941 ground was broken and in May of 1941 papers were filed in Albany for a Membership Corporation to be known as the Hancock Golf and Country Club which then elected officers and continued to solicit funds for the golf course.
Somewhere around the year 1942 about 50 percent of the course was completed under the WPA project when it was abandoned due to floods and the war. Sprinkler pipes which had been laid to the locations of the greens and certain areas of the fairways were all dug up with the medal to be used in the war effort. The land lay dormant and went back to nature.
In the late summer of 1945 work on the course produced new drainage and finishing of the greens and in June 1946 five holes were ready to play despite unfavorable wet, cold weather but with funds running low as a result of new machinery and equipment interest again waned and it is reported that the course again returned to grass, weeds, trees and abandonment.
The town again got involved in 1957 and the Hancock Golf and Country Club formed a committee to sell charter memberships and in 1959 Hancock finally had it public golf course.
The golf course lease changed hands several time since 1959 and in 1971 Lucille Howel leased the course to Charles Buckley who brought in equipment and proceeded to make substantial improvements to the course.
In 2001 Buckley constructed a new clubhouse which now houses locker rooms and Cookies On The Green restaurant which is open only during the golf season.
The course is open 7 days a week from April to November 1.
Tee times and any questions can be answered by calling 607-637-2480.
Next week will outline how to play this nine-hole Robert Trent Jones designed golf course.

The Golf Tip
By Robert Menges

The Importance of Wedges:
In today's ever-changing golf game, most players are under the influence that if they hit the ball longer they will play better.
Even though technology has increased how far the ball will travel, the scores are about the same. There is no doubt that if you hit the ball longer you should have less club to the green and be able to get the ball closer to the hole and make more putts.
I believe this to be true, but you better be able to hit the shots on the green close to the pin. In order to hit the ball close, I feel it is important to carry three wedges in your golf bag. Most people have a pitching wedge that comes with their set. This club has 47 to 49 degrees of loft. You have a choice to make for the other two wedges. A gap wedge comes with about 50 to 53 degrees of loft and a lob wedge is about 60 to 64 degrees of loft. I would choose between these two clubs depending on how far you hit the ball.
A lob wedge will save you shots around the green and a gap wedge will help you with the in between yardages in the fairway.
You should always carry a sand wedge that has 54 to 57 degrees of loft.
Some touring Professionals will carry 4 wedges in their bag.
The next time you play a round of golf, count how many shots you take from 100 yards in to the hole. I think you will find that this will total about 60 percent of your score.
When you are trying to improve your score, it is important to lower the number of shots you take close to the green . I think having three wedges in your bag will help you accomplish a lower score.
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 email at menges@hughes.net

Ed's Oulook

The LPGA Golf Channel deal starting in 2010 can not come soon enough. There were 35 LPGA Tour events in 2008 and this year five are gone and the Tour is down to 29 events. Almost two-thirds of this years events (19) are in renewal discussions and the LPGA risks further shrinkage in 2010.....let's hope they can figure out a solution and that the golf channel deal will help.

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a consultant to the amateur and professional sport of golf and to several golf writers associations. If you have a topic that you feel would make good reading or have league scores and tournament information, Ed can be reached at 439-8177 or by email at bowlgolfect1@yahoo.com For a more expanded version of this golf column, please visit our web page at http://bght.blogspot.com/

SERGIO GARCIA ACCEPTS INVITATION
TO PLAY OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP

All 18 Exempt Nations Have Now Been Confirmed for the 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup to be Played at Mission Hills Golf Club, China, from November 26-29
Thursday 23 July 2009 (Bienne, Switzerland) - The field, selected through each nation’s leading player on the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, June 22, is headed by Sergio Garcia – Number Four on the Official World Golf Ranking at the cut-off date – who will represent his country, Spain, for the first time at Mission Hills.

The five-time Ryder Cup player can now select his team-mate to compete over the course designed by his countryman, José Maria Olazábal, provided that the player nominated is inside the top 100 on the World Ranking as of June 22 or the second deadline of August 17.
This will be Garcia’s fourth attempt to win the World Cup. He played in 2001, 2004 and 2005, with his best finish coming in his native Spain five years ago when he and Miguel Angel Jiménez finished just one shot behind champions England over another Olazábal-designed course, the Real Club de Golf Sevilla in Seville. Jiménez and Pablo Larrazabal led after three rounds at Mission Hills in 2008 but were overhauled on the final day by Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson’s brilliant closing foursomes round of 63 to the Spanish pair’s 70. Garcia is hoping he can drive Spain to victory this year, but knows the competition will be fierce.
“There are always a lot of good teams at the World Cup. I think that the Swedish team, the defending champions, will be very good,” said Garcia. “The Americans always seem to bring a good solid team into the tournament. Australia, of course, is going to have a good one coming in. One of the Asian teams could be solid.” “The next time I see José María I’ll probably ask him about the course. I’ve seen a little bit of it on TV and I’ve heard good things about it. I’m looking forward to seeing it. It’s going to be a great test like it’s been every year. I’m just hoping that my partner and I can do well and bring the victory to Spanish soil.”Stenson, one half of the dynamic Swedish duo who secured the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for their country, will defend the trophy at Mission Hills, where he and partner Robert Karlsson recorded a three shot victory.It was Sweden’s second victory in the event, Anders Forsbrand and Per-Ulrik Johansson having captured the trophy for the first time in 1991.Rory McIlroy, who broke into the world’s top 20 this season, has confirmed he will make his debut at Mission Hills and he has selected Ryder Cup player and fellow Northern Irishman, Graeme McDowell, to be his partner under the united Ireland banner.For the third successive year, Ian Poulter will represent England in China, having finished fourth in tandem with Justin Rose in 2007 and sixth with Ross Fisher last year, who will partner Poulter once again this time around.Rory Sabbatini will fly the flag for South Africa alongside Richard Sterne, Nick Watney will play under the Stars and Stripes of the USA, while Open de France ALSTOM and Barclays Scottish Open winner Martin Kaymer spearheads the German challenge in China. Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby have accepted the opportunity to represent Australia while the other confirmed nations are Denmark (Søren Kjeldsen), India (Jeev Milkha Singh), Thailand (Thongchai Jaidee), Argentina (Andres Romero), Italy (Francesco Molinari), Japan (Ryuji Imada), France (Thomas Levet), Chinese Taipei (Lin Wen-tang), New Zealand (David Smail) and Korea (Charlie Wi). China qualify automatically as host nations of the World Cup and will be represented by Liang Wen Chong who makes his fourth World Cup appearance.The leading player may select any player of his choosing from the same country provided such player was ranked within the top 100 on the Official World Golf Ranking as of either 22 June 2009 or August 17, 2009. If there was no other available player from that country within the top 100 on the OWGR on either of the dates, the exempt player’s partner shall be the next highest ranked available player from the same country outside of the top 100 as of August 17. If there is no other available player from that country within the top 500 on the OWGR as at August 17, the exempt player may select a professional of his choosing from the same country, without regard to the chosen player’s World Ranking. The deadline for the leading player to select his partner is August 28, 2009.The final field of 28 nations will be completed following three Qualifying Tournaments to be played in Asia (Kuala Lumpur), Europe (Estonia) and South America (Venezuela), with three countries going through from each regional qualifier to join the 18 exempt nations and hosts, China, at Mission Hills.ABOUT OMEGAThe prestige watch manufacturer OMEGA was founded in Switzerland in 1848 and since then has continually set the pace in many fields of watchmaking, from sports timekeeping and design awards to watches for professional use in space or underwater. OMEGA is closely associated with a world of achievements including the conquest of space, timekeeping at 23 Olympic Games and numerous precision records as well as the launch in 1999 of the revolutionary Co-Axial calibre, one of the 20th century’s major innovations in mechanical watchmaking designed with the English master watchmaker George Daniels. OMEGA was Official Timekeeper for the 23rd time at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, to be followed by Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games.ABOUT MISSION HILLS GOLF CLUB, CHINAStretching across the lush, rolling hills of Shenzhen and Dongguan in southern China, Mission Hills is China’s highest rated golf club, and the largest golf club in the world according to the Guinness World Records. The property is home to 12 resort and championship courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh, David Leadbetter, David Duval, Jumbo Ozaki and Zhang Lian Wei.Mission Hills is a full-service, luxury resort, featuring four clubhouses, three spas, a five-star hotel, three golf academies (including schools from world renowned instructors David Leadbetter and Cindy Reid), 51 tennis courts with a professional tennis academy, and numerous fine dining establishments serving cuisine from around the world. It has hosted more than 50 international tournaments, including the 1995 World Cup of Golf and the Tiger Woods China Challenge in 2001. In 2007, Mission Hills began its role as host of 12 editions of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL GOLF ASSOCIATIONEstablished by Canadian industrialist John Jay Hopkins in 1953, the International Golf Association’s mission is the pursuit of ’international goodwill through golf’. As owner of the World Cup name, the IGA has sanctioned the world's most prestigious international team golf competition for more than 50 years. The IGA is governed by its Board of Directors, which includes Chairman Jonathan S. Linen (past Vice-Chairman, American Express), Deane R. Beman (former PGA TOUR Commissioner), J. B. McCoy (past CEO, Bank One Corporation), Bill Souders (former Executive Vice-President and Director, Xerox Corporation) and Tim Finchem (current PGA TOUR commissioner). ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF PGA TOURSThe International Federation of PGA Tours, formed in 1996, was created to enhance the competitive structure of professional golf worldwide while preserving the traditions and strengths of the six member Tours. The member Tours are the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and the Sunshine Tour. The Canadian Tour and the Tour de las Americas are Associate Members of the Federation. At the time of its founding, three major initiatives were outlined: the formation of the International Federation of PGA Tours; joint sanctioning by the members of the International Federation of PGA Tours of significant competitions for the game's top players; and a structure for a generally accepted worldwide ranking system.

PBA WORLD SERIES OF BOWLING Q & A
From Tournament Director Kirk von Krueger

PBA Vice President and Tour Director Kirk von Krueger is a former PBA Tour player and has served as the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Director since 1996. Kirk returns to his Tournament Director duties for the PBA World Series of Bowling and answers some frequently asked questions regarding the bowling extravaganza.



What are the dates for WSOB events and where are they conducted?
The PBA World Series of Bowling will take place in two locations between Aug. 2 and Sept. 6. PBA will be at Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Mich. from Aug. 2 – 6 for the Motor City Open. The remainder of the events will be conducted at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park beginning Aug. 8. The WSOB consists of seven Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour events (including the PBA World Championship), the first five of seven PBA Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM events (including the PBA Women’s World Championship) and the PBA Senior World Championship.

The basic schedule looks like this:

Aug. 2-6 - Motor City Open, Taylor Lanes, Taylor, Mich.

Aug. 8-13 - PBA Cheetah Championship, Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.

Aug. 14-16 - PBA Viper Championship and PBA Women’s Series Viper Championship, Thunderbowl Lanes

Aug. 18-20 - PBA Chameleon Championship and PBA Women’s Series Chameleon Championship, Thunderbowl Lanes

Aug. 23-25 - PBA Viper Championship and PBA Women’s Series Viper Championship, Thunderbowl Lanes

Aug. 27-29 - PBA Shark Championship and PBA Women’s Series Shark Championship, Thunderbowl Lanes

Aug. 30-Sept. 4 - PBA World Championship, PBA Women’s World Championship and PBA Senior World Championship, Thunderbowl Lanes

Sept. 5-6 - ESPN taping of final rounds for all events except the PBA Cheetah Championship and the PBA World Championship will take place in Thunderbowl’s arena. The televised finals for the PBA World Championship will be telecast live from Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan., on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern Dec. 13.



A detailed schedule which also features sweepers and side events can be found by visiting http://www.pba.com/worldseries/schedule2.html



Q. Who is eligible to compete in WSOB events?



A. All events are open to professionals as well as amateurs. Amateurs may enter directly into the open event fields (Motor City Open, PBA World Championship, PBA Women’s World Championship and PBA Senior World Championship). Amateurs can also enter Lumber Liquidators PBA Exempt Tour events but must qualify through Tour Qualifying Rounds. Under a new rule for 2009-10, all amateurs who finish among the top 10 in TQRs will advance to the field of 72.



If an amateur makes the field in a PBA Exempt Tour event and cashes, he/she will be required to become a PBA member to compete in future exempt events. However, an amateur who cashes in a TQR but does not advance to the field of 72 is not required to become a PBA member.



Also, keep in mind that women are eligible to enter any PBA Tour event to bowl against the men if they choose to do so. Obviously, male bowlers are not allowed to enter PBA Women’s Series events.



Q. Who makes up a Lumber Liquidators PBA Exempt Tour field?



A. Exempt Tour events during the WSOB will feature expanded fields of 72 players (standard Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour events during the rest of the season feature 64 players with five players coming through Tour Qualifying Rounds). PBA Women’s Series events will consist of 18 exempt players (up from 16 last season) with at least two additional players making the field through TQRs.



WSOB exempt events will consist of 41 players from the 2008-09 PBA Tour points list, eight players from the PBA Tour Trials, seven players from PBA Regional Players Invitational, three international player exemptions, one Golden Parachute qualifier, one player returning from a medical deferment in 2008-09, the 2008-09 TQR points list leader and 10 players (including one amateur) advance from TQRs. If any of the exempt players can’t bowl, his spot will be added to the TQR for that particular tournament.



WSOB Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM events consist of 12 players from U.S. Women’s Tour Trials, six champions from 2008 and at least two players qualifying through TQRs. If an exempt woman can’t bowl, her spot will be added to the TQR.



Q. What is the entry fee for WSOB events?



A. For PBA members, the open field event entry fee is $500 (Motor City Open, PBA World Championship, PBA Women’s and Senior World Championship): Non-member open field entry is $600.



Lumber Liquidator PBA Tour and PBA Women Series presented by BOWL.COM TQR entry fees for the TQRs are $300 for PBA members if paid in advance, or $325 if paid on the day of the TQR. The non-member (amateur) entry fee is $325 in advance or $350 if paid on the day of the TQR.



It is strongly recommended that members and non-members enter by visiting

http://www.pba.com/worldseries/tournamententries.html. PBA members also may use the

special entry hotline, (206) 654-6025. Onsite entries must be paid to the Tournament Director.



Q. What is the size of the fields for the open events?



A. Capacity for the Motor City Open is 196. For the PBA World Championship it is 200 entries and PBA Senior World Championship, the maximum is 140. The maximum for the PBA Women’s World Championship is 100.



Q. What is the prize fund for Lumber Liquidators PBA Exempt Tour events?



A. Each will pay a $192,600 total purse with a $25,000 first prize. PBA Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM events will pay a $50,800 total purse with a $10,000 first prize.



Q. What is the prize fund for open events?



A. Prize funds vary depending on the event. For example, the Motor City Open prize fund payout ratio will be 1 in 3 based on the number of entries with a guaranteed first prize of $25,000 and last to cash of $1,400. For the PBA World Championship the prize fund payout ratio is 1 in 4 with a minimum of 53 checks based on 160 entries. A 54th place check would be paid when entries reach 216. First place pays $50,000; last to cash $1,400. For the PBA Senior World Championship, the prize fund payout ratio is 1 in 3 based on the number of entries; first place will be $15,000, last cash $1,000 with an additional 10 Super Senior checks (ages 60 and over out of the regular prize list) that pay $700 each. The Women’s World Championship also sports a $15,000 first prize with a payout ratio of 1 in 3 based on entries; first place will be $15,000 and last cash $1,100.



Q. I heard there will be side events and sweepers as well?



A. For those who just can’t get enough there will be eight side events and sweepers, all scheduled for the bowler’s convenience. Entries for those will be taken onsite. Three special side tournaments with a $250 entry fee are restricted to amateurs and non-exempt PBA members. Five sweepers with entry fees of $100 and $80 are open to all players, exempt or not. Check out www.pbaworldseriesofbowling.com< href="">">http://www.pbaworldseriesofbowling.com/> for side event schedule. The prize fund payout ratio for sweepers is 1 in 5.



All side action entry fees go directly into the prize fund; no lineage or administrative fees will be deducted. In order to participate in any side event, a bowler must enter at least one of the main tournaments or any of the TQRs. Each of the five sweepers will be contested on a different PBA lane pattern: Earl Anthony, Tournament of Champions, U.S. Open, Dick Weber and Shark.



Q. What is the PBA World Championship format?



A. It is open to exempt and non-exempt professionals as well as amateurs. It will consist of 18 qualifying games on three different lane patterns followed by a six-game semifinal round. The top 40 will advance to best-seven-game, single-elimination match. The top eight will earn first and second-round byes, advancing directly to the Round of Super 16. The four survivors will advance to the live ESPN final on Dec. 13 in Wichita, Kan.



Q. What is the format for the PBA Women’s and PBA Senior World Championships?



A. Both are open to exempt and non-exempt professionals as well as amateurs. Each will consists of 18 qualifying games followed by a six-game semifinal round with the top 20 advancing to best-of-seven-game, single-elimination match play. The top four in each division earn first and second round byes advancing directly to the Round of Super 8. The two surviving senior players and two surviving women will advance to the finals Sept. 5 at Thunderbowl Lanes.



Q. What is the format for the five WSOB PBA Exempt Tour events?



A. The Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark Championships will consist of 14 qualifying games leading to a cut to the top 28 for best-of-seven-game, single-elimination match play. The top four will earn byes to the Round of 16. Elimination matches will continue until four remain for the finals, except for the Cheetah Championship. The Cheetah Championship will continue with best-of-seven matches all the way to its conclusion.



Q. What is the format for WSOB PBA Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM Exempt Tour events?



A. The Women’s Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark Championships will consist of 14 qualifying games leading to a cut to the top eight for best-of-seven-game, single-elimination match play. The top eight will bowl matches until two remain for the finals. There will not be a Women’s Cheetah Championship.



Q. What lane conditions will be used for WSOB events?



A. PBA World Championship events will be conducted on a PBA World Championship pattern. The Motor City Open will be conducted on last season’s Shark pattern. The other WSOB events will be conducted on the PBA lane conditions that each is named after: Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark.



Q. If I enter WSOB events, what equipment am I allowed to use?



A. For a complete list of PBA-approved equipment, visit http://www.pba.com/resources/equipmentSponsors.asp?Type=1



Q. Where and how do my friends and family get tickets?



A. Tickets are available for TQRs, practice days, qualifying rounds, match play rounds and ESPN telecasts. PBA is offering a wide variety of ticket options and packages. They may be purchased by visiting www.pbaworldseriesofbowling.com< href="">">http://www.pbaworldseriesofbowling.com/> or onsite at Taylor Lanes and Thunderbowl Lanes.



Q. When will ESPN telecasts of WSOB events air?



A. WSOB taped events air in their usual Sunday 1 p.m. Eastern timeslot on ESPN beginning Oct. 25. WSOB events will essentially make up the first half of the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.



The second half of the 2009-2010 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season will be more traditional, with live television and stops across the country between January and April, including three major championships – the Tournament of Champions, USBC Masters and U.S. Open.



As always, you are encouraged to check your local listings.



Q. What’s the best way to follow WSOB action?



A. PBA.com, of course. Bowling fans throughout the world will be able to follow WSOB action through pba.com and its new subscription-based bowling channel feature called Xtra Frame. More than 100 hours of programming is planned that will also feature an ESPN Sports Center-style program called PBA: 39x60.



Q. Are there going to be PBA Pro-Ams?



A. Absolutely. Pro-Ams give bowling fans a unique opportunity to bowl with PBA pros. They are fun events for all ages and skill levels.



Q. When are the PBA World Series of Bowling Pro-Ams?



A. Taylor Lanes Pro-Ams are on Aug. 2 at 4 and 7 p.m. and on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. Thunderbowl Pro-Ams are on Aug. 14 at 3 and 6 p.m. and Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.



Q. How do I enter a Pro-Am?



A. Go to http://www.pba.com/worldseries/tickets.html to enter a Thunderbowl Lanes Pro-Am. Packages start at $65 and include options for enhancements like the latest Brunswick bowling balls at significant discounts.


About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and awarded more than $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com< href="">.">http://www.pba.com/>.

USBC TO PROVIDE LIVE VIDEO OF
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ON BOWL.COM

Bowling fans around the world will be able to watch the finals
and select semifinals of the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Women's
Championships on bowl.com. The United States Bowling Congress plans to live stream
from Las Vegas, Nev., portions of the event that will feature bowlers from 45 countries.

"We believe there is tremendous interest in watching this event both here in the United
States and internationally," said USBC Vice President of Media Pete Tredwell.
"Presenting the highest levels of bowling competition online can be a great way to gain
additional exposure for the sport."

The live stream will be distributed using Ustream.TV, a service that will insert
advertisements over the video at times. USBC does not control the content or frequency
of the advertisements.

"At this time, the ad-supported video stream is the financially responsible way for USBC
to provide this content for free," Tredwell said. "I am confident fans would rather see a
few pop-up ads than not see the action at all."

To view the live competition from the WTBA World Women's Championships, click on
the link on the home page of bowl.com.


WTBA World Women's Championships live stream schedule

Thursday, July 30
8:30 p.m. EDT Singles semifinals and finals
10 p.m. EDT Doubles semifinals and finals

Friday, July 31
9:30 p.m. EDT Trios semifinals and finals

Saturday, Aug. 1
9:30 p.m. EDT Team semifinals and finals

Sunday, Aug. 2
3 p.m. EDT Masters semifinals and finals

-- United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the
integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly 2.5
million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.

After Nearly 50 Years,
Detroit’s Historic Thunderbowl
Lanes Returns to Glory

Nearly 50 years after it was built to showcase the best in bowling, “The Arena” inside historic Thunderbowl Lanes in suburban Detroit is about to come full circle.

During the month of August and into early September, the arena bay inside Thunderbowl Lanes will be abuzz with 27 days of action as the centerpiece of the Professional Bowlers Association’s World Series of Bowling, a unique festival of competitive bowling that will include seven championship tournaments and pay out more than $2 million in prize money.

“The arena is one of the reasons the PBA selected Detroit for the inaugural World Series of Bowling,” said Thunderbowl Lanes proprietor Tom Strobl, who purchased the Thunderbowl complex in 1997. “There isn’t another facility like it. Bowling fans who attend the World Series are going to love it.”

George Prybla and his partners built Thunderbowl Lanes with 54 lanes in 1960, but a year later they added an amazing 2,000-seat, multi-level stadium with four lanes to house competition for Detroit’s entry into the fledgling National Bowling League.

“The original layout included a restaurant with a view of the lanes from the upper area,” Strobl said. “It was almost a forerunner to sky boxes used in all major sports stadiums these days. It was a spacious area with ceilings two or three stories high.

“But when the National Bowling League folded shortly after the facility was built, the owners were stuck with it. So over a period of years, they built a 20-lane bowling arena over the top of the original seating area. The levels for the original seating are still there; we just built around them. The area where the restaurant used to be is now a poker room.

“But the seating behind the lanes was retained and it was still a showcase for years. The Detroit All-Stars bowled there. The arena hosted a PBA tournament run by Earl Anthony in 1978. It hosted a local “Bowling for Dollars” TV show that aired in Detroit, Monday through Friday, for years.

“The arena has gradually changed,” Strobl continued. “We added more lighting and changed the seating in 2003. There is a huge pull-down video screen in the arena. On Fridays and Saturdays, we play music and have great fun. The place is packed.

“The World Series of Bowling is bringing the original purpose of the arena full circle,” he added. “It’s going to provide what the original owners had in mind. It might not seat 2,000 people, but there is comfortably room in there for 700 or 800 people.”

The first World Series event in the arena will be a special “PBA Survivor Challenge” side event on Friday, Aug. 7. Next, preliminary competition in the PBA Cheetah Championship will take place in the arena on Wednesday, Aug. 12. From that day forward, the showcase arena will host Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, PBA Women’s Series presented by BOWL.COM or PBA World Championship action on an almost daily basis. The grand finale will involve the production of six championship television shows for delayed broadcast on ESPN on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and 6.

It’s going to be a “can’t miss” opportunity for bowling fans not only in the Detroit area, but throughout the Midwest. There is a wide variety of ticket options for spectators, including single-day tickets for Tour Qualifying Rounds and practice sessions ($5), qualifying rounds ($15 all day) or match play rounds ($25 all day). A $100 “VIP Pass” is available through July 31, which is good for the entire World Series except for the TV shows. TV show tickets range from $15 for Level D, single-show seats to $260 for an all-day VIP package in Level A for either Sept. 5 or Sept. 6.

For more information on ticket packages and prices, and to order tickets in advance, go to: http://www.pba.com/worldseries/tickets.html. For a complete schedule of events that will take place in the Thunderbowl Lanes arena bay, go to: http://www.pba.com/worldseries/schedule2.html.

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and awarded over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com.

BARNES FINISHES FOURTH IN
SINGLES AT WORLD GAMES

KAOHSIUNG, Chinese Taipei - Team USA's Chris Barnes finished fourth in singles recently at the World Games, narrowly missing an opportunity to bring home a medal.

A costly 4-7-10 split in the final frame of the last game kept Barnes on the outside of the top-three stepladder finals by 13 pins. He finished the 10-game round-robin match play with 2,221, including 60 bonus pins for a 6-4 match-play record.

Colombia's Manuel Otalora went on to win the men's title by defeating top seed Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong, 445-367, in the two-game championship. Otalora advanced from the semifinal with a 184-181 one-game win over Malaysia's Adrian Ang, who defeated Barnes 245-187 in the final game of match play.

"I'm really disappointed because there are so many of the guys on Team USA who could have come here and won this event," Barnes said. "I was really honored to be selected to compete here and to not finish the deal makes me feel like I've let my team down."

Heading into the position round game against Ang, there was a brief break to tabulate scores. Barnes said during that break he lost some of the momentum from the 257 he had in Game 9.

"During that little break I sort of lost my feel for what I was doing," Barnes said. "I threw it a lot better after the sixth frame to get back into the hunt, but it just wasn't enough. The last shot where I split, the ball was just about one board left of target and needed some help. It just wasn't my best effort."

On the women's side, Finland's Krista Pollanen, the No. 3 seed, defeated top seed Zara Glover of England, 407-378, to win the gold medal Liza Del Rosario of the Philippines lost to Pollanen in the semifinal, 215-210, and earned the bronze.

Bowling is one of more than 30 sports not currently included in the Olympics that are being showcased in the World Games until July 26. Bowling, along with archery, billiards and bocce, is classified as a precision sport.

For more information on the World Games, visit the official Web site of the event at www.worldgames2009.tw.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly 2.5 million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.

Duke Wins Third Straight
ESPY in “Best Bowler” Category

Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., won the 2008-09 “Best Bowler” ESPY Award for his third consecutive ESPY win and fourth overall.

The ESPY Awards, presented by ESPN, represent the best in sports in a variety of categories. The annual ESPY Awards ceremonies were held on July 15 in Los Angeles and aired on ESPN Sunday night.

Duke was the winner in fan voting over Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, and Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas. Duke was a three-time Lumber Liquidators PBA title winner and the Tour’s earnings leader during the 2008-09 season. Winning the 2008 PBA World Championship gave him a record three straight PBA major titles. Malott also was a three-time winner and edged Duke in the 2008-09 PBA Player of the Year points race. Barnes, a two-time title winner, was third in Player of the Year points.

“The ESPYs is a chance for bowling to reside alongside all of the other sports,” Duke said. “Whether you believe baseball, basketball and football are the top tier sports, for a week we’re all the same. The ESPYs is a celebration of the greatest seasons in all sports. To be mentioned along with all of those great athletes is really special. It’s a terrific experience. I have a lot of wonderful memories from being a part of the ESPYs.”

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and awarded over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com.

BARNES, NATION FINISH
SEVENTH IN WORLD
GAMES MIXED DOUBLES

KAOHSIUNG, Chinese Taipei - After getting off to a slow start, Team USA's Chris Barnes and Stefanie Nation settled for a seventh-place finish recently in mixed doubles at the 2009 World Games.

The pair shot combined totals of 353 and 370 the first two games to fall behind the field in the six-game format. They finished with 2,454, missing the cut to the three-team stepladder finals by 122 pins.

Korea's Kong Byoung-Hee and Gye Min-Young went on to win the gold medal by defeating Colombia's Anggie Rodriguez and Manuel Otalora in two games, 840-710. Malaysia's Adrian Ang and Zatil Iman lost to the Koreans in the semifinal, 421-391, in one game to take the bronze medal.

"You really had to get out of the gate with a strong start and we didn't do that," said Nation, who shot 1,206. "You had to make moves quickly, and we just didn't do it early enough."

Barnes, who shot 1,248, said the decision to play the outside part of the lane early cost them a shot at making the stepladder finals.

"It was a very disappointing day," Barnes said. "We made a strategic error by deciding to play out and it turns out it was a bad decision. The lane conditions were tough and we didn't have any room to make mistakes out there."

Although mixed doubles is now concluded, the players' individual scores from Monday carry forward and are combined with 12 additional qualifying games of singles on Tuesday. The top 10 men and top 10 women after the 18 games advance to round robin match play Wednesday morning. The top three men and top three women then advance to the stepladder finals to determine the singles medalists.

Both Team USA players sit among the top 10 individuals after Monday's round. Barnes is seventh, while Nation is eighth.

Bowling is one of more than 30 sports not currently included in the Olympics that are being showcased in the World Games until July 26. Bowling, along with archery, billiards and bocce, is classified as a precision sport.

For more information on the World Games, visit the official Web site of the event at www.worldgames2009.tw.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly 2.5 million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.

PAULA CREAMER
Teleconference

DANA GORDON: I'd like to welcome everyone to today's RICOH Women's British Open teleconference with Paula Creamer. It will be played July 30th through August 2nd at the Royal Lytham and St. Anne's Golf Club. South Korea's Jiyai Shin is the defending champion and Jiyai Shin is currently No. 1 on the Money List. The tournament is coming up in two weeks.
To welcome Paula, she joined the LPGA in 2005 and is the winner of eight LPGA titles. She's currently ranked No. 5 in the Rolex World Rankings, and Paula's best finish at the RICOH Women's British Open was a tie for seventh at the 2007 event at St. Andrews.
Paula, we are two weeks away from this year's RICOH Women's British Open. If you could start by telling us how you feel you're preparing for the final major championship of the season.
PAULA CREAMER: Yeah, I'm looking really forward to going to this event. I've played this golf course before. I feel good about it. I've been working hard on my game, being able to actually get back into playing golf now, with my thumb injury. But it's nice to be able to have a week off, play in the Evian, being able to go to the Open rested and ready to go.

DANA GORDON: If you could tell us a bit more about your thumb, if you're feeling good, your health overall.
PAULA CREAMER: I'm feeling much better. My thumb is just something that I guess I'm going to have to kind of deal with over time. But it feels a lot better. Four days at the Open, it was no pain, just a lot of ice. Rest is the most important thing for it. But at the same time I still need to practice and work on things for the rest of the season.

DANA GORDON: This year the RICOH Women's British Open has gone green with the GIFT initiative, GIFT stands for Green Initiatives For Tomorrow, an initiative hosted by the championship on the championship website, and it encourages people to make changes in their everyday lives to reduce their carbon footprints. Paula, you are the RICOH global ambassador and are involved with this program. RICOH has pledged to plant a tree for every 10 visitors that take part in the initiative on the website, plus everyone who participates on the website will enter a drawing where the winner will plant a tree at Royal Lytham together with you. If you wouldn't mind talking about this program and what it means to be involved.
PAULA CREAMER: No, I think it's great that RICOH is doing this. It's wonderful that I joined the RICOH team, first of all. I'm excited to be an ambassador for them. They're a wonderful company, especially showing what they're going to be able to do on Wednesday just shows how great they truly are. Like I said, I'm going to be excited planting the tree. I've never really done anything like this before. It's wonderful to be a part of. I think it's a great initiative for a lot of companies to start doing and looking at.

DANA GORDON: How do you prepare differently each time you play the RICOH Women's British Open?
PAULA CREAMER: Well, it's a totally different type of golf. You definitely have to be able to hit different golf shots than what we do over here in the States. Definitely the wind is a huge factor over there. The balls run out a lot. Basically you kind of have to work on everything.
But I think the biggest difference is the type of grass that's over there. It's much tighter. You have to be able to hit your iron shots very precise over there. Your misses can't be like they are over here in the States just because of the conditions. But the golf course is a great test of golf. There's some really good holes out there that you just have to take your pars. I've been working on controlling my ball flight because of the wind.

DANA GORDON: We'll now open it up to questions.

Q. I played the course yesterday. You mentioned the wind. There are also 203 bunkers on the course and the rough is pretty fierce. How different is it to your week in, week out courses that you play on the U.S. tour coming over here, and what challenges does that present?
PAULA CREAMER: Just like what you said. I mean, we don't play golf courses with that many bunkers. However, I felt like I was living in the sand last week at the Open. I think I've had my fair share of practice for bunkers.
Most of the time when you get those golf courses over in England, whatnot, Europe, you have to be very accurate off the tee. If you find a bunker in the fairway, there's no other choice. You have to just try to kind of hit it out and save your par. However, being accurate off the tee, you need to be pretty long so you can be able to hit wedge, low irons into greens.

Q. Last week I did a story on Mariko Tumangan, a 15‑year‑old here in San Jose. She got to play a practice round with you before the Open.
PAULA CREAMER: Who did you say?

Q. Mariko Tumangan. I was wondering if you could give me your impressions of her specifically. And generally there are 25 girls out there in their teens playing at the U.S. Open, what it's like to have that much of an infusion at a major championship of young talent.
PAULA CREAMER: Yeah, it was nice playing a practice round with her. She's a very nice girl. Has a lot of talent. I think everybody has seen that women's golf is getting younger and younger. There are more teenagers out there. There were a lot of amateurs that were in the field. I think, what was it, 30 odd. It just shows there's so many opportunities for girls golf right now to getting involved. I think it's pretty neat that women's golf is going that way.
However, it is the U.S. Open. I mean, I don't remember ever playing in the U.S. Open when I was 14, 15. I know I played with Cindy Feng, also, who is the youngest one at the Open. I was just really getting into golf, and here she is playing in the U.S. Open. I think it's quite a big step for women's golf, though.

Q. Obviously it's a bit different for you coming over to the northwest. You travel widely across the world. This being a major tournament, how is the week going to play out for you? Are you going to hire a house? Are you going to get a chance to have a look around the local area?
PAULA CREAMER: No, I will rent a house out that week. I always like to sightsee and try and do as much as I can. It is a very busy week. You want to get your rest, things like that. But at the same time it's a pretty cool area. I had a lot of fun last time I went there, so I'm looking forward to going back, kind of just revisiting new things.

Q. Which players do you think will be up there competing at the Open?
PAULA CREAMER: Which players?

Q. Yes.
PAULA CREAMER: That's the greatest thing about the British Open, you know, you just never know. Conditions suit different people's games over there. If it's firm and fast or if it's very windy and raining, it's a totally different game. I don't think you can just say one person. It really depends on what's going to happen and how the course plays.
DANA GORDON: Paula, about last year's RICOH Women's British Open, you tied for ninth. Is there one thing that stands out the most from last year's championship?
PAULA CREAMER: It was a great golf course. You know, I wish one of the days I would have played a little bit better to have been more in contention. But I had a great week. The golf course was wonderful. The people there were great. We played in different kinds of weather, that's for sure. I didn't hit the ball as well as I would have liked to last year, so I'm hoping going into this one I can really just give myself a chance to win.
I think it's kind of nice that we just got out of the Open so you're still I guess in that major mindset mode of being patient, and that's what the British Open is all about. Who knows what weather's gonna happen. You just have to be very patient with your bounces that you get, things like that on the golf course.
So for me, I just really want to go out and play four good days of golf and hopefully I can be right in contention.

Q. At the U.S. Open, I know you were asked about trying to win majors, that being a focus, not having won one yet. You went out and had a really good week at the Open. You had one round that was kind of higher. Was it just that one day? Is that all that's keeping you from breaking through and winning that first major? What is your take on that one rough round you had?
PAULA CREAMER: Well, yes, I mean, if you look back at the last two U.S. Opens specifically, I did have one day. This year was Saturday. Last year it was Sunday. It just wasn't my day.
I really feel, though, this Open was much different than last year's. Last year's I just felt like I got in my own way on Sunday. I put a little bit too much pressure on myself. My expectations obviously were to win on Sunday, but I kind of went astray from my game plan.
This year on Saturday, it was not my day. I can't tell you the last time I hit five greens in regulation, especially when you're leading the tour in greens in regulation. But that's just golf. I learned a lot from that.
I came back on Sunday with a great round of 2‑under‑par, gave myself a top 10, tied for sixth. That's something I'm proud of, that I could come back, be positive, and move up high on the leaderboard. That's just the thing, is just putting four good rounds of golf together. You can see the difference between this year's and last year's.
Going into the British, I'm going to be aware of being patient and scoring four good rounds of golf.

Q. Having that one round in there, obviously now you're moving forward, does that just frustrate you? Does it give you motivation? How do you spin that into something positive moving forward?
PAULA CREAMER: You know, I had that horrible day. I think I lost the Open by four. If you think about it that way, it's amazing how close I really am. It might not quite look that way at times, but I really do feel I'm getting closer and closer.
You know, majors are all about experience. Yeah, it's got to be your week. The time will come. I can tell you when I'm out there practicing, I'm working hard for those majors, but it's still the mindset of every week is a tournament.
Obviously the U.S. Open is going to be the hardest one because it's the hardest golf course, it's the hardest venue, the emotions, the pressure that you put on yourself, things like that, it's much different. That's just a learning process.

Q. Until a few years ago, the British Open wasn't a major on the women's tour. Now you're playing all the great golf courses that the men do. What has that been like to have the British Open rise in stature on your tour?
PAULA CREAMER: It's very important. I think it's great that women's golf, I guess you could say we're getting the respect to be able to play the golf courses. No one is ever going to say men's golf and women's golf is the same. We all know that. It's very different. But it's still a great challenge. The golf courses are wonderful.
The great thing for me is going over to places where the fans truly enjoy watching golf. I felt every time I've gone to the British Open or majors or whatnot, the fans just truly enjoy it. And that's what you want. You want to be able to play in front of people who respect golf, and that's what you get when you go to a British Open.

Q. What is the stature of the Women's British Open in the States? Players here, it's the big one. I was just going to ask you on that.
PAULA CREAMER: The women playing in the same venues as the men?

Q. I was speaking to a player earlier, and she said it was the biggest event of her year. Would you say that or would you say the U.S. Open is your biggest event?
PAULA CREAMER: We don't have one. You can't specifically say. Solheim Cup in my eyes is a very big event. But the British Open is just pure tradition. I think that's the neatest thing about being able to go over there. With the men and their titles, for us to have a British Open, I think was one of the best things in women's golf.

DANA GORDON: I think we've covered quite a bit, so we can wrap it up.
PAULA CREAMER: All right. Thank you.
DANA GORDON: Thank you for your time today, Paula.
PAULA CREAMER: No worries. Thank you very much.

GOLF EVENTS 2009

July 24--Country Store Youth Foundation Tournament. Tennanah Lake Golf Club. Information call 607-498-5000.
July 26--Billy Moran Memorial Golf Outing. Villa Roma Country Club. Information call 845-887-4734.
July 26--Roscoe Kiwanis Club Tournament. Tennanah Lake Golf Club. Information call 607-498-5000.
July 31--Commissioners Cup Championship Tournament. Swan Lake Golf & Country Club. Information call 845-292-0323.
Aug. 2--Prasad Golf Tournament. Tarry Brae Golf Course. Information call 845-434-2620
Aug. 7-9 Sullivan County Democrat Two-Man Better Ball Tournament, Villa Roma Country Club
Aug. 9--Art Tursi Memorial Tournament. Sullivan County Golf & CC. Information call 845-292-9584
Aug. 16--Roscoe Firemen Tournament. Tennanah Lake Golf Club. Information call 607-498-5000.
Aug. 15--Night Golf. Sullivan County Golf & CC. Information call 845-292-9584
Aug. 16--Jeff Lions Club Tournament. Swan lake Golf & Coutry Club. Information call 845-292-0323.
Aug. 23--Sheriff Mike Schiff Golf Tournament. Swan Lake Golf Club. Information please call 845-292-0323
Aug. 30--Kutchers Outing. Swan Lake Golf & Country /Club. Information call 845-292-0323.
Sept. 6--Steak Bake Tournament. Sullivan County Golf & CC. Information call 845-292-9584
Sept. 12--Trevor Simpson Memorial Tournament. Swan Lake Golf & Country Club. Information call 845-292-0323.
Sept. 20--Methol Hunting Club Tournament. Tennanah Lake Golf Club. Information call 607-498-5000.
Sept. 20--Community Unity Golf Event. Swan Lake Golf & Country Club. Information call 845-292-0323.
Oct. 4--The Hammer Invitational--Sullivan County Golf & CC. Information call 845-292-9584

Here & There Column 7-21-09

Neversink Reservoir And Hydro Power

At full capacity the Neversink Reservoir holds 34.9 billion gallons and now in addition to supplying water to New York City there is a proposal to have a hydroelectric plant built at this location.
United States Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) last week asked the New York City Department of Environmental Protection agency to speed up talks with Delaware County Electric Cooperative regarding that group's efforts to build hydroelectric plants at the Cannonsville, Pepacton, Schoharie and Neversink reservoirs.
The plants would use water from the reservoirs' regular releases to generate electricity.
The electricity could be used for economic development or sold to provide revenues to the cooperatives members in Sullivan, Delaware, Otsego, Chenango and Schoharie counties.
Of the renewable energy sources that generate electricity, hydro power is the most often used and its accounting for 6 percent of total U.S. electricity generation. It is one of the oldest sources of energy.
We look at hydro power as the ideal fuel for electricity generation, because, unlike the nonrenewable fuels used to generate electricity, it is almost free, there are no waste products and hydro power does not pollute the water or the air.
There is some criticism of hydro power because it does change the environment by affecting natural habitats but this does not appear to be the case in regard to Neversink and the other three reservoirs.
The Neversink Reservoir was constructed solely to provide water for New York City but this new hydro power proposal brings to the table some interesting topics.
This project could have merits but we would like to see more benefits from the Neversink Reservoir hydro power project coming to electric customers in Sullivan County.
Inquiries should be made to see if this proposed project could benefit Sullivan County and its residents.

Golfing Highlights Column 7-17-09

Ron Schulte, left, is the new president of the Twin Village Golf Club Board of Governors. Board officers to his right include Vice President Ralph Kirchner, Secretary Bill Knipscher and Treasurer Chuck Husson III.

Dan Baldo, retiring president of the Roscoe Twin Village Golf Club.

New President Takes Over At TVGC

The Twin Village Golf Club (TVGC) at Roscoe has a new Board President with Ron Schulte taking over for retiring president Dan Baldo.
Baldo chose not to continue as president after 15 faithful years but he will continue to head the clubs Greens Committee.
Baldo took over the Presidency of the TVGC Board of Governors from Monteen Elliot in 1995. Dan credits the late Fran "Rooster" Temple and his brother, the late Paul Temple for encouraging him to take an active part with the club.
Dan noted that "Rooster" had a long and dynamic relationship with the greens keepers and wanted that relationship continued. He also credits "Rooster" with putting him in contact with people who could help with questions concerning course maintenance.
Baldo noted that what made all those years so meaningful were the other eight Board Members with whom he served. "It's been an experience I have enjoyed and now look forward to seeing you all out here on the course.," Dan noted.
Sixth-year-old Ron Schulte has been a member of the Board of Governors at Twin Village since 2004 and just this year retired from 37-years of teaching at Liberty Central High School where he also coached six sports including football, wrestling, track, cross country, baseball and skiing.
Ron noted that he has a special interest in the club "because this is my hometown course and I even caddied here as a boy."
Schulte has been playing golf since a teenager and golf, hunting and fishing are his hobbies. "Golf is a common interest that I share with my two sons, Ron and Brian and whenever we get together golf is on the agenda.
The new Twin Village President currently plays in the Twin Village Monday Men's league, the Tuesday Night Swan Lake Country Club league and is a sub in the Thursday Men's league at Tennanah Lake.
Ron is also a member of the Liberty Elks Club.
Troy J. Kirchner is the club house at the Roscoe Twin Village Golf Course.
The recent changes to the course includes starting their fairways about 50 yards in front of the tee boxes instead of having them go right up to the tee box.
The course has 9 new tee signs that have the TVGC logo, hole #, par, distances to holes fromred, white, and blue, and the layout of the hole so people can visually see it on the sign.
Golfers will also notice that TVGC has designed a new logo that will be on all nine tee signs and the new logo will also be on all of the shirts in the "pro shop", on all the golf carts, on all letter heads, on all nine flags and other random places throughout the course.
Another improvement includes adding blue tee boxes and every hole will have its own red tee box as well.
The concessions is completely operated by TVGC.
A weekday special, excepting holidays, offered by the club this year is 18-holes of golf for 2 with cart for $35 but you must call the club for cart availability.
The nine-hole 2,045-yard par 32 TVGC has added several changes including some narrow fairways and adding rough where open fairways use to be. Cutting of the greens, fairways and rough and adding of a 90-degree cart policy also added to the beauty of the fairways and a better playing surface for all golfers.
The course features five par fours and four par threes. The longest hole on this course is the 349-yard par 4 ninth hole, where golfers have to remain accurate and stay away from hooking shots into a brook on the left side of the fairway. If the tees are set way back on the ninth, this also presents a very narrow entrance and tee-shot onto the fairway. A pond on the right and the small brook with soft wet marsh on the left presents a "don't make a mistake and you better hit a straight shot" from the fairway to the green.
A trap in front of the ninth green prevents the chip, bump and run shot. The need for accurate wedge shots to the green can help when going for the par 4.
One of the more difficult par 3 holes on the course is the 210-yard third hole. Again, the golfer must keep center or right to avoid going left out-of-bounds into the cornfield. There is a long trap in front of the green and if you shoot for the green on any shot, you better not go over the green or you will have a wet ball since it will lane in the small brook immediately behind the green.
In fact, this brook also runs in back of the 168-yard par 3 sixth hole and the 180-yard par 3 eighth hole, making the smart golfer lay up in front of the front edge of these greens.
The smaller size greens and pin placements add to difficult chip shots and the need for an accurate short game to score well on this course.
For all tournament or TVGC information or tee times call the clubhouse at 607-498-5829 .

The Golf Tip
By Robert Menges

Use your putter. When deciding to put or not from just off the green, the first thing to remember is that anytime you can putt, do it.
Keeping the ball on the ground and using the most reliable club in your bag---the putter--is a logical and smart choice. A good putt will always get you closer to the hole than a good running shot with one of your irons.
The biggest factor is determining whether to putt or not is what lies between you and the hole. Most important is the grass surface. If the path is clear, the ground relatively smooth and the grass is short, choosing your putter is an easy choice.
Another factor to look closely at is how the ball is sitting. Remember, if the conditions are good, we want to putt the ball.
When making these putts from off the green, it is very important to keep our concentration and use good putting fundamentals.
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's Outlook

President Obama was in Moscow recently and was asked what he disliked about himself. The first Lefty replied that he didn't care for his golf swing.
"I have been playing golf lately, and I don't like my golf swing," he said.
"You probably don't have that much golf weather in Russia, but it's a game that I keep on thinking I should be good at, and somehow the ball goes this way and that way and never goes straight," he noted.
It's good to know the President is frustrated by some of the same things as the rest of us.

This column is written by Ed Townsend, who is a consultant to the amateur and professional sport of golf and to several golf writers associations. If you have a topic that you believe would make 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 our Web site at http://bght.blogspot.com/