Friday, June 22, 2012

Golfing Highlights Column 6-22-12


                                          Bambi Joins Us At Woodloch Springs 

   Bambi and some of her running mates joined us recently at the beautiful Woodloch Springs Country Club for 18-holes of challenging golf.
   The wildlife and particularly the many deer that roam this facility are seemingly never bothered by the golfing activity and this one deer we called Bambi watched us tee off and let us walk up fairly close to her. We encountered many deer throughout the course. 
    The Country Club at  Woodloch Springs is located near Hawley, Pa. and  is a short hop and skip from Narrowsburg and the New York State border.
     This outstanding golf facility in the Pennsylvania Pocono's has received national acclaim in many of today's leading golf magazines and publications. 
    This golfing columnist and three other New York State golfers traveled to this course recently to take on the par 72, 18-hole course which winds over 6,579 yards of lush wetlands, fern-carpeted forests and broad upland meadows. Joining me were Roscoe Twin Village Golf Club members Dean Winters, George Labouseur and Charles Winters. 
    Woodloch Springs offers four sets of tees and easily accommodates all levels of play. 
    Sculptured bunkers and water holes, bridges and miles of cart paths reflect the strict attention to detail for which Woodloch is famous........and wait till you get to the 14th "signature" hole which requires a dramatic carry over "Hell's Gate Gorge" which is carved from the rugged mountainside by a rushing stream some 200 feet below. We will outline this hole next week when we detail the back nine. 
    In 1988 the resort of Woodloch Pines (Woodloch), owned and operated by the Kisendahl family since 1958, unveiled an ambitious project to add an exclusive golf community as the perfect complement to their resort.
    Four years in planning and 438 acres later, the community and golf course were completed and today more than 400 exquisitely detailed homes surround this challenging 18-hole championship golf course designed by Rocky Roquemore of Atlanta, GA.
    The golf staff is headed up by PGA Professional Director of Golf John E. Pillar, Sr., Jared Cottell, is the Head PGA Golf Professional and Eileen Pillar is the Golf Retail Associate. Jeff Hugaboom is Golf Course Superintendent,  
    Tee times for outside guests is available on a limited play based on availability 4 days in advance. Proper golf attire is required, no metal spikes, and hours of the golf course is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with spring and fall hours depending on daylight savings time.  Eighteen-hole golf rates including a cart and practice facility balls 7:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. $75, and  1 p.m. to closing $55. For the same times on Saturday and Sunday the rates are $90 and $70.  The Country Club at Woodloch Springs offers a variety of club memberships.  Golf lessons are available from  the staff of PGA professionals at their 16-acre practice facility located just minutes from the clubhouse.
    Golf shop tee times can be made by calling 570-685-8102 and dinner reservations at 570-685-8002. The website is www.woodloch.com and John Pillar's e-mail is john.pillar@woodloch.com 
     Golf Magazine and Golf Digest calls Woodloch Springs  "one of America's best courses." We found the greens fast and the fairways as smooth as your living room rug. 
    We will outline the first nine holes this week and the second nine with additional information about the resort in next week's column.
    From the gold tees this is the way the front nine is played.
    Hole No. 1 is a 400-yard par 4  and this tough starting hole requires a tee shot favoring the left side of the fairway as there are fairway traps on the right side. Add one club for your uphill second shot to a long green with traps on the left and right and rear.
    Hole No. 2 is a 380-yard par 4. This is a straight shot fairway and a fairway bunker on the left comes into play....found this green to be one of the flattest on the course with bunkers on the left and left rear.
    Hole No. 3 is a 558-yard par 5 with a dogleg to the right on the second half of this hole which is labeled as one of the hardest holes on this golf course.  Off the tee there are trees on the right and a fairway trap 229-yards off the tee on the left. Best to take a lay up off the tee of approximately 190 yards. Depending on the golfer there are wetlands on the second or possibly third shot if you lay up on the second shot. The next shot is to a 2-tiered green that slopes from left to right. Getting a par here puts you in as leader of the pack. Green traps are to the left and right and left rear.
    Hole No. 4 is a 167-yard par 3 and club selection and a straight shot is important as there are bunkers to the left and right sides of this green. The deep raised green makes holding your shot difficult.
    Hole No. 5 is a 316-yard par 4 and presents a slight uphill dogleg to the right. A fairway trap is 239-yard our on the left as you make the turn to the green. This two-tiered green requires leaving a second shot below the hole. Many golfers put off the green from above the pin.
    Hole No. 6 is a 408-yard par 4 and is a dogleg left which requires a tee shot left of a fairway bunker on the right. Small pond short left of the green may come into  play for long hitters.Take one less club for downhill second shot to one of the firmest greens on the course. 
    Hole No. 7 is a 499-yard par 5 and this downhill tee shot should be taken to the right of the fairway bunker. There are wetlands located 280 yards from the tee and lay up for long hitters.Second shot should be played to landing area to set up short third shot to an angled green that slopes left to right. Traps on upper left and fright front sides of the green. 
    Hole No. 8 is a 162-yard par 3 with four traps fronting the green and traps upper left and right. Club selection important here. This hole can play one-half club longer depending on the wind condition.
    Hole No. 9 is a 396-yard par 4 and requires a long tee shot left of the fairway way bunker on the right. This uphill fairway gives way to a deep green and club selection on your second shop is important here for scoring that par. Stay below the hole for more success with your putting.
    Next week the back nine.    
    Additional photos of this facility are available at http://bght.blogspot.com  

                                                             The Golf Tip  
                                                          By Robert Menges                                                                                                                                                                                
    Lacking Strength In My Hands....Let's take a look at the lack of strength in golfers hands. What's an easy exercise that will help to build up strength?
    Your hands and forearms play a big role in releasing the club head through the ball. And the faster you can do this while staying in control the further and straighter you'll hit the ball.
     Here's a simple exercise that will help to improve the strength in your hands. Grab your sand wedge and hold it with one out stretched hand at the very top of the grip.
     Now try to work the club up through your hand with your fingers and thumb. And made sure your arm is outstretched all the time while doing this.
     This sound easy but once you try it you'll discover how difficult it can be. Keep doing this exercise regularly until you can raise and lower the club through your fingers five times. And after this keep doing it often to retain your newly found strength. If you do this exercise regularly then you will hit the ball longer. 
     Robert Menges is a golf pro 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 e-mail at menges@hughes.net 

                                                                 The Putting Tip
                                                                By Joe Bermel

  Practice your putting only on days that end in Y.
  Absolute key to consistent practice repetition sessions.
  That's how we build Confidence so when we play a round, we can perform with absolute competence and skill.
  Practice (30-minute sessions) is an every week process.
  We need to keep 3 key areas sharp, MIND, EYES, HANDS.
  Joe Bermel is available for private lessons, group, corporate, organization and golf-shows-tournaments. His special edition DVD :How To Putt Well" is available by calling 631-589-1384, at his Web Site www.ThePuttingDoctor.com or by email at joe@theputtingdoctor.com 


    Please Insert Golf Calendar here..................  
                                                                                            

                                                    Ed's Outlook

  Make room......the Chinese are coming.....
  Mainland China's Shanshan Feng's June 10 victory at the Wegmans LPGA Championship makes her the first player from mainland China to win a major championship--male or female. It was just 14 years, in 1998 at Blackwolf Run, that Se Ri Pak won the U.S. Women's Open and jump started a golf tsunami in South Korea. 
  South Korea has a population of 50 million, China has 1.4 billion people.....you extrapolate and decide how the future of golf might play out.

    Ed's Outlook & this column are written by Ed Townsend, a consultant to the amateur-professional sport of golf and to several golf writers associations. If you have a topic that would make good reading, or have golf scores, standings or tournament information, Ed can be reached at 845-439-8177 or via e-mail at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by fax at 845-205-4474. We are also on Facebook. 

      








                                                                           

Identification of above photos, top to bottom

We named this friendly deer "Bambi" as she watched us tee off on the fifth tee at Woodloch Springs.                                                            - 

Sullivan County golfers joining Woodloch Springs Head PGA Golf Professional Jared Cottell are from the left, Golfing Highlights Columnist Ed Townsend, Cottell, Dean Winters, Charles Winters and George Labouseur. 
                                                                             -
Golfers are greeted with a challenging tee shot over this gorge onto the 396-yard ninth fairway at Woodloch Springs near Hawley, Pa.                                                                                                

                   

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