BGHT: Golfing Highlights 7-19-13

New Assistant Pro At Villa Roma

Twenty-three year-old Jeff Marcy II is the new assistant golf professional at the Villa Roma Golf Club.

He took over the assistant golf professional job in April following a four-year internship at Silver Lake Country Club in Perry, NY.

A major indication that he has a bright future ahead of him was achieved in early June when he qualified for the New York State Open to be held July 23-25 at Beth Page, Long Island.

Jeff qualified with a score of 74 on the par 72 Trump National Country Club at Hudson Valley, NY. He presently maintains a 1 handicap.

Marcy's caddie for the qualification round was his dad, Jeff Marcy Sr. who the younger Marcy started playing golf with at the age of 10.

Jeff noted that his early golf years were established and molded by his dad and his grandfather.

A resident of Castile, NY Marcy attended Letchworth High School, Genesee Community College and SUNY Delhi.

"There was no golf team at my high school and my first competitive golf came about when a golf team was organized in my first year at Genesee", Jeff said.

During his high school years Marcy competed in basketball football and baseball with his passion favoring baseball. "After baseball games or practice my father or grandfather would meet me and we would be off to the golf course," Jeff said.

His two years of college golf at Delhi gave him competitive golf against Division 1, 2 and 3 college teams where he established himself as the number one and two player on this team. At Delhi he maintained a 2.5 to 3 handicap.

Jeff graduated from Delhi with a BS in Business Management and Professional Golf Management. He will be entering the PGA Golf Professional educational certification program in the near future.

Jeff's family also consists of two sisters who he said, "play sports but not golf." His dad is a self-employed electrician.

When asked what he considers the strength of his golf game he quickly noted, "I drive the ball between 280 and 290 yards and pretty much keep it in the fairway."

We joked about the golf phase which says "drive for show and putt for dough," with him indicating that he continually is working on the short game and putting.

Asked about special achievements he has performed while on the golf course Jeff pointed out "I shot a hole-in-one on a 273-yard par 4 (which is actually called a double eagle or an albatross) at the Quail Hollow Country Club in Ohio while playing in the two-man best ball ESPN Golf Challenge with the ball landing on the green and rolling in the cup."

The new assistant golf professionals duties at the Villa Roma include managing the Tuesday Men's golf league, the Thursday Ladies league, running the Pro Shop and giving golf lessons.

Stop by and say hello to Jeff or call him for tee times at 845-887-5080.

Ed's Outlook

Add these two tournaments to your golf schedule.

The 7th annual Rally for a Cure Golf Tournament, supporting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, will be held Sunday, August 11 at the Winding Hill Golf Course located on Route 17K in Montgomery.

The entry fee of $90 per person includes the greens fee, cart, goodie bag and after play lunch with a cash bar available.

Registration takes place at 8 a.m. followed by a 9 .m. shotgun start. A cart decorating contest will be judged prior to the shotgun start. Remember to wear pink.

Make checks out to Winding Hills Thursday Ladies Golf League and mail to CJ Bull, 420 Lake Shore Drive, Pine Bush, NY 12566.

The 1st Annual Scramble For The Kids Golf Tournament and BBQ will be held August 24 at the Honesdale Golf Club, Honesdale, Pa.

The shotgun start is at 1 p.m. with the BBQ following approximately at 5 p.m.

The tournament proceeds will benefit the Wallenpaupack Youth Bowling Program.

The four-person teams entry fee is $60 per person before August 1 and $70 per person after August 1. The fee includes golf, cart and the BBQ. The fee for just the BBQ is $18 before August 1 and $25 after August 1.

Tournament information may be obtained from Matt Tardone at 570-982-0649.

Ed Townsend is a PR consultant to the sport of golf. Ed writes and compiles the information for this column. If you have league and tournament information, shot a hole-in-one or even shoot your age, let Ed know at 845-439-8177, email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com, fax at 845-205-4474. View this column and all of Ed's pictures at http://bght.blogspot.com. We are also on Facebook.

Golf Tip

By Robert Menges

Simple Drill To Improve Your Swing Tempo:

Here's a simple drill to improve your swing tempo.

Go to the driving range and alternate between hitting shots with your short irons and then your long clubs.

For example, hit one shot with your wedge and the next with your three wood. Hit the next shot with your eight iron and the next shot with your three iron.

Then the next shot with your nine iron and then hit your driver.

And when your doing this try to make the swing with the longer club the same as your swing with the shorter clubs.

Do this exercise and do it often so you can achieve a smooth, rhythmical swing from one club to the next.

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 845-292-0323 or via email at menges@hughes.net

The Putting Tip

By Joe Bermel

All golfers regardless of skill or experience level want to play well and score well.

Unfortunately, swinging well and scoring well don't always coincide.

The reason is PUTTING.

Current statistics show that approximately 43% of the average golfers score is putting.

Golfers can hit the ball well, putt poorly, and thus score poorly.

One key measure of good, consistent putting is not how many one putts a golfer makes over the years, but how many three putts are made, thus consistently two putting most holes.

Short putting....that is from a tap in up to six feet, is the most important.

One of the most important aspects of putting is having an exacting, organized, methodical pre putt routine. An organized mind will dictate an organized routine for the body to follow.

Visualization is another key....the more you look at the distance between the ball and the hole, the better you can get the speed of the putt correct.

Have confidence because it's your ability and skill to perform well.

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