Saturday, May 12, 2018

GOLFING HIGHLIGHTS COLUMN


Flames Add Yaun To Roster
 
  Jonathan Yaun, part of the Liberty based golfing Yaun family and the son of championship golfers Radford and Meredith Yaun of Mineola, Florida, has been signed by Liberty University and has been added to the Flames 2018-19 men's golf roster.
  Liberty University is a private non-profit research university and is the largest Christian University in the world. The college is based in Lynchburg, Va. 
  Liberty head Golf Coach Jeff Thomas announced recently the signing of Jonathan to a national letter of intent for the 2018-19 academic year.
  Thomas said he is excited to have Jonathan at Liberty "as he is the perfect fit, he loves Liberty and is a strong Christian young man, has a heart for people and has proven himself inside and outside the classroom."
  "Jonathan has the ability to shoot low scores and has won multiple junior tournaments and we are confident that Jonathan can help Liberty to compete at the national level and win championships."
  Yaun is a homeschool student through the GradePower Learning Center in Ocoee, Fla. and hails from Orlando, Fla. where he plays high school golf at Lake Minneola High School in Minneola, Fla. 
  Yaun has been ranked as high as No. 34 in Golfweek's 2018 graduating class listing. He captured the 2017 Florida High School State Athletic Association 3A state boy's golf title, carding a 2-under par 142 (69-73) to win the event by four strokes.
  Jonathan also captured an individual title at the 2016 Florida Junior Tour at Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club and posted runner-up finishes at the Florida Junior Tour events at Lemon Bay Golf Club and Ocala National Golf Club.
  The Liberty University Flames finished the fall golf season ranked No. 70 in the Golfstat rankings for the 2017 calendar year.
  The Sullivan County golf scene remembers Jonathan's father, Rad Yaun, while living in Liberty when he won the New York State Amateur Championship in 1976 at the Grossinger Golf Course and the New York State Junior Amateur Championship in 1972 in Jamestown.
 
  Ed's Outlook
 
    During the past winter and early spring months the Sullivan County golfing world lost a number of well known and likeable golfers.
    Bill Knipsher, 71, of Vestal, a former long time Sullivan County resident and high school English and guidance counselor at Livingston Manor Central School and Roscoe Central School passed away Nov. 11, 2017. He was the long time secretary of the Roscoe Twin Village Golf Club board of directors and played for many years in the Monday Night men's league. 
  Peter DeVantier, 68, of Roscoe, a lifetime area resident passed away Dec. 31, 2017. He was a long active member of the Twin Village Golf Club and played for many years in the Monday Night Men's league.
  Charles P. Eichenauer, 101, a lifetime resident of Liberty, passed away April 15, 2018. He was the past president and treasurer of the Sullivan County Golf and Country Club where he was a member for over 50 years and played in many of the club's leagues. 
  We thank these golfers for making the sport of golf a major part of their lives.
 
 The Golf Tip
 By Robert Menges

  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 golfers have a pitching wedge that comes with the set. This club has about a 47-49 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 54-57 degrees of loft.
  Some touring Professionals will carry four wedges in their bag. The next time you play a round of golf, count how many strokes you take from 100 yards in to the hole. I think you find 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 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 845-292-0323 or by email at menges@hughes.net

 Putting Tip
 By Glenn Sonnenschein

  A special key to good consistent putting is finishing the putting stroke.
  Most golfers do not finish and then they wonder why they are short of the hole.
  You start the stroke.......you must finish and hold the finish.
  Finishing means the putter head is a minimum 2 feet past the ball and this helps the momentum and the ball will roll end over end and will reach the hole.
  Glenn Sonnenschein is a Class A PGA Professional and is Director of Golf at The Tarry Brae and Lochmor Golf Courses. His main office is at the Tarry Brae located at 387 Pleasant Valley Road,South Fallsburg. He is available for private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by telephone at 845-434-2620 or by email at glenn@tarrybrae.com 
 
  Ed Townsend is a Public Relations Consultant to the Sport of Golf and brings over 60 years of sports journalism experience in writing and compiling the information for this column. If you have league or tournament information, shoot a hole in one or score your age, let Ed know at 845-439-8177, email to edwardctownsend@hotmail.com or fax at 845-205-4474. View this column and Ed's photos at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter. 

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