Friday, September 3, 2010

Golfing Highlights Column 9-3-10

A well stocked Pro Shop is available to golfers at the Town of Fallsburg Municipal Lochmor Golf Course.

Courteous friendly service at the Snack Bar at the Town of Fallsburg Municipal Lochmor Golf Course is part of the Clubhouse features.

Beautiful scenery such as this is available at the Town of Fallsburg Municipal Lochmor Golf Course with Morningside Lake is the background.

This imitation Fox helps scare some of the Canadian Geese off the fairway and greens at the Town of Fallsburg Lochmor Golf Course.

The Fox Is On Guard At Lochmor GC


Have no fear the Fox is here and is on guard at the Town of Fallsburg Municipal Lochmor Golf Course.
Now don't get overly excited about this fox.....you see it's not a real live fox (but it looks real) and it's been put on the golf course to try and scare away those hundreds and hundreds of Canadian geese who fly in and land so gracefully on Morningside Lake which is just adjacent to part of the golf course.
The geese also like the golf course too and as they inhabit some of the fairways and greens their unacceptable habits result in leaving calling cards that golf course personnel work to eliminate or best to keep down to a minimum.
Lochmor was first built in the early 1950s by the hotels that were in the area and originally it did not start out as a town owned and operated facility.
The course originally had about 12 holes when the Town of Fallsburg took over the project in 1958 and the Mitchell-designed course was completed with 18-holes by town employees.
The newly designed course was officially open for play in 1961.
Today the 18-hole 6,550 yard course is popular for open play and league play.
Par for the front nine s 35 and par for the back nine is 36 for a total par of 71.
A total automated water system for the greens, fairways and tees has helped the course receive a three and one-half star rating from Gold Digest magazine.
We found the cart paths to be in excellent condition and the white sand in the traps are a definite plus.
Glenn Sonnenschein is the head PGA Pro, Michael Decker is the Assistant Head Pro, Clark Bartholomew is the Golf Course Superintendent with William Henkelman Assistant Superintendent. Club house pro-shop manager is Frank McCoy.
Rates at Lochmor include the weekday lunch special which includes 18-holes of golf with a cart and lunch. After 1 and 3 p.m. the golf and cart rates go down.
The golf and lunch special is very popular.
The golf pro shop at Lochmor offers a nice variety of golf equipment and accessories.
The golf course can be reached by calling 434-1257 or at their web site at http://www.lochmorgolf.com/
The course offers four set of tees for each hole which makes the course playable to all caliber of golfers. Black tees are recommended for men with a 0-8 handicap, green tees for men with up to a 20 handicap, gold tees for men with 21-25 handicap and ladies with a 0-10 handicap and yellow tees for men with handicap of 36 and above and ladies 11 and up.
We found this golf course in excellent shape and very well maintained. Greens are nicely groomed and tend to be a little fast. A great job by the grounds crew.
This week we will take you through the first nine holes from the black tees. Yardage on the front nine runs 3,190 yards
Hole No. 1 is a 334-yard par 4 and pretty much straight. Take your tee shot left center. The green has 3 traps.
Hole No. 2 is a 362-yard par 4 with a slight dogleg left. Stay center of the fairway. Traps are left and right of this green and keep your approach shot from going over this green.
Hole No. 3 is a 388-yard par 4 and fairway runs pretty much straight. Trees are on both sides of the fairway.
Hole No. 4 is a 209-yard par 3 with the beautiful Morningside Lake in the background. Proper club selection here can get you your par. Traps are left and right of this green.
Hole No. 5 is a 467-yard par 4 with a dogleg left. There is a trap on the left side and water on the right of this green. A nice golf hole with opportunities for a birdie after a good tee shot.
Hole No. 6 is a 495-yard par 5 with water off the tee and a dogleg right. Take your tee shot right center. Proper club selection on your second shot can get your ball up and on this elevated green for an eagle or birdie. Traps are left and right on this green.
Hole No. 7 is a 380-yard par 4. Fairway is pretty much straight and the second half of the fairway runs uphill. Traps are left and right on this green.
Hole No. 8 is a 390-yard par 4. Stay in the center of fairway on this hole. There is a pond about 200-yards on the left. Trap is on the left side of the green.
Hole No. 9 is a 165-yard par 3. Again club selection is the key to your birdie or par.
Next week we will outline the back nine.

Golfing Tip
By Robert Menges

Buried Bunker Lies.
To blast the ball out of the sand, your club needs to swing more up and down to create a steeper angle of attack.
To help illustrate, have someone stand (or picture a wall) several feet behind the ball. In the backswing, hinge your wrists early to get the club up more, avoiding the person (or wall).
Also make note of the length of the backswing. It should almost be a full swing. In order to create enough speed and energy to blast the ball out of the sand, avoid taking a short and /or low backswing.
From this position, you will be able to swing the club into the sand on the downswing. It's imperative that you strike down into the sand 1 to 2 inches behind the ball and finish with the club low to the ground.
Amateur golfers often try to scoop or help lift the ball out of the sand. This usually results in the club hitting the sand too far behind the ball and either missing it completely or taking too much sand and leaving the ball in the bunker. Or, the club misses the sand and strikes the top of the ball, resulting in a topped shot that can go anywhere.
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

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 believe would make good reading or have league standings and tournament information, Ed can be reached at 845-439-8177, by e-mail at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by Fax at 845-230-8674. For a much more expanded version of this golf column, please visit the Web site, http://bght.blogspot.com/ This column is also available on Facebook.

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