An interesting 18-hole layout awaits golfers at the Cricket Hill Golf Course near Hawley, Pa.
If you like an enjoyable contrast between the front and back nine's then Cricket Hill offers golfers that challenge.
Arriving at Cricket Hill last week we had the pleasure of meeting Golf Course Manager Christine McCarthy and Jim Carachio who leases and cooks up great food at Jiminy's Pub and Grill. We had the pleasure of also meeting waitress Amber Watkins who was returning this week to her sophomore year at Wilson College.
The three are an outstanding staff ready to help golfers enjoy a nice round on the links and good food and drinks in Jiminy's.
Ownership at Cricket Hill includes Dr. Fred Mancuso, a Carbondale, Pa. chiropractor and his brother David Mancuso who owns and operates a beer distributorship also located in Carbondale.
This 18-hole public golf course is located at 176 Cricket Hill Road, Hawley and offers three sets of tee boxes for a fun, but challenging golfing experience. The golf course is easily reached and is a short distance from Narrowsburg off of Route 6 between Honesdale and Hawley.
From the blue tees the course for the front nine plays 2,954 yards and the back nine plays 2,542 yards for a total course yardage of 5,496.
The slope and rating from the blue tees is 115 and 67.5. The front nine par is 36 and the back nine par is 35 for a total par of 71.
This golf facility was originally a farm and a farmer with the last name of Becker is said to have designed and built the first nine holes sometime in the 50's and later added a hotel, swimming pool and campground.
The back nine of the course was built in 1987 but no background information was available as to who designed the layout which offers a totally different venue then the front nine.
Holes 1-9 gives golfers a more open course and hole 10-18 is tighter and requires more accuracy ..... you will enjoy the interesting dog legs on the back nine.
Special at the club include the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 18-holes of golf with cart and lunch for $31. Golf rates with a cart during week days is $18 for 9 holes and $28 for 18. You can walk the course for $10 for 9 and $18 for 18. Weekend rates with cart is $20 for 9 and $37 for 18. Walking rates are not available until noon.
Golf leagues compete at Cricket Hill Monday through Friday afternoons with leagues also on Thursday and Friday mornings.
The course is also the home of the Lake Wallenpaupack High School golf team.
Manager Christine noted that special memberships are presently available which if you buy next year's membership now your new membership includes the remainder of this season also. Memberships are available for singles, couples, senior's, senior couples and juniors (under 16). For additional membership information and tee times call Chris at 570-226-4366.
The overall upkeep and maintenance of the course is good and Jim serves up a nice selection of golf club food.
Additional photos of the course are available at http:// bght.blogspot.com
Ed's Outlook
Our search for the areas most difficult golf holes took us last week to the Cricket Hill Golf Club near Hawley, Pa.
Although we found some interesting challenges at Cricket Hill the 442-yard par 5 (12 th hole) is easily defined as the No. 1 handicap hole. The hole starts out with an immediate dogleg left. This is not the place to use your driver and club selection is a key on this tee shot. A driver can easily put you out of bounds in the woods. The hole continues to offer a challenge as their is a large pond on the left which requires a fairway shot to the right center of the fairway. There are no traps on this green but water comes into play again in back of this green. A nicely designed hole but accuracy is a must for a par on this hole.
Hole No. 5 is a 410-yard par 4 and one of the most interesting golf holes on the front nine. Best to take your tee shot down the right side of the fairway as there is a pond near the left center portion of this fairway. Keeping the ball right helps to keep you from having to shoot over this pond down a hill and onto the green. As golfers shoot their approach shot they will notice a pole with a rope and bell on it. This is used to alert golfers on the fifth tee that they have taken their approach shot and will be out of the way on any tee shots as golfers on the tee cannot see that portion of the fairway. We rang the bell not knowing what it was for and sort of (jokingly) hope that by ringing the bell the clubhouse would have brought us out sandwiches and liquid refreshments. Club selection is important on this approach shot to the green which is downhill from where the bell is located. Take the approach shot to the left center portion of the green for best scoring. There are no traps on this green.
Golf Tip
By Robert Menges
How To Hit Out Of A Divot.
Sometimes you hit a great drive right down the middle of the fairway and think you have an easy shot to the green, only when you get to your ball you find it sitting in the middle of a divot that someone didn't replace.
Unfortunately, due to a rule called rub of the green, you must play the ball where it lies and hit the ball out of the divot.
Instead of being upset about your predicament, if you just make a few adjustments this shot is quite easy. First, you should always use one more club than you would normally use from that yardage. After you have selected your club, you should grip down, or choke down on the club.
When you aim, try to aim more left than usual (this is for right-handed golfers), as the ball will have a tendency to curve to the right after impact.
Try to play the ball more towards the back of the stance, this should make the ball fly lower than normal and put more spin on it.
When you make your swing be sure to hit down on the ball and drive through it with some acceleration. A full follow through is not necessary, keep your arms and hands low through impact and hit more of a punch shot.
The key to this shot is to make contact with the ball first and then drive the club through the shot keeping your head still.
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
Most important barameter for building putting skills is MOTIVATION.
The student golfers I have taught over the years that improve the most are those that are motivated the most.
Practicing diligently what they learn.
Performing the putting drills every practice session.
Building better putting skllls is an ongoing process. Try EVERY week.
Joe Bermel is available for private lessons, group, corporate, organization and golf shows-tournaments. His special edition DVD "How To Putt Well" is available at his web site www.ThePuttingDoctor.com or by calling 631-589-1384.
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 even shoot your age, let Ed know at 845-439-8177, email at edwardctonsend@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.
The large pond on the left fairway of Hole No. 12 at the Cricket Hill Golf Club helps to make this hole the most difficult to score a par on. An interesting dog leg to the left greets golfers off the tee.
Liberty Golfer Charlie Winters rings the bell on the 5th fairway at the Cricket Hill Golf Course. The bell is used to alert golfers on the 5th tee that the fairway is clear for their tee shots. An interesting use of a cow bell on a golf course...never seen one like this before.
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