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Celebrating
26Years
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VOL 26, NO. 1
SPRING 2016
Golf’s Changing Landscape
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golfer’s tee times Editor-in-Chief/ Publisher.................................................................................Marian Castner Graphic Design........................................................................................................ Daria Little Senior Writers........................................................................... Richard Skelly & Sean Fawcett Contributing Writers........................................................................................... Andrea Stuart Advertising..........................................................................................................Sean Fawcett Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved Visit us on our new website: www.njgolfnews.com Office: Golfer’s Tee Times Media Group PO Box 163, Marlboro, NJ 07746-0163 Phone: (732) 577-1995 Email: editor@njgolfnews.com Golfer’s Tee Times welcomes editorial ideas and submissions by writing or email. We assume no responsibility for unsolicited materials nor do we guarantee that work submitted will be published. Editorial & advertising inquiries should be addressed to: editor@njgolfnews.com Photo Credits: Aaron Bada, Baltusrol Golf Club, Fiddlers Elbow Golf & Country Club (The Donovan Family), Hamilton Trails Golf Course,Heritage Links Golf Course, Jaworski Golf, JAWS Youth Playbook, LPGA Tour, The Ottinger Family, PGA Junior Golf Camps, PGA TOUR, Richard J Skelly, Ronnie’s Golf, Sean Fawcett, ShopRite LPFA Classic (Ben Solomon), Spirit Golf/Hopewell Valley Golf Club
GOLF CONTACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW Garden State Women’s Association (GSWGA) (732) 747-2261• www.gswga.com Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) (610)687-2340 • www.gapgolf.org Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) (386) 274-6200 • www.lpga.com Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA) (914) 34 7-4653 • www.mgagolf.org New Jersey Seniors Golf Assocition (NJSrsGA) (732) 345-0222 • www.njseniorsga@comcast.net New Jersey State Golf Association (NJSGA) (908) 241-4653 • www.njsga.org New Jersey State Women’s Golf Committee (NJWGC) (732)747-2261 • www.njswgc.com New York State Golf Association (NYSGA) (315) 471-6979 • www.nysga.org PGA of America/ Metropolitan Section (MetPGA) (914) 347-2325 • www.met.pga.com PGA of America/ New Jersey Section (NJPGA) (732) 465-1212 • www.newjersey.pga.com PGA of America/ Philadelphia Section (PhilPGA) (215) 886-7742 • www.philadelphia.pga.com Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) (561) 624-8400 • www.pga.com United States Golf Association (USGA) (908) 234-2300 • www.usga.org Westchester Golf Association (WGA) (914) 347-2340 • www.westchestergolf.org Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia (WGAP) (61)687-2340 • www.wgapgolf.org Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association (WMGA) (914) 592-7888 • www.wmga.com Women’s New Jersey Golf Association (WNJGA) (732) 449-2249 • www.wnjga.com
Each of these organizations has a full schedule of events. We encourage you to visit their websites and to participate in the many tournaments in our area. There is something for everyone!
SPRING 2016
Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, We are so excited to be back for our 26th year of publication! In that time, not only has golf’s “landscape” changed, but also the number of publications truly covering your local golf scene has gone through many dramatic changes. Only a few years ago, there were several quarterly publications, now that number has dwindled down to a select handful. Happily, we are still here to provide you that unbiased news from local golf courses and our golf community. We all know that there are clear trends in golf in the areas of club membership, golf participation and club financial viability. One recent report showed that more than 50% of all golf clubs (both private and public) are under financial duress. The industry faces many challenges, including declining memberships, time constraints, high costs, and a need for more flexible memberships. On the bright side, there clearly is a healthy level of new demand for golf. Beyond the new superstars that we watch on the PGA TOUR each week, there continues to be much growth of the game as demonstrated by a growing interest in the First Tee, PGA Junior Golf League, PGA Junior Golf Camps, and the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship. While there is lots of competition today for our children’s time from a variety of sports, golf continues to be at the forefront of growth among our youngest players. For all golfers, both young and old, flexibility is one of the key factors. It’s simply become more difficult now for many golfers to
commit to several hours at the golf course. Together, golf needs to work on ways to provide that flexibility, while maintaining its viability, both on a private and public level. In 2016, many golf courses are reviewing their strategic plans and making changes. They understand what lies ahead and understand that change will lead to their sustained future. We will be profiling several of these courses this year, as it is these courses that will be the leaders of the future. We are lucky because the state of the golf industry is strong, especially here in New Jersey. We are very fortunate to have the PGA Championship at Baltusrol this July, along with our annual ShopRite LPGA Classic in early June, outside of Atlantic City. We will have a chance to see the best players, both men and women, in the world play. We also have many terrific courses for our golfers to play, join and enjoy. Take advantage of what they have to offer. We have so much to look forward to and Golfer’s Tee Times is lucky to have your support and readership. We always encourage our readers to contact us with ideas and comments, and look forward to hearing from you this season. Marian Castner Publisher/Editor-in-Chief editor@njgolfnews.com, Office: 732-577-1995 Follow and Like us on Facebook!
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SPRING 2016
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Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club: Looking to the Future in a Big Way By Marian Castner
At a time when many country clubs have needed to change their strategic plans, the owners of Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster have taken their directive in a bold new direction. A little history about the club, the 530-acre property on the banks of the winding Lamington River was once an estate owned by the wealth investment banker, Frederick Strong Moseley and his wife Jane. In 1964, Raymond J. Donovan and his business associate, Ronald A. Schiavone purchased the property and developed it into a corporate country club. Within a year, the club was ready to open its first 27 holes designed by renowned architect Hal Purdy, and named each nine holes the Red, Blue and Green Courses. In 1986, an additional 9-hole Silver Course opened, and the course which was originally named the Green Course was renamed the Gold
Course in honor of the “regal designs” by Brian Silva and his partner Geoffrey Cornish. In the early 1990’s, Rees Jones designed a third 18-hole championship course. By mid 1990’s, Fiddler’s Elbow had 54 completed golf holes, making it the largest golf facility in New Jersey. To this day, it still remains the only club in New Jersey featuring three championship eighteen hole layouts. The Blue-Red Course, designed around the river, became known as the River Course. The GoldSilver Course built on land that was formerly a pasture, has transitioned into the Meadow Course. The newest, nestled within a plantation of white pines, beeches, oaks and other hardwoods, is aptly named the Forest Course. Even in its early years, the club had much to boast about, with a wide variety of outings, charity events and offerings for its membership. Thinking that the corporate members would find interest in various speakers from the political and financial world, they hosted a speaking series starting in the mid 1970s. At one such gathering in 1977, there was a luncheon which included a debate between the conservative exGovernor of California, Ronald Reagan and liberal exSenator Eugene McCarthy. After that, Mr. Donovan became very active and involved in the Republican Party and eventually in 1979, Mr. Reagan returned for a “Reagan for President” fundraiser at Fiddler’s Elbow. The surprise guest for the evening was none other than, Frank Sinatra. Mr. and Mrs. Reagan even stayed overnight in one of the upstairs bedrooms (now known as the “Reagan Room”). Ken Donovan still recalls these special events saying, “President Reagan is a very important figure in the history of Fiddler’s Elbow and our family. Certainly, the fundraising event was a great highlight for Fiddler’s Elbow. We are very proud to have hosted the Reagans
three times as well as Mr. Sinatra and other figures, throughout the years, from politics and entertainment.” Subsequent to President Reagan’s election in 1980, he named Ray Donovan as his Secretary of Labor. Donovan served in the Reagan Administration until 1985.
The two families owned the property jointly until 2012, when the Donovans amicably bought out the Schiavone family. Seeing the handwriting on the wall of how country clubs were struggling to maintain a robust membership, they devised a long-term plan to move the club in an entirely new direction. Now, over 50 years from its inception, and under the “hands-on leadership” of the three Donovan children – Ken, Keith and Maryellen, the three trustees have completely transformed the country club into a family-oriented mecca. While it still remains about one-third filled with corporate members, it has become a country club where “lifestyle” is the underlying priority. The new mantra is making it all about wanting to spend time at the club with your family, not away from them. “We started as a corporate club, so the way we operated from day one was quite different from other clubs. My brother, sister and I are building a club that we would want to be members of,” Ken Donovan remarked proudly during our recent conversation. In the past four years alone, they have added an entire swimming complex, tennis courts, outdoor platform tennis courts, a complete renovation of the dining areas and locker rooms in the clubhouse, added a new fitness area with personal training and yoga onsite, hired a well-known consulting sports psychologist, added equestrian services for the members and starting this spring, offer fly-fishing to members. “This would never have happened at an equity club,” proudly states General Manager Tom Hurley, who took over in 2011, and has overseen much of the renovation. “There is always a celebration going on here,” he continues. “We are always trying to top what we did last.” And he’s not joking when he says that. Looking at the recent “Fiddler’s Pride,” the monthly publication of the club, it is hard to find a day in the schedule where something exciting is not happening at the club, from
Opening Day tournaments, to clinics, seminars, junior camps, bridge classes, ice skating, yoga and fitness offerings, 5-course wine tasting dinners, and even a popular Cooking Class with the Club’s Executive Chef Michael Weisshaupt. At the same time all these changes were occurring, the Donovans have also invested in upgrading the golf courses and practice facilities. Perhaps the most underrated of the 18-hole courses, the Meadow Course, is in the midst of renovation by course architect, Stephen Kay. “What the Donovan family is doing to improve the club is truly remarkable,” adds Stephen Kay, the NJ-based architect who has redesigned and renovated many courses around the country. “It has been an honor to be part of the remodeling of Fiddlers and to be working with the Donovans.” Kay has worked on the driving range and its adjacent building, which houses three hitting bays and the new NJ PGA offices. He also has done extensive work on the front nine holes of the golf course, originally designed by Purdy and Cornish/Silva, and there are plans for more work on the back nine in the near future. “We have taken several years of construction and compressed it into 3 ½ years,” added Ken Donovan. “By compressing the work, the disturbance to our members is much less than it would have otherwise been.” Finally, if all this construction and upgrades weren’t enough, late this winter, the NJPGA and NJ Golf Foundation opened their new headquarters in the new building adjacent to the massive driving range. “The leadership of the New Jersey PGA Section founded the New Jersey Golf Foundation in 2004 to positively impact lives and communities through the game of golf, assist with our growth of the game efforts and to focus on returning the Section office to a green grass facility,” notes Chris Bauer, Executive Director of the New Jersey PGA Section. Bauer added, “The goal became a reality in late February when we moved into our new offices at Fiddler’s Elbow. The new facility is the perfect setting to showcase more than 90 years of Garden State golf memories and tradition.” “It’s like a being at a resort here every day. You can make a stay-cation at our club.” added Hurley. “We really want this to be a place that the members don’t want to leave. We think we are really working well towards that goal.” Yes, he is right. Fiddler’s Elbow is quickly becoming “the” country club of the future. It caters to everyone and is open year-round. For someone looking for golf and beyond, Fiddler’s Elbow is a country club with a bright future ahead.
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SPRING 2016
98th PGA Championship coming to Baltusrol – July 25-31st By Marian Castner
This summer, Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ will be the site of the 98th PGA Championship. Considered one of renowned architect A.W. Tillinghast’s best designs, Baltusrol has hosted one or more major championships in all but one decade of the 20th century, which is unmatched by any other US facility. Baltusrol has been the site of seven US Open Championships on three different courses, which is also a unique record. It was on the Lower Course at Baltusrol that Phil Mickelson won the 1995 PGA Championship. It will be the third time a New Jersey course has hosted the prestigious event. The Seaview Country Club in Galloway, NJ was the site of the 1942 PGA Championship, won by Sam Snead. Baltusrol Golf Club was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller, the founder and publisher of The Social Register, on land formerly owned by the Roll family. The club is named after Baltus Roll, the patriarch of the Roll family, who was brutally murder in a robbery attempt there in 1831. What many don’t realize is that there was an original eighteen hole course in the property (‘The Old Course’) that hosted five national championships between 1905 and 1915. In 1918, Keller and the Board of Governors actually employed Tillinghast to renovate the original course, but instead, he designed two new courses. In 1922, two 18hole championship golf courses opened on the property. The Lower Course has been repeated recognized in the “Top 100 Courses in America.” Jack
Nicklaus won two US Open Championships on the Lower Course in 1967 and again in 1980. Jason Day is the defending PGA Champion, a title he won last year at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. He will be challenged by one of the largest and toughest fields of the year, comprised of 156 players, including most of the top PGA TOUR players in the world, former PGA Championship winners, additional players meeting the eligibility requirements, as well as the 20 top finishers in the 2016 PGA Professional Championship (club professionals). This year’s winner will take home a purse worth over $1.8 million and a replica of the Wanamaker Trophy, similar to the one you see the winner receiving on the final day of competition. There will be extensive television coverage of the first two rounds on TNT and CBS will be broadcasting most of the weekend action. There are limited tickets still available. Tickets are required for all rounds, including the practice rounds (Monday June 25-Wednesday June 28th). Juniors (age 17 and under) can receive free grounds admission when accompanying a paid
ticket holder. There is an extra fee for juniors into the Wanamaker Club. There are also complimentary tickets for active military, active reserves, national guard and their spouse. For additional information on volunteer opportunities, and more, visit,http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/.
How to Find the Ideal Golf Instructor for Your Child By Ralph Landrum
As parents, we spend an inordinate amount of time making sure that we find the ideal situation for our children. From finding the perfect pediatrician, the perfect school, and the perfect “everything”, we consider, discuss, and conduct extensive research to find “only the best” opportunities for our children. When it comes to enrolling our kids in golf instruction, we should also equip ourselves with the insight needed to find the perfect instructor, who will properly supervise, nurture, and enrich our children. As a PGA golf professional, with numerous years of hands-on experience working with thousands of junior golfers, as well as experience teaching and mentoring other teaching professionals, here are a few expert insights as to what characteristics make the finest junior golf instructors. Parents need to consider the following: 1) Look for the Seal. “Look for the seal” and locate a PGA or LPGA member to teach your child. By securing the services of either a PGA or LPGA professional, you can be assured that the individual has received extensive training on how to most effectively teach the game of golf and know how to ensure that students ultimately achieve success and confidence out on the course. 2) Ask for Recommendations. Finding a qualified instructor is like finding a new doctor. While you could go ‘doctor shopping’ online, most of us find healthcare professionals by asking our friends and family for recommendations. The process of finding a qualified teaching professional works by the same premises. 3) Observe. There is no truer testament of a golf professional’s teaching style than “watching them in action.” Observe the
potential instructor teaching youngsters around your child’s same age group. You should be able to determine how well he or she relates to young golfers, how well they can inspire and engage, and how effective they are in helping kids succeed and have fun. After all, even the smallest victories your child achieves should be celebrated. 4) Follow the Happy Kids. A great junior golf instructor will be surrounded by happy kids. Many of the country’s top junior instructors have devoted themselves to developing strategies and techniques designed to evoke an optimal learning experience for each individual child; and in the process, most have accumulated a sizable following. There are other unique skills needed to teach kids as compared to adults. The right junior golf instructor should be more than capable of creating a fun, safe environment. He or she also needs to be a little quicker on their feet due to shorter attention spans! 5) Search for the Intangible. One of the best things about the game of golf is that it provides an opportunity for kids to learn some of life’s most valuable lessons – integrity, respect, and discipline. Along with helping your child to drive the ball 200 yards, your teaching professional should also teach your child oncourse etiquette and sportsmanship along with other values which can be used both on and off the course. Ralph Landrum, PGA is the Director of Instruction at Landrum Golf and a Camp Director for the PGA Junior Golf Camps. He is one of only two PGA Master Professionals and won the prestigious PGA National Player Development Award in 2014. He will be leading on of the PGA Junior Golf Camps this summer. You can learn more about the PGA Junior Golf Camps in your area by visiting www.pgajuniorgolfcamps.com.
SPRING 2016
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PGA of America Celebrates Successful Launch of PGA Junior Golf Camps Announces Significant Expansion for 2016 After a successful inaugural season last year at 20 locations nationwide, network of PGA Junior Golf Camps the PGA of America’s PGA Junior Golf Camps for boys and girls ages across the country with the PGA of 6-17 will expand to more than 75 locations in 2016. All PGA Junior Golf America brand, which represents the Camps are taught by PGA Professionals and designed for juniors of all best in golf instruction.” skill levels. The camps’ curriculum This summer, PGA Junior Golf allows kids to learn the game in Camps will be offered at various a fun, supportive environment. locations in the NJ/NY/PA area. This follows a unique progression In New Jersey, the Plainfield West development tract that focuses on 9 Golf Course in Edison, NJ will host promoting fundamental golf skills, eight weeks of the NEXT LEVEL PGA Junior Golf Camp are for junior including full golfers who have played the game, show advanced skill swing, putting development and are dedicated to taking their game to and chipping— the next level. The camp takes a broad approach to cover as well as life and character skills, such as good all aspects of golf, including technology, the mental sportsmanship, camaraderie and integrity. game and physical fitness. Campers are encouraged to “PGA Junior Golf Camps’ focus is on both golf join for at least 2 to 3 weeks for maximum improvement, and character skill development,” said PGA President but may sign up for individual weeks. Derek Sprague. “That, combined with the fact that they Hartefeld National in Pennsylvania and Eisenhower are all led by PGA Professionals, is what makes them Park Golf Course in New York will also be offering so successful. As the PGA celebrates its Centennial PGA Junior camps this summer. in 2016, we remain steadfast in our commitment to Camp registration is now open. To find growing the game of golf, and these camps will help camp locations and register online, visit ensure the future of our sport.” PGAJuniorGolfCamps.com or call 888-PGA-PLAY “Whether a child wants to pick up a new skill (888-742-7529). and learn to play a round with mom and dad, or is interested in competitive tournament play and earning college scholarships, PGA Junior Golf Camps are teaching a game that can be enjoyed for a lifetime,” said Marc Haddad, founder and CEO of PGA Junior Golf Camps. “We look forward to building our
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May 30-June 5, 2016 Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club
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www.shopritelpgaclassic.com
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SPRING 2016
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The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer Gears Up for Another Exciting Tournament By Marian Castner
There’s always excitement in the air when it comes to the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, which returns for the seventh consecutive year on the Bay Course at historic Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club from May 30-June 5. “Since the return of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer to Atlantic City in 2010, the growth of the event has simply been incredible. Our list of supporters continues to grow at double digit rates and our fan and sponsor base keeps growing. The community has embraced this tournament and we are looking forward to another great week of world class entertainment right here on the Jersey Shore,” says Tim Erensen, Executive Director of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer. As always, this is one of the most popular LPGA stops of the year, and most of the top 100 players on the LPGA’s money list will be playing. Anna Nordqvist won the event in 2015 and looks forward to defending her title this year. “The LPGA Tour gives spectators a chance to see many of the players who will get to compete in the Olympics this year. The LPGA is such a global and evolving tour. Fans really get to see a diverse group of ladies and we are excited that most choose to play our event,” added Erensen. To review a little history of the tournament, this will be the eighteenth time that Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club will host the three-day, 54-hole event, dating back to 1986. Over the years, many LPGA Tour legends have won here including other LPGA Hall-of-Famers Betsy King and Annika Sorenstam, who both won three times here. Since it became the title sponsor of the Classic in the 1990s, ShopRite has donated over $29 million to charity through its sponsorship of LPGA events. The Stockton Seaview Resort celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014. In 1914, Clarence H. Geist, a public utility magnate, founded the original golf course and resort. Designed by Hugh Wilson (who also designed the courses at Merion Golf Club), the Bay Course opened in 1915. The following year, famed golf course designer Donald Ross completed the course. After some renovations by Bob Crupp Jr. in 1998, and other recent renovations in the past few years, the Bay Course now plays as a par 71, 6,247 yards course from the back tees. Dating back to the 1980s, the resort and golf courses were owned by the Marriott Corporation, but it changed when the property was sold to LaSalle Hotel Properties. For several years, Dolce Hotels and Resorts managed the property for La Salle. In late 2010, LaSalle sold to the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (now Stockton University), and Dolce continues to manage it. Tournament week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer is always special. The week will include several exciting events and fan opportunities, including The Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Junior Golf Show on Saturday afternoon, June 4th at 2:30pm. Black Bear will once again be sponsoring the Family Fun Zone, which includes face-painting, inflatable rides and
a miniature golf course. Kia, Enterprise, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and Snapple are few of the over one hundred returning sponsors. Another addition to this year’s tournament will be a special hospitality area for all service personnel (police, fire, EMS) and military (active, reserve, retired and veterans) and their families. Located on the right side of the fairway on the scenic 9th hole, the Patriots› Pavilion will provide a comfortable seating area, free food and water, courtesy of Black Bear and ShopRite, respectively. One of the mission’s of the LPGA continues to be keeping the ticket and concession prices very reasonably priced and attractive for families. Admission to the Monday qualifier, practice rounds and the Pro-Ams are free to the public. The Friday through Sunday ticket prices range from $15 for daily admission, to $30 for a weekly pass or $60 for a weekly clubhouse pass, which includes access to the Stockton Seaview Resort. For the seventh straight year, 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the tournament’s more than twenty benefitting charities. includingAtlantiCare Foundation, Richard Stockton University of New Jersey Foundation, and Community FoodBank of New Jersey – Southern Branch. “We are grateful that the support of ShopRite, our fans and our corporate partners allow us to benefit many charities in our local community,” added Erensen. “We are proud to give back to the organizations that help support causes throughout our home in South Jersey.” Tickets are still available online at www.shopritelpgaclassic.com. When purchasing advanced tickets online, you can designate which charity out of the 20+ listed on the website will receive the proceeds from your purchase. Children age 17 and under are admitted free. Other popular promotions include ShopRite Plus Card Members can simply show their card at the entrance gate and receive two free tickets each day, and all service personnel (military, fire and police) will be admitted free of charge throughout the Tournament with proper ID . Year in and year out, the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, prides itself on being one of the best spectator friendly events around. Everyone associated with this tournament makes it one of the favorite LPGA Tour stops of the year. Come out and see why the best come to this South Jersey event!
Picture of defending champion Courtesy of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Ben Solomon Photography
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Limited Public Play for the First Time Since 1927
Experience the New Hopewell Valley Golf & Country Club! Dining, Camps & Clinics Open to the Public Full, Sport & Trial Memberships Available For the First Time Since 1927, HVGC Will be Offering Limited Outside Public Play! ─
GOLF
Discover the course with your family this season! Limited public play. DAILY GOLF - Limited to 5 Rounds. After 10:30am: $75 on weekdays, $85 on weekends. 4 hrs. Prior to Dusk: $50 on weekdays, $60 on weekends. SENIORS & JUNIORS - Seniors (65+) and Juniors (14-18 yrs) Receive a 20% Discount on Daily Rates. PRE-PAID - Pre-pay for 5 rounds at a reduced rate of $350. Additional membership pricing and packages available.
OUTINGS
Hold your corporate, club or family golf outing with us. Full service plans available and include: food & beverage, cart & rounds.
DINING
The Baron Dillon Grille is now open for lunch and dinner, or to savor your favorite libation after a round of golf.
SPORTS
Play one of our other sports: paddle tennis, tennis, and swim. Sport Memberships available. Lessons, clinics and camps offered for all ages.
EVENTS
Celebrate your wedding or special event in the Hopewell Ballroom with a deck overlooking our picturesque rolling greens and Stony Brook.
Where Your Family Belongs 114 PENNINGTON HOPEWELL ROAD, HOPEWELL, NJ
(609) 466-3000 · HVGC.COM
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SPRING 2016
Elwood Myers Jr. Still Going Strong at the Seaview After 30 Years By Richard Skelly
For veteran greenskeeper Elwood Myers Jr., what he once expected would be a temporary, transitional job has lasted more than 30 years. Myers, who majored in Hotel/Motel Management at Atlantic Cape Community College, took a job on the greens maintenance crew at the storied Seaview Golf Club and Resort in April, 1986 and has been there ever since. Now known as the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, this historic resort situated on Reeds Bay in Galloway, NJ has a fascinating, storied history, while playing host to not only the ShopRite LPGA Classic for many years, but also many presidents, entertainers and many golf legends. The 6,300-yard links-style Bay course was built in 1914 by Hugh Wilson and Donald Ross. The adjacent Pines course opened in 1929, and was built by William Flynn and Howard Toomey. The 16th hole at the Pines course is the site of Sam Snead’s 60-foot chip-in to win the 1942 PGA Championship, his first major tournament win. Many U.S. Presidents have play golf here, as well as Snead, Hogan and many other famous pioneer players in golf history. Fortunately for golf fans, much of the history of the resort is documented in the photographs and paintings that adorn the clubhouse walls. Myers comes from a golfing family. His father, Elwood Myers, was a golf professional and greenskeeper at Cohanzick Country Club outside of Bridgeton, in Cumberland County in the late 1950s and early 60’s. With a golf club in his hand from the time he was five, Elwood Jr. knew he wanted to be involved in the golf or golf resort business in some capacity. Later, his father worked at Absecon Golf Club [now a Home Depot] and became good friends with Leo Fraser and his extended family, who owned Atlantic City Country Club at the time and was also President of the PGA of America. “My Dad was also friendly with the owners at Seaview Golf Club. I would spend my summers working for my Dad. I would go up to Absecon, where he was a teaching, and pick up golf balls in between lessons. I played golf in high school. I guess I started playing when I was around five,” Myers recalled. In the three decades working at the Seaview -- Myers has done everything one can do in the realm of golf course maintenance: working on the irrigation pipes, solving drainage issues, cutting the greens, cutting cups, running fairway mowers, performing a variety of landscaping and flower growing / horticultural duties, and other sophisticated maintenance equipment as it has evolved since the mid-1980’s. Now, when I play golf, I can still do okay,” he explained. “It’s just that work takes up a lot of my time. Now, I can play pretty much anywhere I want in south Jersey. I just don’t have the time.” For much of the last thirty years, Myers was the chief foreman at the Bay Course, site of the annual Shop-Rite LPGA Classic each year in late May/early June. In more recent years, Myers has been in charge of grounds for the hotel and the Spa complex. While his father was
working at Pomona Golf Course, he learned about golf course maintenance, pro shop operations as well as the business of teaching golf. In the spring of 1986, “I just needed a job at the time, so I applied at Seaview for a Pro Shop job. I was going to school at the time for hotel management. I couldn’t seem to land a position there. I saw a position open in the Greens Department, and it actually snowed the day I applied for the job, which was in late April. I started the next day and figured I’d be there a year or two until I could get into the hotel management business. “The superintendent knew I had knowledge of golf, so I moved up quickly from raking bunkers and taking care of trash to mowing greens and cutting cups.” In retrospect, he realizes he probably wasn’t the type they were looking for in the Seaview Pro Shop. After 12 years working on the greens crew, he moved up to Bay course foreman. “I would oversee daily operations on the Bay Course, and they already had the ShopRite Classic there the first two years I was here in 1986 and 1987,” he recalled, noting the event moved to Greate Bay Golf Club in Somers Point for a number of years before eventually returning to Seaview, which features its historic 296-guest room hotel and spa. “I changed cups exclusively all the days of the tournaments back in 1986 and ’87,” he recalled, noting Seaview was passed over after two years of hosting the ShopRite Classic primarily because there wasn’t an adequate practice range at the time. When asked about the challenges of maintaining a links golf course so close to Reeds Bay and the effects from the salt water, which can be an anathema to most golf course grasses, Myers agrees there have been many memorable challenges. “We had issues with some areas flooding during storms, and trying to keep the turf alive. We also had an old irrigation system at one time, so we really had trouble just maintaining that. I remember the 8thfairway, the short par 4 along the bay here, used to flood all the time even with a minor storm. One year we hired a company to come in and they stripped the whole fairway and laid it in a field adjacent to the property and then they raised the hole with dirt and re-laid the sod,” he recalled. When asked how the Bay Course fared during recent storms like Tropical Storm Irene in August, 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in late October, 2012, Myers said Seaview fared much better than other golf courses around the state. He did recall a huge amount of seaweed, pieces of wood, pieces of boats and other debris that washed up during Irene, but said Sandy was less of a wind event around Atlantic City.
“I think we lost 400 trees on the Pines course, and from hearing from the guys at some of the other golf courses, we suffered much less damage from Sandy than the derecho [an extended straight line windstorm] that came through here on June 30, 2012.” “I remember we were without power at our home in Somers Point for six or seven days. We were without power at Seaview for at least three days,” Myers recalled. Being without power at golf course of Seaview’s stature, even for as little as a week, can be devastating, particularly in periods of extreme heat, which is what followed the derecho wind event in that part of coastal southern New Jersey. “You can’t pump water and it totally changes everything. After that storm, we had a lot of FEMA people living in our hotel, some of them for almost a year.” Fortunately, Myers and his various grounds maintenance crews have never had to deal with any severe weather events prior to the ShopRite LPGA Classic event at the facility in early June. “We always had the worry of thunderstorms, but in my recollection we’ve always been very fortunate with the weather. It’s a little early for the major storms which we can get later in the season,” he said. “We’ve always had a crew ready to go out and do squeegee work if needed. I remember one year, I worked 107 hours during tournament week. I think it was 2007.” Now in his equally important role overseeing grounds for the hotel and spa, Myers and his crew plant are busy planting over 4,000 annuals every year and maintaining more than four acres of grass in addition to the pool and tennis courts. Myers was quick to point out that Seaview’s resident irrigation expert, Charlie Bustard, is actually Seaview’s longest running employee in the golf department. “He knows our irrigation system front and back. If we have a problem we can’t handle, I see him,” he said, noting, in general, golf course superintendents and others in grounds positions have to be flexible and take a farmer-like approach to planning improvements and enhancements. Once a severe weather event happens, he argued, you have to be able to assess the entirety of the situation as objectively as possible. “You have to be able to step back, look at the situation and figure out the best courses of action without being overwhelmed by it all,” Myers advised. “You turn to everybody for help; you don’t attempt to do it all by yourself, as far as the clean-up involved.” As the ShopRite LPGA Classic returns again in a few weeks, Myers looks forward to all the activity and preparation ahead at the resort. Afterwards, he might take a few days for himself. Maybe he’ll get in some of those rounds he hasn’t had the time to play. He deserves it.
SPRING 2016
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Hopewell Valley Golf Club Reopens Under New Ownership Establishing Your Mental Goals
The ‘new’ Hopewell Valley Golf & Country Club has reopened under new ownership and management. For the first time since 1927, the course will be open for limited public play. Developed in 1927 as a private and secluded golf sanctuary for members, the Thomas Winton designed championship course and club provide a warm and relaxing, laid-back casual family atmosphere. Mike Attara, president of Spirit Golf Management LLC, is the new PGA general manager and CEO for Hopewell Valley. “The response to the new club has been outstanding from golfers and families in the region. We are getting calls from members and prospective players who are chomping at the bit to get on the course and are excited to learn about all the improvements planned for the course, pool, and clubhouse dining and event facilities,” said Attara. One of the first things members and guests will notice is the addition of a full size sculpture of a horse, Baron Dillon, on the circle outside of the clubhouse. This is a nod to the property’s 19th century history as a horse farm with Baron Dillon being the most prominent and successful sire. For the first time many of the club’s programs will be open to everyone in the community. P.J. Ulanich, PGA professional and Hopewell Valley golf pro, and a member of the professional staff for 16 years said, “I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to be a part of the ‘new’ Hopewell Valley Golf & Country Club. With some very nice upgrades to the facility already in the works
and a solid plan for the club going forward, A Column by: Dr. Nick Molinaro the future looks extremely bright.” Think about what you would like your breath, (3) breathing out through Members and guests will enjoy an to achieve this season. What are your your mouth and relaxing different unexpected epicurean experience at the goals? That is the first question I ask my muscles groups each time you do so Baron Dillon Grille and private dining clients. From professionals to amateurs, such as your neck, shoulder, arms and (4) the final step is not to breathe. It is in the clubhouse. John Goeke, COO collegiate stars to rising juniors, I have coached athletes in called square breathing because each of and Hopewell Valley partner, a graduate numerous sports at every level, with golf the four components of breathing is the of the Johnson and as a particular specialty. Over the course same length of time. You can do each Wales University in of the season, I will give Golfer’s Tee portion of the technique to the count hospitality management Times readers some guidance on how of 4. Remember, it is not important to is responsible for to achieve your goals through improved breathe deeply, it is important to breathe rhythmically. overseeing and creating mental performance. Separate your goals into three Square breathing is the first step the food and beverage categories: outcome, performance and in BRI – Breathe, Relax, Imagine...a ambience of the club. process goals. Outcome goals may technique explained on The Golf Fix As a long time be winning the Club Championship, with Golf Channel’s Michael Breed in colleague, Rich Rutzler, commercial artist breaking 100 or lowering your handicap February, 2015. The video is available on and owner of Future Signs in Hamilton, NJ, by several strokes. Performance goals my website at DrNickGolf.com. In the joined Attara in the purchase of Hopewell are aspects of your game you need to next issue I will be explaining imagery; Valley Golf & Country Club LLC, along attain in order to reach your outcome how to do it effectively and its impact with a small group of investors. “Both goals. Examples are greens in regulation, upon performance. John and Rich are well respected in their fairway hits, putts per round, etc. Process industries and they will be tremendous goals are the smaller steps that will be “Dr. Nick Molinaro is a psychologist assets to the Hopewell Valley club as we necessary to reach your performance specializing build a new future,” said Attara. goals. These may include position of in sport and Packages and pricing for several types your hips at impact, taking the club away performance. of membership are available to fit every in correct position, a flat wrist when He practices age group and lifestyle. Full, senior, young chipping, etc. in Mendham, Now, let’s look at some of the mental NJ. He makes professional, and student memberships are available as well as sports memberships for goals for the season. A great mental frequent guest tennis, paddle tennis, and pool in various outcome goal is to remain relaxed appearances combinations. A trial membership to play throughout the round on every shot. A on The Golf Fix the course and use the facilities is available performance goal would be utilizing with Michael for $700, in addition to limited public square breathing – a technique used to Breed on The play opportunities. Hopewell Valley offers relax and center yourself – before each Golf Channel, and can also be heard on league play for men, women and juniors; shot. It is based upon (1) inflating your A New Breed of Golf Sirius/XM radio” and summer camps and clinics for children. diaphragm slowly and not deeply by breathing through your nose, (2) holding Look for our extensive review of the championship course and the ‘new’ Hopewell Valley Golf & Country Club in K E E P I N G G O L F F U N ‘ F O R E ’ OV E R 5 0 Y E A R S ! the Summer issue of Golfer’s Tee Times
Local Students Design Tickets for 2016 ShopRite LPGA Classic Custom artwork produced by local elementary school students will appear on the grounds tickets for the 2016 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer. During the month of February, hundreds of students from four local schools created and submitted designs, and in March a panel of judges will select one winner from each school. In addition, Acer will award an Aspire 11 laptop to each of the four participating schools: Miller (Egg Harbor Township), Roland Rogers (Galloway Township), Leeds Ave and North Main (Pleasantville).
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“We’re excited to partner with ShopRite, Acer and schools in our local district on this contest,” said Leela Narang, tournament director of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer. “This community is such an important part of our tournament and we’re thrilled to feature the creativity of the students.” The winning designs will be unveiled in mid-May. Each winner will receive an invitation to Media Day and a prize package including tickets and autographed merchandise. “We are excited to see the artwork submissions from the students,” said Kim Phipps, Director, Global Marketing & Brand for Acer America. “Partnering with ShopRite on the contest is a great way to collaborate with the local community on the tournament, and to see from the kids themselves what they find compelling about it.”
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SPRING 2016
Ramblewood Country Club starts a new Era with Jaworski Golf By Richard Skelly
With a still-sputtering, not quite revved-up golf economy here in New Jersey, value-conscious golfers who don’t belong to a private club can breathe a sigh of relief. As of January, Ron Jaworski Golf [RJG] Group has acquired a seventh facility to add to its already impressive roster of golf facilities. Lead by Ron Jaworski, the retired Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and current ESPN football commentator, and his partners, Ron Jaworski Golf acquired ownership of Ramblewood Country Club, a sprawling 27-hole facility in Mount Laurel. “We are very proud to add Ramblewood to our outstanding collection of courses under the Ron Jaworski Golf umbrella,” said Ron Jaworski. “We invite all golfers to experience the golf course and take advantage of
the many affordable membership and daily fee options available. Ron Jaworski Golf now owns and manages seven facilities in southern New Jersey / suburban Philadelphia, including Blue Heron Pines in Galloway Township, NJ; Downington Country Club in Downington, Pa.; Honey Run Golf Club in York, Pa.; RiverWinds Golf & Tennis Club in West Deptford, NJ; Running Deer Golf Club in Pittsgrove, NJ; Valleybrook Country Club in Blackwood, NJ, and now Ramblewood Country Club in Mount Laurel. All are within an hour’s drive of one another, and open to both those who sign up for various membership packages, and the daily fee public golfer. “The climate of the golf course industry is changing,” said BJ Jaworski, Executive Vice President of Operations for Ron Jaworski Golf. “We like to think we’re at the forefront of those changes. We like to be able to offer different daily fee and membership packages, and we like to think we’re helping to facilitate those changes. My mother [Liz Jaworski is President of Ron Jaworski Golf] likes to say: ‘We’re not your father’s country club.’” “We want to be fun and lively. We understand that this is their expendable income, so we want people to come out and enjoy themselves at the club.” Ramblewood Country Club’s first 18 holes, Red and White nines, were built by the Goodwin family in 1962. They added the Blue nine in 1972. Jaworski pointed out that John Goodwin has been retained as General Manager. “We always loved the property and knew it was a great location for a golf course,” Jaworski explained, “We’ve known the Goodwins for a long time. They’re a great family and always kept in touch, so when they made a decision to move on, we were there to scoop it up.” “The location is probably the best location in South Jersey for anything, especially a golf course,” Jaworski said, noting Ron Jaworski Golf offers Eagle Passes, providing access to all seven golf courses, and a large variety of other membership packages for serious, dedicated golfers in suburban Philadelphia on both sides of the Delaware River. “We think it’s [Eagle Pass] the best deal in golf in South Jersey,” Jaworski explained. “You get unlimited play at all of our golf courses for not a big price at all. You can go around with your friends and play really great golf courses. We sell them annually,” he said, noting there are all manner of other membership packages available through RJG, including weekday memberships, weekend memberships, family memberships and junior memberships.
“They range from $3,400 for the full 7-day membership and include a variety of other options that are offered as low as the $2,000 range,” he explained, noting there are many membership plans offering a great deal of flexibility. Asked how he got involved with golf, Jaworski added that he knew as a kid he was lucky that his parents owned Eagles Nest Golf Club in Sewell, now known as Maple Ridge. “In the summers my mom would go to work there and I’d go with her. I was just a golf course rat,” he recalled, noting he was five or six when he began hitting balls at the range. Jaworski, who majored in business at the University of Delaware, has two older sisters who play golf four or five times a year but aren’t involved in the
business. “I just loved the game and played college golf at the University of Delaware. After I graduated, I started working right away at the golf courses. I went to Running Deer as a general manager, did that for a number of years
and now I’m overseeing all operations for Ron Jaworski Golf.” Because the RJG courses are all situated within 40 miles of one another, various economies of scale are realized in terms of buying power as well as efficiency for greens maintenance employees, food and beverage managers. Savings are passed on to members and daily fee players. “If we need to get to a course for any reason we can get there in less than an hour,” he said. “We have that flexibility if we have a problem or something that needs attention we can get there quickly.” “I’m not breaking any news here,” he said, “but beginning in the late 1990’s up until around 2008, “too many golf courses were built, so now people have plenty of options, which is a great thing. But that makes it tough for individual facilities, so we’re at a point now with the seven courses where we can really utilize buying power and sharing resources that give us a first class product while still keeping it economically efficient from the business side.” “My father takes a lot of pride in all of our products,” he continued. “He’s in all the time, checking up on our work, and he keeps us grinding. As a quarterback, he can motivate us and light a fire if he needs to.” Extensive clubhouse renovations at Ramblewood will be completed this Spring both on and off the golf courses. They are adding a SEVEN Tap & Tavern, already a favorite 19th hole destination at Blue Heron Pines, Running Deer and Downington CC. The golf courses will have extensive irrigation and drainage work, along with bunker work and tree work in order to optimize sunlight
and air movement RJG President Liz Jaworski, in a press release about the acquisition of Ramblewood stated, “SEVEN Tap & Tavern is a cool, friendly neighborhood tavern featuring craft beers, an outstanding menu and large screen TV’s throughout. It is not your ordinary sports bar.” Bill McCoy, Director of Golf at Ramblewood, one of the few 27-hole facilities in south Jersey, brings a wealth of experience from the pro shop at Atlantic City Country Club to his post at Ramblewood. He assumed the head professional post in 2012 and was named Director of Golf at Ramblewood earlier this year. Asked about the topography and memorable holes at the Ramblewood, McCoy noted that golfers will find plenty of variety among the three nines. “The land is pretty flat and since the red and white nines were built at the same time, they are pretty similar. The blue course is different, there are a lot more trees there. On the red and white, you can bomb away with your driver much of the time. It’s more parkland style, but the blue, you have to hit the ball more precisely out there and the greens on blue course have more undulations.” “There are a few signature holes, but one that stands out is No. 8 on our Red nine, a longer 409- yard, par 4 (from the white tees), and you need pinpoint accuracy off the tee. It’s all woods to the right, and if you hit too far left, you don’t have a shot to the green. You need to be center of left side of fairway and there’s a stream that runs across the fairway. That stream starts in front of the men’s tee and runs up the right side of the hole and then it cuts across middle of the fairway and over to the left side of the hole, right in front of the 150-yard marker.” For better players, they may find themselves hitting 3-wood rather than driver off the tee, and for beginning golfers and some women, the stream can be a bigger issue since it bisects the fairway. “If you hit it 260 off the tee you can end up in the
stream,” McCoy added. “There’s a little bridge over the stream and if you aim it for the bridge off the tee, and once you land out there, you can’t see the green on your approach shot. It’s uphill and the surface of the green is not visible. Depending on wind, that second shot can play one to three clubs different to get to the pin in two,” he said. “When it’s calm, it’s usually a one club difference.” McCoy said the appeal of Ramblewood lies in the fact that it’s 27 holes, one of a few 27-hole public facilities in southern New Jersey. “You can’t get bored all that easily here,” he argued. “You can play Red to White, White to Blue, Red to Blue and you’re getting plenty of variety out there. We try to use the Blue as a back nine, because the 1st hole on the Blue nine is a long par 3, 187 yards from the white tees. You don’t necessarily want golfers starting their rounds out there.” Whether you are a member of the Jaworski courses, or just want a good test of golf at a reasonable price for the day, try the new Ramblewood Country Club. You’ll enjoy the experience.
SPRING 2016
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Ron Jaworski Hosts the 32nd Celebrity Golf Challenge The tireless philanthropic work of Ron Jaworski and the Jaws Youth Playbook continues, with the help of more than 40 sponsors including, Delta, JPC Group, Constellation, Ketel One
raising awareness and advocating for the access to safe play and healthy choices, and supporting programs providing positive youth health and wellness platforms.” JYP focuses on environment
Vodka, when Jaworski hosts, the 2016 Ron Jaworski Celebrity Golf Challenge, in mid-June. The annual fundraiser will take place from June 12-13 at the Blue Heron Pines Golf Club. The annual event, hosted in partnership with the NFL Alumni Association, brings together Jaworski and his celebrity friends including current and past NFL players,
(access to play and physical play spaces), programming and nutrition. As a result of last year’s tournament, Jaworski presented a check this past March for $100,000 to the NFL Alumni Association to support their “Caring for Kids” and “Caring for Our Own” programs. This year’s event included a grand Pairings Party at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City on Sunday night, followed by a Kickoff Celebrity-Am on Monday morning at Blue Heron Pines Golf Club, one of Jaworski’s properties. In the
to benefit the JAWS Youth Playbook, an organization that promotes health and wellness for at-risk kids in underserved communities, as well as the NFL Alumni’s “Caring for Kids” charities. Ron Jaworski, the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, ESPN football analyst, and longtime community philanthropist and fundraiser is very involved with his foundation. His management company currently owns and operates seven golf courses in the south Jersey/ surrounding Philadelphia area. The Celebrity Golf Challenge raises over $200,000 each year through various sponsorship opportunities. Proceeds go to the JAWS YOUTH PLAYBOOK (JYP). The JYP defines its mission as supporting programs which “improve the overall health and wellness of atrisk youth, primarily in the Greater Philadelphia Region. JYP does this by
afternoon, come watch the Closing Drive Celebrity-Am, featuring four amateurs paired with a celebrity to compete in a scramble-style tournament. The golf course festivities are always fun to watch. As always, Jaworski gathers a great collection of current and retired sports figures, coaches and broadcast personalities. Featured celebrities are expected to include Donovan McNabb, Joe Flacco, Warren Sapp, Doug Pederson, Rich Gannon, and Merril Hoge. This year’s event marks the 32nd anniversary of this exciting fundraiser, a fundraising longevity that few other events are able to boast.
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SPRING 2016
Know the Rules: USGA, R&A Adjust Several Rules in 2016 By Richard Skelly Each year, the two major rule-making organizations in the world of golf, the Far Hills-based USGA [United States Golf Association] and the St. Andrew’s, Scotland-based Royal and Ancient Golf Club, get to discuss possible changes to the rules of golf. However, both bodies only implement these changes every four years, and this year, 2016, was a year to implement proposed changes to handicapping and the playing rules. Likely the most controversial rules change that will affect the greatest number of amateur and Sunday golfers concerns a handicapping rules change. At the USGA, the handicapping division is a separate department from the playing rules division. The change to handicapping rules concerns rounds of golf played solo, i.e., without any witnesses, and no co-signer on the score card on the “attest” line. Steve Edmondson, Managing Director of Handicapping and Course Rating for the USGA, told Golfer’s Tee Times, “We applaud those golfers who have the ability to play golf on their own, but with handicap systems, there are two forms of corroboration: there’s peer review used throughout North America and there’s attestation where someone signs a score card, which is used pretty much throughout the world.” “The premise requiring attestation is that you’ve got someone playing alongside you and the same principal in peer review is you’ve got someone playing alongside you,” he explained. Edmondson added that 31 countries as well as the US and England and Scotland
had input into this rules change which bars a golfer from posting a score he or she earned while playing a round by him/ herself. Given that so many millions of golfers like to enjoy rounds of golf on their own – for convenience’s sake if nothing else— the handicapping change has widespread implications, but is actually a change the R&A and USGA have been contemplating for more than two decades. “We want to make it clear that has nothing to do with the USGA thinks golfers are naturally dishonest or cheaters. In fact, every facet of the game instills just the opposite in people,” he said, “but unfortunately that’s part of the messaging that got out there and that can’t be farther from the truth.” Even with those countries that use our handicap system, most of those countries also require some form or attestation, which is just part of the golfing culture outside the U.S.,” he said. Given the tremendous growth in the game in Asia and Latin America, and with new interest in golf from it being added to the Olympics once again, “in these developing countries they agree with the USGA handicap system, understanding that peer review they can accept as a valid form of corroboration.’ “But when you look at that idea, they asked, how can you allow someone to play alone? It undermines the principles of peer review, and we wanted to ensure that the USGA handicap system has its form of cooperation and credibility.” The prohibition on posting solo golf scores for handicapping purposes, he
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added, “has been deliberated for over two decades. When we do seminars and work with handicap committees, this has been one of the more contentious items. They say, ‘Look what you expect us to do, and yet, we provide no framework for them to support them. This has been one of those cases where we’ve been able to support them as well.” “I think with this one decision, it supports a healthier game going forward, and when you think about golf worldwide, we want people from the U.S. to be able to compete with anybody, anywhere, anytime, and have equity and feel comfortable with that,” he added. Thomas Pagel, the USGA Senior Director, Rules & Amateur Status, said there are four primary changes in playing rules taking place this year. Pagel first commented about how rules changes do take place. “We made four primary changes for 2016. We update rules every four years, the USGA and R&A govern the game worldwide, so we oversee rules of golf, amateur status and equipment. It really is a joint process,” Pagel said. “Here in the U.S. we have representatives from the U.S. and Mexican Golf Federation as well as the PGA Tour, the PGA of America, our state and regional golf community, and the LPGA Tour. The R&A has their own rules of golf committee with representatives from throughout the world,” Pagel said. The USGA and R&A rules committees meet every year, “and it’s very much a collaborative process and everyone has a seat at the table; it’s very much the industry working to write and interpret the rules together.” The first change he mentioned was the implementation of Rule 14-B concerning anchoring of a putter or other golf club, “and it’s a rules change we’ve been discussing for three plus years. Two years ago, we announced we would change this rule so everyone knew it was coming.” “It’s not a prohibition against using a long putter, it’s a prohibition against holding or anchoring your hands or a club directly against your body when you’re making a stroke,” Pagel explained. The thought process was a stroke should be defined as freely swinging the club, “so your hands and club are removed from your body. It’s not an equipment rule it’s all about the method of stroke.” During the recent Masters coverage, there was much talk among the commentators about Bernhard Langer, who is still using the long putter but no longer anchors it to his chest (albeit sometimes it is hard to see the difference). The USGA and R&A recognize that not every stroke is perfect and realize there’s always going to be some inadvertent touching, “but you can’t intentionally hold the club against your body.” The next change comes with Rule 6-6D and addresses concerns with scorecard disqualifications for signing an incorrect score card. “There’s now an exception added to the rule which states if the only reason the player got the scorecard wrong is because they didn’t include a penalty they had no idea they had incurred, the player is no longer going to be disqualified,” Pagel said. Instead, the player in a tournament or USGA sanctioned competition will get the original penalty plus an additional two
stroke penalty for getting their score card incorrect. In all other cases when the player was aware of the penalty, disqualification will still occur. Pagel offered the example of PGA Tour player Camilo Villegas at the 2011 Honda Tournament of Champions. After the ball he chipped rolled back down the hill towards his feet, he flicked a divot out of the way, which was a breach of the rules. “You can’t move a loose impediment that might move a ball in play,” he said. “The penalty was only identified after he had signed and returned his score card, so he was disqualified.” As of 2016, if he had no idea that he had incurred a penalty, the committee would open his score card back up and include the original two stroke penalty and he would get an additional two stroke penalty for getting his score card incorrect when he turned it in. But a player gets to keep his tee time for the following morning and is not disqualified. Another rules change, to Rule 18-2B, concerns a ball that moves after a player has addressed it. “It used to be if a player had grounded his or her club behind the ball, and the ball subsequently moved after the player had addressed it, if the player was deemed to have caused the movement, the player was penalized. That rule has been withdrawn. Now a single rule, Rule 18-2, which is only concerned with did the ball move and if the ball moved was it the player that caused the movement,” Pagel said. The rule is saying let’s look at all the factors together; grounding your club immediately behind the ball may be a factor but if you have situation where player grounds their club and then steps back to look at his putt, and some 10 seconds later the ball moves, that ball didn’t move because the player grounded his club, it may have moved for some other reason, like a strong wind. The last Rule change of 2016 concerns Rule 14-3, which deals with artificial devices and practice equipment, i.e., swing aids. “If you used an artificial device just one time, you were immediately disqualified,” Pagel explained. In 2010, LPGA player Juli Inkster put a weighted donut on her club at the Safeway Classic. She took a couple of practice swings on the tee to stay loose. She was disqualified. “Now if she were to do this in stroke play, she would incur a two stroke penalty, but would not be disqualified.” At D.A. Point’s round at the 2014 AT&T Pebble Beach tour event, the PGA Tour golfer had a foam ball training aid under his arm pit just to get loose. He took a couple of practice swings. Because he’d breached Rule 14-3, he was disqualified. “Now, when a player breaches Rule 14-3, he incurs the general penalty, loss of the hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play,” Pagel said, “If the player were to breach that rule again, the player would be disqualified.” While some of these changes have more implications than others, a small change can mean the difference between disqualification and remaining in the tournament. Posting a good score for your handicap, or not. The best advice is to know the rules as best as possible and when in doubt, ask a rules official, tournament official, or your local PGA golf professional for advice. It can save your round and make you a better golfer!
FECC FP4C GTT ad Spring 16.qxp_Layout 1 4/7/16 3:21 PM Page 1 SPRING 2016 www.NJGolfnews.com | GOLFER’S TEE TIMES | www.passportnjgolf.com
A CLUB FOR ALL SEASONS! Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club is more than just three impeccably manicured championship golf courses. Year round activities are what separate us from the rest and make us truly a club for all seasons. Enjoy incredibly diverse dining options from a special team expert in the culinary arts, top notch entertainment and events, a spectacular aquatics center, a fantastic tennis facility including 5 new Har-Tru tennis courts and platform tennis, a complete fitness studio, cross country skiing, ice skating, fly fishing and our state-of-the-art indoor golf academy. Simply stated, Fiddler’s is the most unique club in New Jersey.
811 Rattlesnake Bridge Road • Bedminster Township, NJ (500 feet from I-78 Exit 26) 908.439.2123 • FiddlersElbowCC.com
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SPRING 2016
Play 9: Two Jersey Shore Options to Play – Heritage Links & Hamilton Trails Golf Courses By Sean Fawcett
The Play 9 Movement is gaining momentum as people search for golf alternatives that take less time and is offered at a reasonable price, and the Jersey Shore is becoming a prime destination which provides some terrific 9-hole options where golfers can experience, and play, some of the friendliest and best nine hole courses around. While we will explore several options throughout this season, two courses we wanted to start with are Heritage Links Golf Course in Ocean View and Hamilton Trails Golf Club in Mays Landing. Located south of Marmora and Beasley’s Point, Heritage Links gives golfers the opportunity to play just nine holes, with the flexibility, to go around a second time if you desire to play eighteen holes. Their slogan is “Play nine before beach time,” and owner Curt Corson holds to his word. Get there early and you’ll be back with your family by the time they are ready to head to the beach. Measuring 1,886 yards from the back tees, the course features six par-3 holes, starting with the 141-yard first hole and ending with the 138-yard ninth (eighteenth) hole. Heritage Links provides all skill level players a unique, and entertaining, golfing experience. Several holes are overlooking the Garden State Parkway, while others give you a fine sense of the south Jersey ponds and marshes. There is also a totally unique 17th and 18th century graveyard right beside the 8th green. Take a few minutes to soak in the local artifacts and scenery as you make your way around a 15-year old links which seems a hundred years older and will transport you back to some of the classic old country courses of Ireland, Scotland and England. No. 4 green at Heritage Golf Links in Palermo, New Jersey
“This land has been in the Corson family since the late 1600’s,” said course superintendent Rob Prettyman. “They came here as whalers from Long Island as one of the first families in Cape May County. The course is built on working farm land. It’s got a lot of history. We’re a family owned, family friendly, fun and affordable place to play golf. We have a little bit of everything here. You can play every shot you have.” One of the best examples of this is the 3rd hole. A par-three playing only about 99 yards is straight uphill and over water. On some days the yardage on this hole can differ as much as thirty yards. There are also four sets of tees paralleling the water. “It’s sort of a finesse shot,” said Prettyman, “but it can also be a full 9 iron, or an 8, for most players because it’s so uphill. You have water and a bunker that you have to carry. The third hole is the shortest and lowest handicapped hole on scorecard, but by no means is it an easy play. Any green out here can result in a 3 or even 4 putt.” “Some of our undulations will make you feel like you’re playing at The Masters,” said Bill Marshall, the PGA Head Professional at the golf course. “The greens are reasonably fast but puttable. They make chipping and putting here a lot of fun.” A signature feature of Heritage Links is the bowl-shaped greens which can funnel slightly any wayward approach shot toward the center of the green. You can miss a little left or right on some holes and the ball, somehow, finds its way rolling toward the middle of the green. Perhaps the best example of these “fun funneling greens” is on the par-3 fifth hole. Another highlight at Heritage Links can be found adjacent to the 8th green where gravestones of the Corson family are in the woods to the right above the front of the putting surface. An uphill par-4, playing only 338 yards, No.8 plays deceivingly longer with a blind tee shot preceding a sometimes blind second shot to another long bowl shaped green. The ideal way to play No.8 is with a long drawing drive followed by a fading mid to long iron from the fairway. “It’s a great little golf course,” said Marshall. “It’s a quality golf course. We have an excellent staff who provide great customer service. We’re one of the best
kept golf secrets in South Jersey.” The very same can, also, be said about another family-owned, nine-hole facility, Hamilton Trails Golf Club in Mays Landing. Here you might just find the best answer for those seeking a fun and affordable round of golf. Start at their 20-station driving range and large practice putting green to warmup before the round. Then it’s off to the golf course, which happens to be the only regulation length 9-hole South Jersey golf course. That means, unlike many 9-hole courses, which are either exclusively Par 3s or “Executive” courses, you’ll have the opportunity to hit every club in your bag. The tree-lined course offers both resident, and vacationing, golfers the ability to play a pleasant, but also challenging, round in an ultra-friendly and laid back atmosphere. “Golf’s a great game for the family,” said long-time Hamilton Trails owner Jack Bucceri. “Everyone who works and plays here is like family. We like that. Our goal is to be a course where everyone in the family can play, practice and enjoy themselves.” From the “back” tees, the course plays to 3,265 yards, and it definitely plays to that yardage, if not more, considering the strong Jersey Shore breezes that can blow through the course, even on the best of days. The senior/ladies tees will save you about 500 yards, but still present some long challenging holes. On the first hole you might consider starting with a 3-wood or hybrid, as the hole makes a dramatic dogleg left. Attempting to cut off the left side of the fairway is a risk/reward proposition. Pulling this off successfully, and you will be rewarded with a shorter approach, but a mishit can result in your ball landing in the rough, trees, or even a small pond right at the intersection of the dogleg. Several other holes are also doglegs, and will require a solidly-hit driver before an approach shot that can range from fairway wood to wedge, depending on the hole and wind direction. One of the more enjoyable holes is the sixth hole, a par-4. A dogleg right, measuring only 325 yards, this hole calls for a straight ball off the tee landing short of a creek and bisecting the fairway. A well struck fade with a driver or 3-wood can carry the hazard and set up a full wedge or a long pitch to the green. Miss your shot and you might end up looking for your ball in the woods. The seventh hole does almost the same only in the opposite direction and playing about forty yards longer. The par- 5 eighth hole plays 465-yards from the back and can be reached in two, but beware of the twin bunkers guarding both sides of the green. A good, straight drive is imperative with woods to the left and the driving range on the right, plus a creek cuts across about 200 yards from the green. The hole narrows towards the green with an opening to the left. Your round then concludes with Hamilton Trails’ signature par 3 which can play easily 180 yards or more. A reed rimmed pond defends the green short and left making your best bet to save par, if you miss the green, short and right. Play here on a windy day, and this hole can easily play more than 200 yards. Making par at the home hole is always an accomplishment, and a relief. No. 9 green at Hamilton Trails Golf Club in Mays Landing, New Jersey
“The great thing about nine- hole golf courses is that you can play nine holes if you just have the time to play nine holes, or you can play more,” Bucceri said. “We don’t have tee times. You just show up when you feel like playing. It’s very flexible.” So often, we hear how golfers just don’t have the time anymore to play a eighteen holes. Well here you have two examples where both the Bucceri and Corson families have turned their golf courses into affordable, family-owned and family-friendlyretreats where everyone feels welcome. Golf courses like Heritage Links and Hamilton Trails are the perfect balance between challenging and fun, so give them a try the next time you’re looking to golf at the Jersey Shore.
Advertise in Golfer’s Tee Times editor@njgolfnews.com
SPRING 2016
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Is FootGolf Coming to a Golf Course Near You? By Sean Fawcett
Golf balls aren’t the only balls flying around some golf courses these days. At a few local golf courses, soccer balls are also flying around the fairways.Like it, love it, or don’t, FootGolf is a fast growing sport, popular with kids and adults, and many area golf clubs are seeingthe exciting possibilities. Soccer’s popularity has been building record momentum in recent years with the steady, and growing, success of the US Men’s National Team and Major League Soccer, pluslast summer’s scintillating domination by the US Women’s National team at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. New Jersey has long been a hotbed for soccer, driven in large part by the diverse population who bring with them a sincere and stirring passion for the world’s most popular sport. In addition, New Jersey is, also,home to several of the world’s best known soccer stars including national team, and English Premiere League, starting goal keeper Tim Howard, USWNT captain Christie Rampone and FIFA Women’s Soccer Player of the Year, Carli Lloyd. Eight locations around New Jersey currently offer FootGolf while many others are considering it. Included among the growing number of courses who have FootGolf, are the Brigantine Golf Links and Green Tree Golf Course (both managed by the Atlantic County Improvement Authority), Gambler Ridge, Crystal Springs, Anchor Golf, High Bridge Hills, and Bel-Aire. At their core, soccer and golf have a lot more in common than most people might think. For one thing, both sports have chipping and pitching. When a soccer player chips a soccer ball to a teammate, he, or she, is hitting a short popping kick from short range to a teammate almost exactly like the way a golfer tries when he, or she, is chipping the ball to the hole around the green to a hole. The principles of putting in golf and short rolling foot passes in soccer are almost the same for both sports as well. The symbiosis of the games also include; playing in groups of up to four, playing the ball as it lies, taking drops from water hazards, and the most basic of all - you start each hole from a designated teeing area and count your successive
strokes until the ball is holed. One of the most attractive aspects of FootGolf is the simplicity of the game. It does not have any of the same barriers to entry as golf. It is not expensive to start (all you need is a soccer ball and some cleats or sneakers) and is a lot easier to play. You never have to worry about which club to hit, what your yardage is and you truly should not have to spend much time looking for a lost ball. “FootGolf is a blast and it doesn’t take that long to play.” Green Tree Golf Course PGA professional John C. Hammer adds, “Basically anyone can do it. If you can kick a ball and walk you can play FootGolf.” “It’s a lot like playing golf except you kick a soccer ball,” said Hammer. “It is great because it allows more people,
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besides just golfers, to use the golf course. And there’s strategy, too. You have obstacles to go over, and around, just like in real golf. It’s a lot of fun. The kids really like it, and if we can get five boys or girls into golf for every fifty that try FootGolf, then that’s great. And that’s kind of the goal, really when you think about it.”
www.passportnjgolf.com
EAST ORANGE GOLF COURSE IS OPEN FOR PLAY…AND IT’S BETTER THAN EVER!
Experience the new
EAST ORANGE GOLF COURSE. Under the supervision of noted golf course architect Stephen Kay, East Orange has undergone a comprehensive restoration, including new bent grass greens, newly rebuilt bunkers, tee boxes, a new practice range and, coming soon, a new clubhouse and restaurant. With Season Passes beginning at just $500 and daily play Discount Cards available for $30*, there’s no better value than East Orange Golf Course. Come see why everything old at East Orange is new again!
East Orange Golf Course
Call (973) 379-7190 for tee times and information about 2016 Season Passes and Discount Cards*
440 Parsonage Hill Road, Short Hills, NJ 07078 Mayor Lester E. Taylor III • East Orange City Council
*East Orange residents and employees receive a 25% discount on Season Passes, or a flat daily fee rate of $18 for weekdays and $20 for weekends.
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SPRING 2016
East Orange Golf Course Renovation Completed
Northern New Jersey and metropolitan New York area golfers now have a welcome new option for affordable daily fee golf in the area. After a year-long closure in 2014, and a transitional year in 2015 which saw the golf course open for play while an extensive renovation was taking place, the golf course restoration is now complete. Feedback from golfers thus far indicates that it was well worth the wait. Noted golf course architect, Stephen Kay, who has designed such New Jersey gems as Blue Heron Pines, Harbor Pines, Scotland Run and The Architect’s Club, oversaw the restoration. He was supported by an expert team consisting of golf course superintendent Juan Casiano, Turco Golf, Maser Engineering and Marziani& Associates Architects. The restoration included:
· Rebuilding of all tee boxes · Redesign and rebuilding of all sand bunkers · New 6,000 square foot clubhouse and restaurant (to be completed later this year)
· Building two new golf holes · New practice/driving range · New putting green · New irrigation system · Resodding of all greens with improved bentgrass variety
“The goal of the renovation was to restore the old-fashioned charm of the golf course and make it appealing to players of all abilities,” said Kay. “We have recreated a player-friendly and aesthetically appealing golf course that is affordable and allows for a relatively brisk pace of play.” “After years of neglect, the golf course will now be a source of pride to the city of East Orange and Millburn/Short Hills area in which it is located,” said East Orange Mayor Lester Taylor III. East Orange Golf Course was originally designed in 1926 by Tom Bendelow, an architect renowned for making golf accessible and affordable for the public. Bendelow’s most famous design was Medinah Country Club in Illinois. 2016 Season Passes are now available for East Orange Golf Course. They range from $500 for Juniors to $1,500 for Individual Unlimited. Senior Unlimited Season Passes are $1,000 and Individual Weekday Season Passes are $1,200. East Orange residents and employees receive a 25 percent discount on Season Passes. For more information, contact the pro shop at (973) 379-7190.
SPRING 2016
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Aaron Bada Sets the Bar High at his Golf & Sports Performance Club By Sean Fawcett
At Aaron Bada’s Golf & Sports who range in ages from 8-80, and Performance Club in Somers Point, include many top local high school the main objective is to get golfers in players. To encourage youth golf
the best athletic playing shape possible so that they can enjoy the game for a lifetime. Since 2000, Aaron Bada has owned and operated the facility, which recently moved to a larger location on Bay and Longport, Avenues in Somers Point. The 4,000 sq. ft. physical training and golf improvement center is open to all golfers of almost all ages and abilities. “Our goal is to help all players learn and play at their best forever,” says Bada. Bada has made it his mission to make golfers aware of how important fitness is to improving their strengths and abilities. Bada, who has a degree in health promotion from The College of Charleston, South Carolina, served for two years as a second assistant golf professional at the Country Club of Charleston. Under the guidance of Hart Brown, a highly respected teaching professional, he gained a unique and specialized expertise in helping golfers get the best out of their swings and their bodies. “Being a golf professional definitely helps,” said Bada. “Playing good golf is a lot more than just lifting heavy weights and swinging hard. We have a simulator and we analyze our clients’ swings. We assess on their swing and their physical abilities. After that, we work on the specific exercises and using the right equipment for each person’s needs. The best science is to get maximum improvement. We take a concept and adapt it to the individual and their needs.” “We see so many young players
participation, GSF offers different leveled junior clinics for boys and girls aged 8-13 and 14-18. Bada’s staff includes Orthopedic Sports Massage Specialist, and Yin Toga Instructor, Lisa Mott, and Health Fitness Specialist (ACSM) and Power Yoga Instructor, Erica Picking.
“We focus a lot on posture, physicality and flexibility,” explained Bada. “It’s about core and range of motion and balance. That’s where the power in the golf swing comes from. You need to be flexible, coordinated, balanced, and have very good timing. All of that needs to come together to get the kind of club head speed, which gets us the power and distance, and consistency, we all want” Bada tries to get his clients to do something he calls “prehab.” “Golf is pretty hard on the body. We want to educate our players to play, and exercise correctly so they won’t get hurt, and then have to spend any time rehabbing, instead of golfing. It’s all about having fun and having fun playing golf.” Golf Specific Fitness features dozens of state-of-the art strength and conditioning machines, plus ropes and balance balls, in a spacious two leveled gym with massage/stretching tables and a yoga room with yoga classes, a TruGolf indoor golf simulator, TrackMan analysis equipment and a brand new TOMI putting system. “We’re really a boutique fitness club,” said Bada. “We try to cater to the individual golfer’s personality, dealing with injuries. We hope that physical ability and expertise. The with the right training, these can be thing I want to help my players do is avoided with our golfers,” adds Bada. to help them keep improving, growing, Bada’s personalized and and loving golf for a lifetime.” professional attention helps clients
experience your playground
[ U L S T E R C O U N T Y, N . Y. ] Lazy Swan Golf & Country Club, Saugerties, N.Y.
Just a 90 minute drive from Manhattan are more than a dozen beautifully manicured golf courses awaiting your challenge. Come experience breathtaking views of the Hudson Valley at historic golf settings and courses designed by acclaimed architects including Robert Trent Jones. No waiting, reasonable rates and convenient tee times – it’s the perfect golfing getaway. For a complete list of golf courses and more information, visit www.UlsterCountyAlive.com or call Ulster County Tourism at 1-800-342-5826.
Hudson Valley/Catskill Regions
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SPRING 2016
Golf Hospital in Northfield takes us “Back to the Future” By Sean Fawcett
In the past, one used to see many “Mom and Pop” type roadside pro shops and driving ranges. They seemed to be everywhere, especially in more suburban and rural areas. Growing up in Tuckerton, I clearly remember such a range and pro shop on Bay Avenue in Manahawkin. It’s not there anymore, and has been gone for twenty, or even twenty five years, but it was where my Dad went to hit golf balls and where he taught me to play when I was barely big enough to swing a club. Now, sadly, many of those great old little places are gone. Yet, on Tilton Road in Northfield, golfers will find Ronnie O’Toole’s Golf Hospital and Pro Shop which brings the past back to life, and to the future.
Situated about a mile off the Garden State Parkway and Fire Road outside of Atlantic City, Ronnie O’Toole and his wife Susan run their golf business, located next to the Tilton Road driving range. They serve the golfers from the local Atlantic County community and southern Jersey with that special kind of personable, friendly, knowledgeable, responsible and courteous customer service. Beginner and youth instruction is available too. If you remember the range featured in the Kevin Costner movie classic, Tin Cup, or the one I remember so fondly in Manahawkin, you’ll feel right at home here.
Whether it’s providing lessons, club fitting, same day gripping, or club repairs, the Golf Hospital and Pro Shop sells both new and used clubs from leading brands, including Ping, Taylor Made, Callaway, Cobra and Adams, plus most other items that the golfer will need. A rebuilt miniature golf course is also on the property. “We’re looking to make a place that golfers, and their kids, can come to and learn, and enjoy practicing golf,” said O’Toole. “Golf is a great game. It is a game for a lifetime. We’re hoping to be here to help a lifetime of golfers get started with the proper equipment for them to play better and enjoy the game more.” **Note: You can also follow Ronnie”s Golf Shop on Facebook, where they post frequent specials and updates**
“There used to be a lot of ranges and pro shops like us, but now there aren’t many,” said O’Toole, who opened up the Golf Hospital and Pro Shop in 2014. “We do a little bit of everything here. We grip clubs, fit clubs, custom build clubs, order clubs and can fix shafts too. We have maybe the biggest selections of used clubs in the area. You can test the clubs, whether they’re old or new, right here on the range. You name it, we do it. Anything the area golfer needs or wants, we can pretty much provide.”
Closest Course to Atlantic City
New Jersey’s Best Scottish Links Course
Noted for the Best Greens at the Beach Ranked best value Course in Southern New Jersey -Golfing Magazine & Press of Atlantic City Top 100 Must Play Golf Courses -Golf Styles Philly & NJ
Call (609) 266-1388 for Tee Times ~ 1 Golf Course Dr. ~ Brigantine, NJ 08203
SPRING 2016
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Musselburgh Links, the Old Golf Course: A true Scottish Treasure By Sean Fawcett
Last summer’s British Open Championship returned again to hallowed St. Andrews, the legendary, and beloved“Home of Golf”, and this year the Claret Jug returns, the also very old (founded in 1878), Royal Troon. Scotland and golf has an even older and historic past than any other place. What most people don’t realize is that the Old Golf Course, aka Musselburgh Links, is an original ‘Open Championship’ venue, which hosted “The Open” (what is now know as the British Open) on six occasions between 1874 and 1889.Musselburgh Links, in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, is generally recognized as the oldest golf course in the world, and the oldest on which play has been continuous. Basically it’s a British Open course that anybody can play, too. Located just about twenty minutes from Edinburgh, Musselburghwill often be included aspart of the East Lothian rotation by golfing packages offered by Scottish travel companies like Hidden Links, SGH Golf, and Golfbreaks. While some courses, like Musselburgh, are less well- known to US golfers, that doesn’t make it any less spectacular. Musselburgh Links is a publicly owned and administered regulation-sized nine hole masterpiece built around, The Musselburgh Racecourse. It has challenged golfers from around the world since somewhere in the mid-1800s, although there is some early documentation of golf being playing on Musselburgh Links from 1672, which has earned Musselburgh Links the Guinness World Record for being the oldest golf course in the world. It has been reputed that Mary Queen of Scots played on Musselburgh even earlier in 1567. Originally only seven holes long, the 8th, and a 9th, hole were added in 1838 and 1870, respectively. Musselburgh Links was one of just three initial layouts which first staged the Open Championship along with Prestwick and St. Andrews, in the 1870s and 1880s. A par 34, measuring just under 2,900 yards, The Musselburgh Links hosted six of the very first “Opens,” which were two round trials. The first Open in 1874 was won by Mungo Park(75-84-159) and the last by Willie Park Jr.(78-77-155) in 1889. Soon thereafter, however, Musselburgh was taken out of The Championship rotation, when St. Andrews and Muirfield opened in 1891. Besides being the oldest golf course, Musselburgh is also famous, or sometimes infamous, for where the four-an-a-quarter inch hole size got its start. It all started because the tool used by the Musselburgh greens keepers to cut the holes, which was 108 millimeters in diameter, and thus came about the hole size. Some trivia you might not have known. Fairly flat, with some sloping, but mostly straight away fairway the greens fees average only about $20 (pound sterling, which is equivalent to just under $30 US dollars currently) for nine hole. You can even rent a set of hickory golf clubs to make you feel like you are playing in olden days. Musselburgh Links is fair layout for most golfers, both men and women. The first hole starts with one of the more unusual and challenging, par 3s you’ll ever get to play. Named
“The Short Hole,” it was originally added as the course’s eighth hole in 1838, it is an incredibly demanding, and sometimes daunting. At 240-yards from the tee (140 yards from the forward tees),the elevated tee box, located just outside the pro shop window will require a long and accurate tee shot to a bunkered green. Between a mix of c r o s s winds and the distraction of hitting over the track’s white metal fencing, many tee shots land between ten and thirty yards short of the green. Needless to say, par is an excellent and well-earned score at Musselburgh’s one-of-a-kind, maybe signature, but definitely very memorable, first hole. The next few holes are more of your traditional par-4 holes, with yardages ranging from 348 to as much as 431 yards, and follow the length of the horse track. Your tee shot on the fourth hole starts from inside the fences and goes on the outside of the race course to the very end of the course property towards the Musselburgh town center. Named “Mrs. Foreman’s”, this hole plays more like a short par5, and making a four is almost like getting a birdie on the hole. The toughest of the Links’ nine holes, Mrs. Forman’s gets its name for the historic Mrs. Forman’s pub located right behind it’s green, where golfer’s used to be able to get a quick pint during their round. The only par 5 on the course is the seventh hole. Named “The Bathing Coach,” the seventh measures 479 yards and is guarded on all sides by Scotland’s famously thick, thorny gorse, which is definitely something you want to stay away from. Hitting the fairway is a premium on this hole, as well as keeping the ball left with the track on your right for holes 1-4, and again on holes 8 and 9. A personal favorite hole was the tough, but picturesque fifth hole. At 183 yards, this par- 3, named “The Sea Hole”, has a long, skinny green, which slopes from back to front, and is guarded on almost each side by a pair of formidable pot bunkers. Staying out of these bunkers is a challenge I can personally attest to. Walk away with par, and you’re very happy. Going uphill to the first turn of the track, you’ll need to cross over the hole to get to the next tee. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than playing in Scotland, the home of our great game. Hopefully, every golfer gets the chance, at least once in their lives, go and play there. No matter what your score is, everyone is a winner. Whether you’re playing the oldest course, The Musselburgh Links, or playing other championship layouts, you will find it both a triumph and a wonderful dream come true.
In Remembrance: Chip Ottinger, Sr. Scotland Run Golf Club and the entire Ottinger Golf Group family is still mourning the loss of their founder, Chester “Chip” Ottinger, Sr., 69, who passed away after a brief illness in late 2015. Chip left his mark in the golf industry and beyond as an astute businessman and generous benefactor. Chip was born in Monmouth County, NJ, and graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, NJ. He received his Bachelors of Science in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Upon graduation he began working alongside his father at a family owned asphalt company in Bridgeton, NJ. Under his leadership the company thrived and expanded. A second facility was opened in Williamstown, NJ. Chip took over control of the operation from his father 1978 and eventually purchased the company it in 1988. In 1998 when the Williamstown facility reached its extraction limit, the company began developing the Golf Digest 4 ½ star rated Scotland Run Golf Club. Around that time, Chip transferred control of the asphalt company to his son Chip Jr. and devoted his time to what was to become his heart and soul. Built in and around the decades old quarry, Scotland Run was named the #1 public golf course to entertain clients in the Philadelphia Region by Business Week
magazine and was ranked by the readers of Golf World magazine as the 34th best public golf course in the country. The Ottinger family went on to purchase Ballamor Golf Club in 2009 and Atlantic City Country Club in 2014. The trio of award-wining courses comprises the Ottinger Golf Group. All top 10 public golf courses in the state of New Jersey. But of the three, Scotland Run remained his favorite. He continued to report to work there every day and help oversee operations until his untimely passing. Longtime company employee and Director of Marketing Liz Norton-Scanga said, “There’s a void that cannot be filled. Chip was an amazing man. He was both intelligent and very humble. He was not a man of many words but when he did say something it was always worthwhile, whether it be a tidbit of business knowledge or something funny. He had a great sense of humor. We all miss him very much.” Chip was a charitable man, who donated his time, money, and countless golf rounds to many worthwhile causes. He owned his own plane and took part in numerous missions for Angel Flight NE whereby he served as a volunteer pilot donating his time, aircraft and expenses to provide free transportation to medical care for families in need. Chip was a member of the NJAPA, NAPA, UTCA and the United States Chamber of Commerce. He served as president of the New Jersey Asphalt Pavement Association from 1982 through
1984. He was also a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Chip leaves behind his wife of seven years, Sissi Ottinger; son and daughterin-law Chip and Holly Ottinger; daughter and son-in-law Meredith and Brad Stadler; daughter and son-in-law Lori and Tim
McDonald; grandchildren Jaxx, Jake, CJ and Chad Ottinger; Samantha, Madison, Nate, Luke and Chase Stadler; Kaitlyn and Connor McDonald; as well as his sister Eileen Ottinger. And of course, the countless employees, past and present, whose lives were enriched just by knowing him.
Kelly Pantone Kelly Pantone, 53, of Berkeley Heights, the Director of Marketing and Membership at Basking Ridge Country Club for over 25 years, passed away after a brief illness last October. She enjoyed hiking, wine tasting, travel, taking cruises but most of all she loved being with her family and friends. Surviving are her husband, Robert
Pantone; her son, Jesse Nelson and his wife, Ana of Davenport, FL; her daughter, Giuliana Pantone of Boston, MA; her mother, Catherine McKenna; her brothers, Thomas McKenna and Timothy McKenna and her sister, Ellen Hogrelius. Kelly was a great supporter of Golfer’s Tee Times. She will be greatly missed by us and the golf community.
Aaron Bada
GSF President
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SPRING 2016
New Jersey Golf Foundation Announces The Electric Motorized Golf Caddy – Still Going Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Strong by Improving Your Health and Game to Support Youth Programs
We definitely live in health conscious times, and what better way to play the game we all love, golf, have the benefits of walking, without needing to hire a caddy or carry one’s clubs. At one time, for many golfers who chose to walk the golf course, the choice came down to carrying a heavy bag on their back or dealing with an old-fashioned pull cart. Today, however, the options have changed and the electric caddy, once quite cumbersome and expensive, has transformed into a realistic alternative. For those looking for something that covers a wide range of options and price points while being top quality loaded with features, the Bat-Caddy, an electric motorized push caddy, might be the option you are looking for. Bat-Caddy Electric Golf Caddy, the North American leader in electric caddies for over ten years, has a wide range of choices, starting as low as $399 for the X4 Classic, all the way to their top of the line remote lithium cart, the X8R, which retails for $1,299. Bat-Caddy carts are available as either manually or fully remote controlled units with all the modern features such as timed advance, remote control and even USB ports to charge your GPS or smart phone. The company is constantly upgrading and improving its product line. Now in their 12th model year, their product line ranges from the 2016 X4 Classic model, which is their entry level product at a
affordable price point, to the ultra light weight, state-of-the-art remote with long lasting and ultra light 12Vlithium battery, the newly designed X8R. “Our best selling caddies are still the X4R and the X3R. Notably now is that all models have the option of a super light (6 lbs) lithium battery which is20 lbs lighter than the SLA battery and also can take up to1,000 charging cycles at 2 rounds per charge, “ says Peter Hanneforth, President of Bat-Caddy and the driving force behind the company. “Hence, they should last more than 10 times as long as the heavy old fashioned lead acid batteries. They are more expensive but the additional cost justifies the multiple benefits.” All models feature a lightweight, European style high tech aluminum frame with an easy one piece fold up design that is smaller than most regular push carts. “Our caddies are the optimal balance between performance, size, weight, functionality, quality and price” added Hanneforth. For more than a decade, Hanneforth has taken the company from startup to the top of the market. As our baby boomers continue play more golf in their retirement years and looking to improve their health andhandicap, this is a perfect fit. For additional information and current specials, visit the company website, www. batcaddy.com.
Photo credit: Jaws Youth Playbook
& Pamela Liebman is the winner of the 2016 Chairman’s Award
The New Jersey Golf Foundation (NJGF), the charitable arm of the New Jersey Section, PGA of America (NJPGA), has announced that Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) has teed up a new round of support to help the NJGF bring golf to tens of thousands of young boys and girls across the Garden State. “Horizon has been a longstanding supporter of the NJGF, and we are thrilled that the company will join us in a multi-year effort to help inspire young people to embrace the sport of golf,” said Chris Hunt, Executive Director, NJGF. “Health, wellness and physical activity are priorities of both organizations, and through our new collaboration, we will integrate more of these elements into all programming, including our various youth golf initiatives.” In 2016, through this new multiyear relationship, Horizon BCBSNJ will work with the NJGF to integrate health & wellness initiatives into the NJGF’s dynamic line-up of programming that supports the Foundation’s three core pillars - youth, military and special needs. Additionally, The New Jersey Golf Foundation also announced that Pamela Liebman, President & CEO of The Corcoran Group, a leading New York City real estate firm, has been named the recipient of the NJGF’s 2016 Chairman’s Award. Liebman will be recog-
nized at the 10th Annual NJGF Golf Classic, which will be held at the famed Baltusrol Golf Club -- host venue of the 2016 PGA Championship -- on Monday, August 15th, 2016. The NJGF Golf Classic is the signature event on the NJGF’s annual calendar, and the Chairman’s Award is given annually to an individual who works tirelessly behind the scenes to support the NJGF’s programs and initiatives. The NJGF was created in 2004 to positively impact lives and communities through the game of golf, with a focus on 3 core pillars, youth, military and special needs. Under the guidance of PGA Professionals, dynamic programming is designed to provide individuals from all backgrounds an opportunity to experience the game of golf in a welcoming environment. Liebman has been a strong supporter of golf programming since the Foundation’s inception. “Pamela Liebman works tirelessly to support the New Jersey Golf Foundation, and its mission to positively impact lives and communities through the game of golf,” said Pete Bevacqua, CEO, PGA of America. “The NJGF’s lineup of programming in collaboration with PGA REACH is impacting lives and making a difference across New Jersey, and Pamela’s support has been instrumental in providing individuals from all backgrounds with access to the game of golf.”
SPRING 2016
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Heard Around the States Four Participants of the First Tee of Raritan Valley win Awards Sayaka Carpenter of East Brunswick and Zachary Huber of Old Bridge were each recipients of $2,000 college scholarships presented by the Red Hoffman Cup Matches at the annual First Tee of Raritan Valley Awards Night on Wednesday, April 13, at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth. Carpenter, a senior and golf team captain at East Brunswick High School, is choosing between Duke University and Rutgers University. Huber, on the golf team at Old Bridge High School, has decided to pursue the Golf Management Program at Campbell University in North Carolina. Other award winners were Brendan Demitus of Colonia, a freshman golfer at Fairleigh Dickinson University, who won the Youth Volunteer Award, and Bill Madden of Hillsborough, who was awarded the Adult Volunteer Award. Sayaka is a role model and ambassador for our First Tee,” said board member Vernell Moore, who presented the scholarship. “When I think about her, I think about poise, humility and grace. She is about character and life skills. She
embodies that and gives back to the community.” “To me, the First Tee is about having fun, making friends and building on friendships. My coaches would see my passion and stay with me until sunset. The scholarship means so much to me,” said Carpenter, who represented the First tee of Raritan Valley last fall at the Nature Valley First Tee Open in Pebble Beach. Kevin Casey, a First Tee board member representing the Hoffman Cup Matches, which include 32 country clubs playing team matches to decide the best team, said $60,000 has been donated to First Tee in New Jersey over the past four years. He noted $20,000 was donated by the Hoffman Cup matches last year. “Zach is a First Tee coach. He’s an example of the kids we’re trying to grow here,” Casey said. “First Tee has been great in help me improve how well I can play, about networking and meeting new people. I want to pursue golf as a career thanks to First Tee,” Huber said.
Michael Furey named Head Golf Professional at Forgate Country Club Forsgate Country Club has announced that Monroe Township native Michael Furey has been named the club’s new head golf professional. Working alongside Forsgate’s Director of Golf Carolyn McKenzie Andrews, Furey will oversee Forsgate’s merchandising and organize the club’s tournament calendar. In addition, Furey will provide lessons to members and guests, and this season he will serve as an instructor in the Forsgate Future Stars golf program that annually attracts hundreds of juniors from around the area. “Having grown up here in Monroe, Forsgate is the place where I discovered my love of golf. I am excited to come back ‘home’ and to work with an amazing team of professionals,” said Furey. A Class A PGA Member, Furey brings 15 years of experience to Forsgate. He began his career in 2000,
as the first assistant professional at Knob Hill Golf Club. In 2004, Furey moved on to the same position at Plainfield Country Club where he was responsible for member, women and junior golf activities. Furey then joined Metedeconk National Golf Club where, as first assistant professional, he coordinated daily golf operations and launched the club’s first ever junior golf program. “Mike is a wonderful addition to the Forsgate team. His experience working at top-notch private country clubs along with his business knowledge and work ethic will undoubtedly be appreciated by our enthusiastic members,” said McKenzie Andrews. A graduate of Monroe Township High School, Furey spent six years in the United State Marine Corps. He currently resides in Monroe.
PGA of America President Derek Sprague named Managing Director of Liberty National Golf Club Liberty National co-founders Paul and Dan Fireman recently named Derek Sprague the new Managing Director of Liberty National Golf Club. Sprague will be employed by the PGA TOUR as part of an expanded operational relationship between Liberty National and the TOUR. Sprague, 48, comes to Liberty National from Malone (N.Y.) Golf Club, where he has served as General Manager/Director of Golf for 27 years. In addition to his duties at Malone, Sprague is currently serving the second year of his term as the 39th President of the PGA of America, which represents more than 28,000 PGA professionals across the United States. Sprague has received numerous awards and has served in a number of leadership roles at the PGA section and national levels. “We believe that this new management agreement will provide the expertise and resources that will
continue to enhance the Liberty experience into the future. We welcome Derek and look forward to this unprecedented partnership,” said Dan Fireman. “Liberty National is an iconic facility and under the Firemans’ leadership has established an impressive legacy in a short period of time and has an exciting future,” said Sprague. “I am thrilled to be joining the PGA TOUR team and look forward to serving the Liberty National members and guests as we look ahead to The Presidents Cup 2017.” In August 2014, the PGA TOUR announced that Liberty National would serve as host site for The Presidents Cup in 2017 as part of a 25-year agreement with the PGA TOUR. This long-term agreement calls for Liberty National to host up to 10 PGA TOUR tournaments, including the first of the four FedExCup Playoff (now known as the Northern Trust) events in 2019.
Hidden Creak Golf Club Again Named to “America’s 100 Best Modern Courses” Hidden Creek Golf Club has been named as one of “America’s 100 Best Modern Courses” by Golfweek Magazine for the 13th consecutive year. Hidden Creek was ranked 72nd on the 2016 list of the nation’s best modern day courses, defined as those built since 1960. The list was published in early March by the magazine in the annual feature entitled “Golfweek’s Best.” Hidden Creek was one of only four New Jersey golf courses to make the list. A private club located in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, Hidden Creek was designed by the renowned tandem of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. They are regarded by many in the industry as the preeminent golf architects in the world today. Ten of the Top 100 on Golfweek’s list were Coore and Crenshaw designs, including two of the top three…Sand Hills Golf Club, in Mullen, Nebraska, ranked number one among modern U.S. courses, and Friar’s Head, in Baiting Hollow, NY, ranked number three. Opened in 2002, Hidden Creek ranked third among private golf clubs in the U. S. in Golf World’s inaugural Reader’s Choice Awards in 2008, behind only the fabled Augusta National and Pine Valley Golf Clubs. In 2003, Hidden Creek was ranked 72nd on GOLF Magazine’s list of “Top 100 Courses in the United States.” Hidden Creek was selected by the United States Golf Association (USGA) to host the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, which was held from September 26 through October 1, 2015. Hidden Creek also hosted a U.S. Open qualifier in 2014, and, in 2004, the USGA selected the club as a qualifying site for two other prestigious USGA Championships, the
U.S. Women’s Open and the U.S. Senior Open. “We are very proud to have earned this distinction for the 13th consecutive year,” said Hidden Creek owner Roger Hansen. “This continuing recognition from Golfweek helps validate much of the exceptional feedback we received from the USGA and the playing competitors during the Senior Am last year. We are committed to working hard on behalf of our members to maintain and elevate the high standards that are associated with such a prestigious honor.” Golfweek’s 20th annual rankings were determined by a panel of several hundred course raters. They rendered their judgements based on 10 standards of evaluation, including ease and intimacy of routing, quality of feature shaping, natural setting and overall land plan, interest of greens and surrounding contours, variety and memorability of par 3s, variety and memorability of par 4s, variety and memorability of par 5s, basic quality of conditioning, landscape and tree management, and “walk in the park” test. A limited number of golfing memberships are available at Hidden Creek, including a national membership and a limited time special membership offering. For more membership information, contact the golf course directly. For a complete list of Golfweek’s “America’s Best”, including rankings of both modern and classic courses, visit www.golfweek.com
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SPRING 2016
Heard Around the States Ridgewood Country Club hosts US Girls’ Junior Championship in July The Ridgewood Country Club, in Paramus, N.J.,will host site the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. The fourth USGA championship to be held at Ridgewood is scheduled for July 18-23, 2016. “We are thrilled to have Ridgewood Country Club as the host site of the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior and sincerely appreciate the club’s generosity in opening its longcelebrated facilities to this generation of female players,” said Diana M. Murphy, President of the USGA. “This historic club will surely provide an excellent stage for the world’s most talented teenage female golfers and an extraordinary experience for all.” Located less than 30 miles northwest of New York City, Ridgewood’s three 9-hole courses – East, Center and West – were designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened for play in 1929. The course routing for the Girls’ Junior will incorporate holes from all three nines. Ridgewood’s most recent USGA championship was the 1990 U.S. Senior Open, in which Lee Trevino prevailed by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus on the Center and West courses. The club also hosted the 1974 U.S. Amateur, won by Jerry Pate, 2 and 1, over John P. Grace, and the 1957 U.S. Senior Amateur, won by J. Clark Espie, 4 and 3, over Frederick J. Wright. Other notable events held at
Ridgewood include the PGA Tour’s The Barclays in 2014, 2010 and 2008, won by Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar and Vijay Singh, respectively; the 2001 Senior PGA Championship, won by Tom Watson; the 1981 LPGA CocaCola Classic, won by Kathy Whitworth, a World Golf Hall of Fame member who won a record 88 LPGA events; and the 1935 Ryder Cup Matches, in which the USA defeated Great Britain, 9-3. The 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior will be the 60th USGA championship conducted in New Jersey. Other upcoming USGA events in New Jersey are the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster and the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield. The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship was first conducted in 1949 and is open to female amateurs who have not turned 18 on or before the final day of that year’s championship and have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4. Notable champions include threetime winner Hollis Stacy, Mickey Wright, Nancy Lopez, Amy Alcott, JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Pat Hurst, I.K. Kim, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson. There are volunteer opportunities available. For more information about the tournament, visit www.rcc1890. com or email: volunteers@rcc1890.com.
Former NJ Assistant Pro, Jim Herman wins on PGA TOUR & Plays in Masters Jim Herman, who spent two years working as an assistant pro at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster (2006-07), was the most unlikely player to earn his way into this year’s Masters when he won the Shell Open in Houston on the Sunday before Masters week. Herman's Cinderella-like story earned him a last-minute spot into his first Masters. The victory for the 38-year-old journeyman – he knocked around the mini tours for quite a while – got him a 2½-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a first-place prize of $1.224 million. With Trump's financial assistance, Herman finally advanced far enough through Q-School to earn a Web. com Tour spot in 2008. He played 114 events and finally won one. He moved up to the PGA Tour in 2011, but was 0-for-106 tournaments until he won in Houston. On the 72nd green at the Shell Open, Herman, 38, needed a two-putt from 20-feet for the win. While working at Trump National in
Bedminster, Herman played in many local events. In 2006, he finished tied for fourth behind champion Jason Lamp at Hollywood Golf Club in Deal. In the 2007 State Open at Plainfield Country Club, he tied for sixth place in the event won by Brian Komline. "I hired him as an assistant because I felt the club needed a strong player to play with the members," said Mickie Gallagher, Trump NationalBedminster's director of golf. "I think, deep down, Jim saw this as his last opportunity." "I told Mr. Trump that Jim had never been given the financial opportunity to try, and I thought it would behoove him to sponsor him," Gallagher said. "He said, 'Backing athletes not the best business deal, but sometimes it works out. If you feel this strongly about it, I'll do it.' "
Shackamaxon Country Club Celebrates Its Centennial Anniversary The year 1916 marked two milestones in golf. The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) was founded in New York City, and Shackamaxon Country Club, another A.W. Tillinghast designed course, enjoyed a heralded debut in the rural environs of Union County, New Jersey. Opened in Westfield (now Scotch Plains) during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, Shackamaxon Country Club (“Shack” as it is affectionately known) will commemorate its centennial with a yearlong series of speakers, events, tournaments and activities. To kick off the celebration this spring, the club introduced the Shackamaxon Speaker Series with topics ranging from golf history, featuring A.W. Tillinghast historian Phil Young, to the upcoming presidential election with political pundit Dick Morris. . On May 23, registered participants may take part in Shack’s Centennial Invitational 18-hole golf tournament and on Aug. 2-3, the club will proudly host the prestigious New Jersey State Golf Association’s Senior Amateur Championship. In the fall, the club will culminate its celebration with an elegant centennial gala on Oct. 8. Shackamaxon’s 100 year anniversary is especially meaningful to the club’s members, the community and golf course historians. Just five years ago in early 2011, the club’s future was in doubt, suffering from the effects of the economic downturn and dwindling memberships in the wake of uncertainty. In December of 2011, an affiliate of RDC Golf Group, a golf course ownership and management company, purchased the club and began the renaissance of Shackamaxon. Now, the historic club that was nearly lost is basking in success with golf memberships near capacity and social/sports memberships tripling with the club’s introduction of family oriented amenities. Recent club enhancements include the addition of a multi-million dollar resort-style pool complex in 2015; a full golf course bunker restoration and the re-design of an existing par 4 into an acclaimed Tillinghast-inspired “Reef” par 3-hole; an extensive men’s locker room renovation; and refurbishment of the club’s stately ballroom and grill room bar. “We are honored and fortunate to be part of ‘Shack’s’ recent resurgence,
and thank our members—new and long term—for making it possible,” said Christopher S c h i a v o n e , managing partner and chief executive officer of RDC Golf Group, Inc. “This Tillinghast treasure in the New Jersey suburbs is a special club that we have focused on making an exceptional value for members and their families.” It was family that brought Shackamaxon’s original owner and American Type Founders Company President Robert W. Nelson, to the Westfield area back in 1908. Looking for a perfect place to call home, Nelson purchased Lambert Farm, a picturesque property that featured meadows, woods and a beautiful lake. Some years later he would decide to build a country club on the farmland and hired well-known golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast to design the course. Tillinghast’s first “official” design was the golf course for the Shawnee Inn at Shawneeon-Delaware in 1911, and following Shackamaxon, he would design the renowned courses at Baltusrol, Winged Foot and Bethpage among others. The club known as Shackamaxon opened its doors on Sept. 2, 1916, with hundreds of area residents touring the property. Shack’s first golf professional was Cyril Walker, an established tournament player, who would later win the 1924 U.S. Open. Other wellknown Shack professionals included Bobby Cruickshank, one of the original inductees in the PGA Hall of Fame, New Jersey PGA Hall of Famer Danny Williams and New Jersey golf legend Milton “Babe” Lichardus, who served as the club’s head professional from 19691973. Through the years, Shackamaxon has hosted several prestigious golf tournaments. In addition to five New Jersey State Open tournaments and the Metropolitan Open in 1928, the club hosted the PGA Tour’s Cavalcade of Golf in 1955. Now one hundred years later, Shackamaxon continues to be the golf and social centerpiece of the Scotch Plains-Westfield communities and its revitalized Tillinghast course remains one of distinction.
Beach & Kang win NJPGA Pro-Pro Championship Both Alex Beach (Ridgewood CC) & Sam Kang (Essex Golf Range) have had their share of wins in the NJPGA Section and this time they teamed up to win the first NJ PGA Section event of the year. the Pro Pro Championship. The event was once again conducted at Galloway National Golf Club with Cobra Puma, HIO USA, Kirk & Matz & The PGA Tour as sponsors. The field needed to battle 30 mph gusts in round 1 and rain in round 2 but the Beach/Kang team still managed to post a 36-hole total score of 8-under par, 134. Their score was 5 shots better than runner-up team of Chris Dzergoski (Bella Vista CC) & Mark Yannotta (Anchor GC).
SPRING 2016
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STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: NAME THE SPORT DOWN ACROSS 1. Remove, as a hat 1. Something proclaimed true without proof 2. Eye rakishly 6. Trigonometry abbr. 3. Sheepish expression 9. *____surfing with no board 4. Hajj destination 13. Shrek and Fiona, e.g. 5. Inquiring 14. “____ the Games Begin!” 6. Horsefly 15. Core of personnel 7. Old-fashioned “over” 16. Motion picture 8. Squirrel away 17. Baseball stat 9. Island east of Java 18. Spock or Mork 10. Norse deity 19. *Mask and epee 11. Residue 21. *Pistes and moguls 12. Japanese monetary unit 23. Santa ___ winds 15. Alligator’s cousin 24. Attention grabber 20. Indian bread, pl. 25. *____-wrestling, like in “Over the Top” 22. Liquor store pony 28. Openmouthed astonishment 24. Kind of can 30. Hollywood’s lighting person 25. Echo sounder 35. 1970s carpet 26. Prized for its horns 37. “Cheers” regular 27. Address to a woman 39. a.k.a. Pleasant Island 29. *Played on horseback 40. Queen of Carthage 31. Fairies 41. *____ racing, on a single-mast vessel 32. Diesel and natural gas, e.g. 43. Slang for safecracker 33. Cereal killer 44. Altogether 34. *____ union or _____ league 46. 1952 Olympics host 36. *Played by Rory 47. No neatnik 38. John Dillinger’s girlfriend, e.g. 48. Candy containing fruit or nut 42. “____ Express” movie 50. Spanish earthen pot 45. Portrait painter 52. Porky’s home 49. It often precedes “chi” 53. Log splitter 51. Plural of #18 Across 55. A in IPA 54. Theater guide 57. *Scored with love 56. “Bravo! Bravo!”, e.g. 60. *Most popular sport in India 57. Short-term employee 64. Battle royal 58. Major European river 65. Color quality 59. Sometimes you get what you ____ 67. Fill with happy spirit 60. Porcinos 68. “... for _____ waves of grain...” 61. Pacific Islands’ ceremonial drink 69. Sixth sense 62. And others 70. ____ Academy in Annapolis 63. Rossini’s William ____ 71. Popular newspaper page 64. Communist Zedong 72. Hi ____ monitor 66. Put to work 73. Market booth answers on page 2
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