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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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2001 US Tour Golf player of the year FAN GAUDETTE
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By JAY NOMAKEO
Few players have enjoyed the success Fan Gaudette has had on the golf course. In 1999 Fan qualified for match play in the U.S. Senior Amateur at Skokie C.C. in Chicago.
An opening round 76, left him in 48th place out of 150 players. Fan managed a second round 75 in windy conditions and watched as players faltered down the stretch. His 151 total was good for 24th place and a spot in match play. It also gave Fan a 3 year exemption to the British Senior Amateur.
In 2000 Fan took time out from his job at Mass Mutual to attend the British Senior Amateur, played that year in Scotland. He toured the countryside playing legendary courses such as St. Andrews and Carnoustie. In the tournament Fan missed playing the last day, when his final round 74 (second lowest of the day) left him in 52nd place.
Fast forward to 2001 and the U.S. Tour Western Mass Player of the Year Award. All Fan did in 2001 was :
*Qualified for the Mass State four-ball with partner Ralph Strolis
*Qualified for Mass State Amateur
*Qualified for Mass State Mid - Amateur
*Finished 2nd in Mass Senior four-ball at Sterling CC with partner Don Mcleod
*Finished 3rd in New England Sr. Amateur shooting 75-70
In addition to a hectic state schedule, Fan was also successful in many club tournaments. Partnered with Mike Majka, Fan won Championship division finals at Ludlow, The Orchards, and Wyckoff. A 18th hole chip in by Dennis Booska denied Mike and Fan a fourth title at Greenfield. They are 5 time defending champs at Ludlow. Fan attributes his success to his strong partnership with Mike Majka.
"I'm a scrappy guy. Mike makes birdies". Together they have won 9 titles. Fan has teamed with Gary Burt and Jon Hunt at Greenfield for his other two four-ball wins.
In 2002 Fan looks forward to his sixth year with the New England Sr. Golf Assn. Fan says of the senior circuit " when I play I have a good chance to win." Other Western Mass players considered for player of the year were Jay Dirico and Mike Majka.
This season Burke Beverage will be sponsoring a player of the month award. U.S. Tour Golf will again sponsor the Player of the year Award. For more information visit www.westernmassgolf.com. |
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Grigely is ready to give thanks
By Steve Kelly
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Mike Grigely was in Boca Raton, Fla., playing golf with friend Paul Ryiz one day in early February when his cell phone rang.
"I was just getting ready to hit a seven-iron second shot on the last hole when the phone (which was in his golf cart) rang," Grigely said.
The caller was Tim Quirk of The Blandford Club, and vice-president of the Western Mass. Chapter of the PGA Conn. Section.
Quirk told Grigely that he was going to be the honoree at the annual Tee Party on April 25 at Oak Ridge GC.
"We talked for a few minutes. Then I hit my seven-iron shot. I hit it over the green. Honestly, my mind was more on the Tee Party.
"I started thinking about it then and not a day has gone by since in which I haven't thought about the Tee Party," Grigely said.
Grigely, now 47, has seen many area pros toasted at many Tee Parties over the years.
Now it's going to be his stage.
"What am I going to say? Who am I going to thank? I can think of all of the people who have been honored and I can think about all of the people who have helped me along the way. I've thought about all of them. But there is no way to thank them all," Grigely said.
He recalled Henry Bontempo, the late and revered pro at Franconia GC.
"When I was a kid playing there he looked at my broken down clubs. Pretty soon, thanks to Henry, I had better clubs," Grigely said.
A few years later when Grigely had finished playing in his first tournament as a pro - the Western Mass. Open at Elmcrest CC - Bontempo was working the scoreboard.
"I shot 74 then 70 and got a check for $67.50. Henry had his big autograph book with him and he asked me to sign it. I think I signed on the same page, or the opposite page, as Walter Hagen," Grigely said.
Bontempo's well-known autograph book was a who's who of golf.
Grigely was touched that his name was included with those of Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones and on and on (including the Duke of Windsor, the former King of Britain).
Sure to be remembered when Grigely takes the stage on April 25 will be Mickey Cotela, the former pro at Elmcrest CC.
"I'd be hanging around Elmcrest. Mickey would tell me to get out there and practice. I learned a lot from Mickey. I learned a lot about life from him," Grigely said.
Joe Pagos, the man who built Elmcrest, will be thanked. "He's been so good to me and my family. Elmcrest has always been a home away from home for me," Grigely said.
Grigely's first job in golf after turning pro in 1973 began in the spring of 1974, when he worked for Ronnie Mattson at Twins Hills.
He moved on to Springfield Country Club, where he worked for Harry Mattson.
Then he went to Franconia GC, working for Tom Gorman.
He was hired in the fall of 1979 to begin work in 1980 at Edgewood Golf Course and he's still there, overseeing the recent transformation of the golf course and wearing many hats.
"When I started I gave lessons and ran tournaments. Now I'm the Director of Golf but I'm involved in promoting the course, the irrigation project, and the restaurant in addition to running the golf shop and merchandising. The golf business has really changed," Grigely said.
He can easily recall his first win as a pro.
"It was in 1973 at The Orchards in the old Pro-Press tournament. I birdied seven of the last ten holes and I made a downhill two-footer to birdie the last hole. But, I don't think I got more than $100 for it," Grigely said with a laugh.
His first check had come earlier that year at Elmcrest in the WMass Open.
Grigely, the 1971 Western Mass high school champ, was a somewhat streaky player who played with a wide open style. When his putter was working, as it often did, he could post some low numbers.
His talents have brought him three appearances in the national PGA Club Pro Championship, one PGA Tour try in the 1987 Greater Hartford Open at TPC Cromwell, one title in the WMass PGA Match Play event (he beat Tony Kelley of Wyckoff CC), a title at the Manchester Open and some others.
When he thinks about that GHO he recalls the genuine kindness of PGA Tour player Buddy Gardner.
"His locker was next to mine. He asked me how I did in the first round and I said not too good, 80, and that it wasn't much fun. He told me that he could probably find 30,000 people out there behind the ropes who would give an arm and a leg to be inside the ropes. He told me to go out the next day and enjoy it.
"I shot 80 again. But he was right. I told him I had a lot more fun," Grigely said.
Grigely started on the old 10th (then a par 5) in that 1987 GHO and said he was at first so nervous he wasn't sure he could put his tee into the ground. But he managed to smack a good one into the fairway and had a chance to reach the green in two.
"The group ahead was still putting but I was so charged up I just wanted to go. I hit a 5-wood shot and it was heading towards the green. I never should have hit but I was too pumped up. Luckily the ball hit short of the green and kicked away from it so they never knew that I'd hit into them," Grigely said.
Later he had about a one foot putt for par on that hole. "I left it about three inches short and three inches left. I was just too nervous," he recalled.
He remembered his start in his first Western Mass. Open when he was paired with Eddie Rubis, the former PGA Tour player from Chicopee, and touring player Byron Comstock, who was about a foot taller than Little Eddie.
"Rubis was giving me a hard time. 'So, you want to be a pro? Think it's easy to make money out here?' Rubis said."
"I bogied my first four holes. Then Comstock told Rubis to shut up. Then Comstock came over to me, put his arm on my shoulder and told me he didn't think Rubis was going to bother me anymore," Grigely said.
Years later it was at Elmcrest that he shot 6-under 64 in a Conn. Section pro-am, an event he'll never forget. His father Joe was one of his amateur partners.
"I won by six shots. But I missed a two-foot putt on the first hole and my dad (who had made a par) walked off the green and whacked me in the butt with his putter. 'You're one down' he said to me," Grigely recalled.
Joe Grigely was a mason contractor and Mike often worked with him. They helped build portions of Elmcrest CC.
"If I hadn't been a golf pro I might have been a mason. It's satisfying to build something and see it (endure)," Grigely said.
Four years ago Grigely won a pro-junior title with his son Jason.
Grigely said he couldn't remember all of the important shots he's hit in his long golfing career.
But he can remember everything that's been important to him in life over the decades.
And that's what he'll talk about on April 25.
He'll be nervous at first. But, he's a pro. |
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Edgewood Golf Club goes modern
By Steve Kelly
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SOUTHWICK - When former tobacco grower Bill Arnold and half a dozen other investors decided to turn 130 acres on both sides of Sheep Pasture Road into a golf course they weren't exactly throwing money around.
It was four decades ago that Edgewood Golf Club opened for public play.
The public came and the public played.
The course was a fair enough test, designed by Amherst-based architect Geoffrey Cornish, and it accomplished its purpose.
For a time.
Edgewood GC had no irrigation system.
That was pretty much a recipe for disaster and when the sun and wind cooked the course playing conditions suffered.
"We weren't even fertilizing. Why fertilize when you don't have water?" said Edgewood pro Mike Grigely, who has been on the job since the spring of 1980.
By the 1990s Edgewood, which used to be able to count on 50,000 rounds a season, was losing market share to the area's other public courses. Many had installed irrigation systems and as their conditions improved their play increased.
"Our course was built with a limited budget. It wasn't designed to be a Crestview Country Club. It was built to be a daily fee course," Grigely said.
That worked for many years.
Then play gradually decreased.
Grigely said as late as 1990 there were about 50,000 rounds played.
"We were really booming," Grigely said.
In 2000 he put the figure at about 34,000.
But that year also marked the beginning of a new era.
Grigely had a meeting with the shareholders.
"You have to listen to what the public wants. In order to compete Edgewood had to improve," Grigely told them.
"We were the same course as when it opened in 1963. We were losing play because I would say everybody else was getting better.
"We had to improve and these people stepped up to the plate," Grigely said.
The shareholders agreed to spend some cash to embrace modern golf course technology.
"It started as a project focusing on irrigation. But it was kind of like redoing your house. We could do this. And we could also do this," Grigely said he told the owners.
"I think I took a $450,000 project and turned it into a million. It was something that had to be done for the long term," Grigely said.
So Edgewood borrowed the million bucks from a bank and in late 2000 the irrigation system was being installed.
Last year was the first year of the full benefits and Grigely said play was up by about 4,000 rounds.
Edgewood is shooting for about 45,000 rounds annually.
What would those players who stopped showing up see if they returned now?
"Grass on the fairways for one thing," Grigely said with a laugh.
The turf gets thicker and the grass grows when fertilizer and water are provided.
And now Edgewood is really pumping out some water.
The formerly small pond in front of the 14th green was expanded more than tenfold and another pond on the front nine was also enlarged and they are full of water, which in turn is pumped onto the course.
"We put in a state of the art irrigation system. Our superintendent, Steve Arnold, can tell what sprinkler head is producing what amount of water and he could operate the system from a cellphone in China," Grigely said.
Is the system as good as the area's private clubs?
"It's better," Grigely said.
The fairways were overseeded in each of the last two fall seasons and the results were evident in the early spring of this season. The grass was green.
The greens are due for a special treatment, too.
They are looking better and Grigely and Arnold hope to get them up to speed, literally. Edgewood's former heavy and slow putting surfaces were not attractive to many golfers.
"Technology is better and we can now reduce stress on the greens and get the ball rolling better. A good, solid eight (on the stimpmeter) or even nine is what we're aiming for eventually," Grigely said.
PGA Tour greens, for example, might measure 11 on the stimpmeter.
The move to add water has changed the look and the way the course plays as well.
There is now a LARGE pond fronting the entire 14th green, pretty much making it a three-shot par-5 and creating a shot into the green of more than 100 yards from in front of the water. Grigely said he and Steve Arnold decided to create a small bailout area by cutting some trees on the left side.
Much of the fill from the pond created at 14 ended up on the 18th fairway, which used to slope dramatically (or horribly if it was hard due to lack of rain) right to left.
The left side of the fairway was raised and now there is a gentle right to left roll.
The 18th (a par 4) was played as a par 3 during recontouring of the fairway and the gave Edgewood six short holes for a season.
"Some of our par threes are great holes," Grigely said. He particularly likes the 11th (180) from the back with its exciting, downhill shot over water, and the 13th, a 160-yarder with a distinct, raised target.
Another hole which got special treatment was the left-to-right turning, par-4 12th.
There is now a landing area to eliminate the odd caroms and a large bunker that fronted the green has been removed in favor of mounding.
Another addition: cart paths.
"Steve was very instrumental in putting in the cart paths so we can now get around when the season says we shouldn't be able to," Grigely said.
Some bunker work and ornamental grass plantings have improved the look of the par-4 17th.
The greens still need some speed and Grigely said that will happen with more frequent cutting and rolling. "They'll be firmer and quicker," he said.
"We're close to being really good. Our philosophy is to make it happen," Grigely said.
That approach - and a million bucks - could do it.
"We want to be a busy course again," Grigely said.
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SPIRIT OF SPRINGFIELD
MAYOR’S CUP
PRO/AM & SCRAMBLE
Sponsored by Peter Pan Bus Lines
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Springfield, Massachusetts—On Tuesday, May 14, 2002, golfers will gather at The Ranch in Southwick for the first annual Spirit of Springfield Mayor’s Cup Pro/Am & Scramble Golf Tournament. Proceeds from the tournament, which will take place on Springfield’s 366th Birthday, will be used to support the Spirit of Springfield.
The tournament, which will have a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m., will be played in two formats. First, golfers may participate in a “Scramble,” at a cost of $175 per player. “Community Spirit” sponsorships, which include a foursome, tee or green sponsorship, and name recognition on printed pieces are also available, as are separate tee or green sponsorships. Golfers playing in the “Scramble” will compete for gift certificates good for pro shop merchandise.
Also taking place during the tournament will be a “Pro Best Ball” contest, in which area golf professionals will team up with amateur threesomes and compete for cash prizes. Amateurs will pay $175 each. “Community Spirit” sponsorships are also available in the “Pro Best Ball” format.
The golfers will also compete for the “Mayor’s Cup,” a trophy that will go to the winning team. The trophy will be kept by the city or town represented by the victorious foursome. All golfers will receive an official tournament shirt, lunch and dinner, golf towel, the use of a golf cart with GPS tracking system, and a raffle ticket for the chance to win gift baskets.
The tournament is sponsored by Peter Pan Bus Lines. Mayor Michael J. Albano will serve as Honorary Chairman for the event.
Spirit of Springfield President Judith A. Matt said she is looking forward to holding the golf tournament at The Ranch, a new course called “the gem of them all” by the Springfield Union-News. “So many people are working hard to make this tournament a success,” Matt said. “The event is generating a lot of interest, and we are very grateful for the tremendous support it has already received.”
DATE: Tuesday, May 14, 2002
Springfield’s 366th birthday
LOCATION: The Ranch, Southwick
TIMES: Driving Range & Putting Green 10AM – 12:30PM
Registration 11:30AM – 12:30PM
Lunch 11:30AM – 12:30PM
Shotgun Start 12:30PM
Cocktails & Dinner 4:30PM – 7PM |
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Spalding's new line
By Jim Cline
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Golf balls are Spalding's primary focus because that's where the money is. There'll be a new Strata this season, the Ultimate 2 which has a firmer cover that the Ultimate. It's designed to be a longer ball that spins less. There's nothing too difficult about that. There will also be four new Top Flite balls. The XL2000's which have been around for two years now will still be on the shelves, but they will be joined by the XL3000's. R&D has been busy tweaking the old ball. The 2000's will remain because a percentage of the market will continue to buy that ball. Spalding did a study eight months after the 2000 came out and found that 30 per cent of the people who played the XL ball switched to the XL2000. The 2000 now has a 15-market share which is a good number in the golf ball industry.
The four new 3000 balls bear a strong resemblance to the 2000. There's a Super Spin, a Super Feel, A Super Straight and of course, a Super Long. The Super Long is the longest ball. The Super Straight has less spin. This ball is aimed at the golfer with a slice or hook problem. Get rid of that nasty slice and your ball will travel farther up the fairway. It probably won't travel any farther than your slice, but ideally speaking, it's going straight and will wind up much closer to the target. This is something Spalding developed with the Magna several years back. Like the Magna, the Super Straight is slightly bigger. It's also coated with Teflon, which we're told, helps to reduce sidespin off the clubface. The Super Long is also a low spin ball with a higher launch angle. The Super Spin has a softer cover, which creates a higher spin rate. A good golfer, one who wants some shot stopping control, might want to play the Super Spin. Cover hardness generates spin. The Super Spin has the softer cover.
If we haven't lost you yet, let's move on to the Super Feel. This ball has an extra low compression core. It's designed for golfers with low to moderate clubhead speeds. Precept came out with a ball in this category. They called it the MC Lady. A lot of men found they could hit it farther too. Some men won't play a ball that says Lady on it. (I must admit, I've always had an aversion to pink balls, but that's me.). Spalding has avoided the gender issue. Would an average golfer want to play this ball though? The Super Feel might actually feel more like a Strata, which is a higher-priced ball. It has the sensory perception of a balata ball. It, like the Super Spin, might appeal to the better golfer. The Feel ball like the Long ball has a more boring dimple technology. The Spin and the Straight share a dimple pattern that has the highest launch angle. ho wants some shot stopping control, might want to play the Super Spin. Cover
Now that you're thoroughly confused, the good news. Spalding has been working on the idea of ball fitting. Imagine, if you will, hitting balls and having a machine measure your club head speed, the launch angle of the ball, and the velocity off the club-face among other things. Curious? Check out A Perfect Fit elsewhere in this issue.
So much for the balls. Etonic is also under the Spalding umbrella. The shoe business is tough. Footjoy has about 50 per cent of the market. Nike has passed Etonic. Spalding has been testing the waters to see if a company might want to buy the line. There have apparently been no serious considerations. Barring a major surprise, Spalding will continue to own Etonic and a new line will be coming out in January. The top of the line will be the Dri-Lite AC 500. It uses technology which allows the shoe to breathe which will help keep the foot cool. The 500 is one of six lines that will be available. ory perception of a balata ball. It, like the Super Spin, might appeal to the better golfer. The Feel ball like the Long ball has a more boring dimple technology.
The Top Flite iron is still out. So are the Ben Hogans. The most recent Hogan design is the Edge which is doing well. The Apex Plus is about to replaced by a new iron which does not yet have a name. They call it the Edge Pro now but that's a working name. The Apex, a blade that's aimed at low-handicap golfers, will remain the same.
We're told there are no Hogan woods on the horizon, but the company is continuously looking at woods. I've seen a few prototypes and I can't believe they're that far off the shelf. The problem does not have to do with the company's ability to develop a wood. It has to do with the competitiveness of the woods market and the amount of money it takes to launch the project. The focus at Hogan continues to be the iron market. Hogan has a well-founded reputation for making first-rate irons, just as Callaway and Taylormade are recognized for their woods. Hogan might have a little catching-up to do in the woods department. Just a few years ago, just prior to Spalding's purchase of the Hogan company, the Apex woods were made of persimmon! But don't be surprised to see titanium heads in various sizes with top of the line cutting edge shafts in the not-too-distant future.
A Perfect Fit
For many years one of the things that set Ping apart was the custom fit that customers could get from the golf pro. Other companies caught on and started to offer their own versions of custom fit. It makes perfectly good sense that anyone who plays the game should benefit from a set of clubs that is fit to his or her swing. This may actually be more important for the high handicapper than the low handicapper. A good golfer can adjust to a club that doesn't fit quite right. The high handicapper will find that a proper fit can help to minimize mistakes.
Custom fitting has generally dealt with determining the proper lie of the clubshaft, the length and the grip size. Add to that the degrees of flex and torque and the total weight. There is new technology that tells us spin rate, launch angle and ball speed or velocity. The R & D boys at Spalding have this technology and recently checked out one of their top pros, Hal Sutton. Vince Simonds is the Director of R & D engineering at Spalding. He's been with the company for 16 years. He has a toy that pros will be using to help determine which shaft they should be using in their driver, what loft will optimize distance with the driver they like and which ball they should be hitting. It's a portable launch monitor. It utilizes two cameras, which are triggered when the club hits the ball. There are two dots on the ball picked up by the strobe and when the information is fed through a computer the spin rate of the ball is determined, along with the ball speed off the clubface and the angle off the ground.
This information can benefit a golfer in many ways. The average golfer gets 3500 rpms on a ball with a driver. Professionals do much better than that. Tiger Woods gets 2200. Pros have low rpms because they get the club square at impact. The inverse is true with the irons. Pros hit down on the ball and create more backspin which translates to stopping power on the green. Perhaps you can hit a high spin ball with your 9-iron and make it back up. Can you do it with your 5-iron? The launch monitor can tell you whether you hit the ball with enough spin to do that. This technology can become a great teaching aid.
One of the wonderful things about automobile racing is that so much of our technology is initially developed for the racetrack. Where do you think we got rear view mirrors? The pros will be the first to benefit from the launch monitor, but down the line it should be available to the rest of us.
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34 years and counting
By JAY NOMAKEO |
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It's a warm July morning, you wake up in your air conditioned room staring out the window, thinking of sun drenched Bucky O'Brien can surely say he has seen it all.
Bucky is celebrating his 34the year as head pro at the CC of Greenfield. The only one with more history than Bucky, is the course itself. Bucky has seen many changes in the golf business since turning pro and "If you are not willing to accept changes the prospects of continued success are slim," added Bucky. He points out the importance of all the high tech equipment being used today and has to keep up to remain competitive. Bucky remembers when there was only a few choices in golf balls, now everyone makes balls.
He credits his strong family ties that keep him going. His three children and five grandchildren add to his motivation to continue living his dream and has provided him with many fond memories.
It did not take Bucky long to realize that he was only as good as the people that surrounded him. His co-professional Kevin Piecuch, who Bucky describes as having the same passion for the game as he did. "Kevin is a great teacher, merchandiser, tournament coordinator and loves to work with kids." When asked about his greens superintendent Bob Uguccioni, he states, "our bond is beyond measure." He regards the club members and directors as family. Bresciano Food Service is also held in high regard.
James "Bucky" O'Brien may have chosen a different career path if it were not for the owners of Edgewood GC in Southwick, where he spent his first eight years. He is thankful to them for helping him launch his career.
So as Bucky approaches the twilight of a very gratifying journey. He is not ready to surrender. Bucky continues, "It is 34 years, 10 hours a day, 7 days a week. But who is counting." |
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What's new in the marketplace?
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WMG went to Fran Johnson's Golf and Racquet Headquarters, in West Springfield to get the scoop on this season's new golf clubs, we spoke with Steve Delnickas, custom club fitting.
WMG: Who's making news today in the world of golf?
Steve: The 2002 golf season is well underway thanks to a mild winter and already it appears that the big newsmakers in equipment are the debut of the Nike swoosh on golf clubs and the rapidly increasing head size on drivers. This has created another potential showdown between the equipment companies and the United States Golf Association.
Nike has gathered the attention of competitors with their introduction of two forged titanium drivers, a forged wedge series and a very traditional set of forged blade irons. Along with the promise of much more to come. Their clubs have been beautifully designed by Tom Stites, who learned his craft at the Ben Hogan company many years before. It's obvious upon seeing the clubs that he listened well when Mr. Hogan was talking. The drivers come in a 275cc or a 350cc head, with a 400cc head coming early this summer. If they hit as good as they look we'll all be anxious to give them a test drive. The irons and wedges are as traditional looking as any club on the market, and they are definitely targeted at the professional and low handicapper.
WMG: What are some of the other drivers in the market?
Steve: Some of the other new drivers drawing attention are the Callaway C4, a carbon graphite head which creates an extremely light driver. Golfers that liked the Yonex carbon drivers from a few years back will want to consider the C4. Titleist has revamped the King Cobra line and their new titanium drivers are drawing raves from golfers who have already tried them in Florida. Mizuno's new Blue Rage forged titanium driver is an improved version of its popular T-Zoid driver. Mizuno has been considered the benchmark for forgings for many years, especially in irons. Two companies that offer great looking titanium drivers and steelhead fairway woods at value prices are Nickent Golf and Nicklaus Golf. These are both worth a test drive.
WMG: What about the iron market?
Steve: The iron market has interesting new models for 2002 also. The Nike iron has created renewed interest in forged irons. Some new forged cavity back models which are much more forgiving and playable than traditional forged blades are Mizuno's MX 20, MacGregor's VIP V-Foil, Hogan's Edge Series, Cleveland's TA3, and the Taylor 300 iron. These are great looking with traditional lines and will appeal to a wide range of players. Some new investment cast models are the Callaway Big Bertha, with its deep cavity and wide sole, this iron should be one of the most forgiving models on the market. Clevelands Golf's TA5 and new TA7 are both easy to hit and offer great value in today's market. The CGX iron from Nicklaus Golf features a new tungsten weighting system that can be adjusted to help a golfer control a fade or draw. This innovative iron looks good and is very reasonable priced.
WMG: What would you recommend when purchasing new clubs?
Steve: These new introductions give golfers much to consider for 2002. All of these clubs are high quality equipment with exciting technology, but the goal is to find the one that works best for you. Demo clubs to see for your self, how they perform on the course or at the range, and when you hone in on your favorite, get fitted for that club.
Finally, remember, Ben Hogan's comment when he was asked what his secret was. He replied that the secret was in the dirt. So the more we practice and play, the better we'll get. Have a great 2002 season. |
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DOWN THE FAIRWAYS/By Steve Kelly
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New owners will
talk a good game
Looking for a good place to talk golf?
And enjoy a cold one?
Try Listons Bar @ Grill on Route 143 in Worthington.
Listons began as a gas station/auto repair shop in the 1930s and until a couple of years ago there had been only three owners.
But in March of 2000 golf memorabilia started to appear on the walls as new owners Steve and Diane Magargal took over.
"We were looking for a business to buy and we found this. It's just us. No partners. Just us and the bank,'' Steve Magargal said with a laugh.
He is the talented Berkshire County golfer who surprised many when he won the prestigious Boston Globe Tournament of Club Champions in 1976 when he was 18 years old. He's been a force ever since then.
He finished late in the day and clinched it with a final-hole birdie.
Magargal, now 44, works the bar just about each day, even passing up some chances to play golf.
If you stop by he might even offer some swing tips and there is a putting rug that can be in place in a hurry.
''You can't get your car fixed here anymore. Maybe your swing, though,'' Magargal said.
You can also check out the growing golf memorabilia collection now adorning the walls.
MILL VALLEY GOLF LINKS in Belchertown is considering an expansion from nine to 18 holes in the future and this season may be a good indication of things to come. An irrigation system was installed starting in August of last season and it is ready to go. This spring cart paths were laid in certain areas where washouts caused damage in the past and drainage has been built to funnel collecting rain water away from the fairways and into a pond . . . . Partners Tim Kurty, Stan Kogut and Silvia Bertolaccini took over more than two years ago and they are moving at a careful pace with improvements. Kogut is also the superintendent and most would agree that he's got things under control . . . . "We've got plenty of room for nine more holes. There are about 150 acres. It's just a matter of clearing trees," Bertolaccini said. ""We've seeded and fertilized the fairways and the amount of play this year with the improvements we have made will give us an idea if we need nine more holes and if we have a reason to invest in nine more holes." Mill Valley is a public course but it also offers memberships.
ROGER RULEWICH, the Bernardston-based architect who designed both nines at Crumpin-Fox Club about a dozen years apart, has been drawing raves for his design of Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Rulewich was a senior designer for Robert Trent Jones before going out on his own. Grande Dunes overlooks the Intercoastal Waterway in Myrtle Beach and offers elevation changes and a panoramic view of the Waterway, the Atlantic Ocean and maritime forest. In 2001 Golf Magazine placed Grande Dunes in its "Top 10 Best New Courses." It measures 7,618 from all the way back and was host to a Canadian Tour event last year.
LORI DESIMONE, a native of Agawam, is in her fourth year as an assistant and teaching pro at Arcadian Shores in Myrtle Beach. She often teaches six days a week and that is making it difficult for her to get out there and do some playing. Last year she made a break through of sorts with good showings in the Connecticut Women's Open and in one Futures Tour event. This summer she hopes to visit the family in Agawam around competing in the Connecticut and Massachusetts women's opens. She is also recovering from a shoulder injury that forced her to stop playing in the middle of last season. Desimone, 30, will also take a shot at U.S. Women's Open qualifying.
THE ORCHARDS GOLF COURSE in South Hadley will host the women's collegiate Div. III Championship May 14-17 . . . . Maybe a few of those players will return when THE ORCHARDS hosts the U.S. Women's Open in 2004 . . . . The practice facilities at The Orchards will be dramatically improved/expanded for the Women's Open. The USGA wants a second tee area added to the too-small practice area so players can hit in two directions. Now there is room for 18 or so players to hit at one time. That's not going to work when at any given time dozens of those in the field of 150 players want to work on their games from dawn to dusk. The practice putting green will also be expanded. Parking will also be a problem and that will likely include parking lots at Mount Holyoke College, which owns the course and leases it to Arnold Palmer Golf Management. Spectators will be transported by bus and will, in the main, enter the course at Silverwood Terrace. Mike Butz, Deputy Executive Director of the USGA said the course would likely be set at about 6,400 yards. "Ï think it will prove to be a challenging course for the players," Butz said . . . . The Ranch Golf Club in Southwick will be tested (or will test the players) when it hosts a qualifier on May 28 for the Massachusetts Open Championship, which will be played June 17-19 at Longmeadow Country Club . . . . One of the most difficult shots in Western Mass. golf will be a little easier this season. The 8th green at Hilltop Golf Links in Goshen will have a new look, with an expansion to the back, right side. The elevated and narrow, kidney shaped green makes for a tough par-4. You might be able to get a second shot to stay on the top side of the right-to-left sloping green now. That's if you can feather a tee shot through the trees guarding both sides and get it over the pond and onto the flat portion of the fairway. Good luck.
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Everybody has a tournament
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"Charity golf events sprout like flowers in the spring," states Candy A. Boucher, Executive Director of the Parish Cupboard in West Springfield. The 10th Annual Parish Cupboard Golf Outing, set for July 31, 2002 at Oak Ridge Golf Club, joins others trying to lure men and women away from their work day for fun, prizes and the satisfaction of supporting a worthy cause.
"Worthy causes," according to Boucher, "attract players by serving Western Massachusetts communities all year long." "My job is to announce an opportunity for golfers and business partners to help us feed and clothe people all year long by playing golf in our tournament." 100% of sponsor donations go directly to this 501(c)3 non profit. The $100 registration fee for the Parish Cupboard tournament includes a 12:00 noon shot gun start, cart, prizes, cocktail hour entertainment, dinner and a donation to the soup kitchen/food pantry.
West Springfield resident Paul Skowera began this tournament ten years ago as a way to get his family and friends involved in helping the agency that serves his community, Agawam, Feeding Hills and Southwick. A planning committee now runs the tournament. "Playing golf for fun, for relaxation, for exercise and for charity are all good reasons," says Boucher. "A good reason for playing in our tournament is that we need you." For more information, contact Boucher at ParishCupboard@aol.com or call her at (413)734-7969. pantry. |
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Pre season golf, don't overdo it
By JAY NOMAKEO
Are you one to hit two large buckets of balls the first day back after spending the winter in front of the television?
Or always getting to the course with just enough time to change your shoes? If so you are asking for trouble says Diahann Wimmer, who runs the golf program along with Bob Reed for Healthsouth.
Diahann suggests getting to the course early enough to give yourself time to warm up and stretch the muscles you will use the most. Failure to do so could result in injuries which could hamper your swing for a long time. She also suggests stretching after your round to prevent muscle soreness.
When starting a new season gradually work your way up to that large bucket of balls. Play only nine holes the first time out and stop immediately if you experience pain while playing.
"Early in the golf season we see back, knee, and shoulder injuries from players swinging too hard,"
says Bob Reed, Physical Therapist, in the West Springfield office. "The golf season is long, don't take a chance of getting hurt early. The injury could affect you for a much longer time if not treated properly." If you do get hurt, consult your doctor. That pain in your shoulder could be from your back.
Healthsouth, a nationwide company, works with the PGA Tour and its players to keep them at the top of their game. Their publication, 15 Minutes to Healthier Golf, emphasizes a proper warmup beginning with quarter swings and gradually building up to full swings. Stretching the muscles and holding each stretch for ten seconds should be repeated several times for maximum effect. It is recommended that you perform this routine several times a week to increase flexibility and improve your game.
Diahann, who worked for two years with various sports teams at Springfield College and works out of the Ludlow office says "we don't give any advice about your golf game, we leave that up to the professional. We work with the pro to offer solutions to physical problems affecting the golf swing".
How many of you have seen that television commercial touting that driver that will get you 15 more yards at a cost of $400. The saying goes "time is money." With the the proper strength and flexibility training studies have showed an increase in swing speed which directly affects the distance a ball travels. If we listened to all those commercials in the last ten years we should all be averaging 400 yards a drive.
Healthsouth and its golf program are committed to two key elements, prevention and rehabilitation. Their program starts with an evaluation that tests the range of motion of joints, flexibility of the body, balance and muscle strength. The results are reported to the golfer's instructor and explains how these characteristics might affect the golf swing.
A specific exercise program is then set up based on the evaluation which is designed to improve performance and prevent injury.
Each program is individually tailored to suit the needs of the client. Some people may need only a few visits to get the information they seek, while others may feel the need for more supervised training.
If you are having troubles or are experiencing pain from your golf swing consult your physician and ask specifically for Healthsouth.
Healthsouth has six convenient locations throughout Western Mass. Offices are located in Ludlow, West Springfield, Belchertown, Holyoke, East Longmeadow, and Springfield.
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A Sense of History
By JIM CLINE
The Quaboag Country Club will hold a Vintage Golf Classic this July, recognizing a game that has been played there for more than 100 years. They'll wear knickers and ties and use cleeks and mashies and niblicks to get around the course. Golf is one of the more traditional of sports and there's quite a history at Quaboag.
The course was built in 1900. It's located in Monson, just south of Palmer on Rt. 32.
It was originally six holes, laid out by Dan Leitch of Springfield, with the provision that it could be increased to nine holes. The longest hole was 270 yards. Given the equipment of the day, it was a difficult layout. Three more holes were constructed in the Roaring 20's and the first golf pro was hired, Henry Bontempo. Henry was 18 years old at the time. He had been a caddy and held the old course record, a 62. Henry went on to become pro at Franconia and the list of pros that followed is a veritable who's who of Western Mass golf. Eddie Twohig was an assistant pro at Quaboag. Harry Mattson was there for a couple of years in the late thirties. Most of the DiRicos have passed through the pro shop. Tom Sullivan was the pro for most of the nineties and holds the course record, a 60. Arvid Hill, the current pro, took over in 1999. That was the year the course was bought by Bill and Sally Plante and Rich Powers. Bill says they liked the club because there was so much history there and it's the prettiest place he's seen. There are plans to make changes. They would like to restore some of the bunkers. They've had a restoration man from the PGA out to check the course and he was quite amazed at what is there. The greens are a little small and could be made larger to accommodate the amount of play that takes place today. Members are saying the course is in the best shape it's been in thirty years. There are already 33 new members this year, a little more than 200 in all.
From the front door of the pro shop you can see every hole but 4, 5 and 8. There are seven par 4's and two par 3's. The 9th used to be a par 5, but it was shortened to a 4 to accommodate a neighbor. Two of the par 4's are 430 yards or better and one of the par 3's is 225. There are four sets of tees. It's a par 34 for the men at 2880 yards and a 35 for the ladies. The slope is 116. The USGA course rating is 67.2.
There are a number of tournaments on the schedule this year in addition to the Vintage Golf Classic. The first Jim Theodore Memorial 4 ball will be held in May in honor of a 45-year member who passed away last year. The proceeds from the annual pro-am will go to local charities, primarily the Monson girls scouts. History and community has a special place at the Quaboag Country Club. |
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WSGT gains one big name, loses one for Fidelity Classic
By Steve Kelly
The local favorite - Pat Bradley - is in but Nancy Lopez - just about everyone's favorite player - is out for the inaugural Fidelity Investments Classic.
The Fidelity is the first event on this year's Women's Senior Golf Tour schedule and it is the same tournament that was postponed from the fall of 2001 following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
A new venue, Waverly Oaks in Plymouth, replaces Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton because the latter could not provide dates for this year.
Bradley,a Westford native, was not planning to play in this event last year but has changed her mind and will be in the 40-player field for women aged 44 and over May 18-19.
The 36-hole competition offers $350,000 in total prize money.
Lopez, who was prepared to play at PVCC last year, has made the not-so-difficult decision to skip the event this year to be present for her daughter's high school graduation ceremonies.
Among the other players signed up are Hollis Stacy, Colleen Walker, Jan Stephenson, Joanne Carner, Patty Sheehan, Amy Alcott, Jane Blalock, Laura Baugh, Sally Little, Shelly Hamlin, Alice Ritzman, Martha Nause and Barbara Moxness.
There is one spot available for a maximum of 12 entrants in an 18-hole qualifier the morning of May 16.
Practice rounds are scheduled for later on Thursday and there will be a pro-am on Friday, the 17th.
This is the WSGT's third season and growth has been slow and national exposure spotty. You can talk to someone every day who does not know the WSGT exists.
However, the tournament at Waverly Oaks will be taped and telecast as a 90-minute special on five dates in June on The Golf Channel and that is a first.
No WSGT event has been given the TV treatment and this deal was negotiated by Blalock, who served as an unofficial commissioner for the first two years.
That has changed since the WSGT board has decided that an active player cannot serve as commissioner.
It is sort of a semantics scheme, however, since Blalock is now "president"and is just about as heavily involved in operating the Fidelity tournament this season as she was last season.
Silvia Bertolaccini, a multi-tourney winner on the LPGA Tour and part owner of Mill Valley Golf Links in Belchertown, will be on the scene at Waverly Oaks for the full week.
She isn't going to play but will help Blalock make sure everything gets done.
"Silvia doesn't have a title yet but she will be a very high-ranking person, that's for sure. She is going to be part of a team of four people who will be running the tournament," Blalock said.
Bertolaccini was the tournament director for the defunct Friendly's Classic, which was an LPGA Tour stop at Crestview Country Club in Agawam from 1995-98.
When Blalock was functioning as the WSGT's main spokesperson in the first two seasons she stated that there would probably be five tournaments for the 2002 season.
Well, that didn't happen and the Fidelity event will actually be just the fifth in total in the WSGT's short run.
Two more are definite for this season and a fourth, on the west coast, is a possibility. Tournaments will also be played this season in Green Bay, Wisconsin (Shopko Great Lakes Classic) and near Des Moines, Iowa (HyVee Classic). Those two events have been the backbone (heart, spleen, etc.) of the WSGT as they were both staged in 2000 and 2001. So far there have been no other tournaments.
Though public acceptance and sponsor cash have been hard to find, that is real money the players are shooting for out there and Stacy is the career leader at $108,000 with one title. Other winners have been Walker, Vicki Fergon and Stephenson.
This year the WSGT is officially connected with the LPGA Tour as it's "Senior Tour" wing after some early reluctance by the long-standing tour.
The LPGA Tour did not want to lose any of its top names - particularly Lopez - to conflicting WSGT events. When the WSGT began its minimum age requirement was 43. At the LPGA Tour's urging the age will rise again next year to 45, where it will be frozen.
That keeps the 44-year-old Lopez in the mix. She has announced that this will be her final year on the LPGA Tour but next year's WSGT might be to her liking.
WSGT NOTEBOOK - Ticket prices are $10 for daily grounds admission on Saturday and Sunday. Seniors (50+) get two bucks off and kids 12 and under can attend for no charge. There is also no charge to spectators for Thursday's practice rounds or Friday's pro-am . . . . Blalock said there will soon by a "media blitz" in the Boston area and that could help boost total attendance to around 10,000 . . . . A one-year contract has been signed with Waverly Oaks and this event could be put on the PVCC calendar in the future . . . . Blalock has some pull, for sure. There have been courtesy cars for the players at Des Moines and Green Bay. "That's better than what they get on the LPGA Tour," Blalock said . . . . Gates will open at 7:30 on Friday and at 8:00 on Saturday and Sunday with the first tee times at about 9 . . . . The Golf Channel will show the Fidelity tapes on June 19, 21, 24, 27 and 29 . . . . The Fidelity will benefit the American Heart Association . . . . Like the Senior PGA Tour, WSGT players can use golf carts, but either the player or the caddie must walk . . . . The WSGT promises to be fan friendly and there is less roping of the courses, allowing spectators to get nearer to the action . . . . The one-spot qualifier is "open'' to pros and amateurs aged 44. Amateurs must have a USGA handicap of 6.0 or less . . . . Volunteer positions are open. Call 800-466-1133 for info. The pro-am, at $2,000 an amateur spot, is almost sold out . . . . Fergon is second in career earnings with $100,225. Dale Eggeling ($91,000) is third, Stephenson ($82,000) fourth, Walker ($81,350) fifth, Sheehan ($62,000) sixth, Jane Crafter ($58,000), seventh, Elaine Crosby ($44,050) eighth, Marilyn Lovander ($42,500) ninth and Moxness ($40,550) is 10th . . . . Lopez is 51st at $3,000.
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Getting the jump start with mother nature
By JIM CLINE
Dan DiRico, the pro at Franconia, says he can hear me doing my snowdance. He knows I'm a skier and snow is what skiing is all about. Snow is not what golf is all about, not in the springtime, and so Dan doesn't want to be my dance partner. He wants the golf courses to open. This year they opened.
Winter weather does have an effect on golf of course. Snow on the course will deter most players. (We all know a few people who won't let that stop them.) Snow can also be protective. Ice is a real killer. Grass has to have air circulation. Without it you get winter kill. We had some of that last year. This year was a different story. It didn't snow enough to make a good-sized dish of snowcream. I was even surprised to learn that the East Mountain Country Club closed at all. This is a course that tries to stay open year-round, which can't be an easy thing to do in New England, but if there's no snow on the ground, they're open. This winter East Mountain was closed for a grand total of three weeks. That's an exceptional winter, even for them.
The Tekoa Country Club didn't open until mid-April last year. They were out there March 1st this season. And a few miles and another thousand feet of elevation up the road, Blandford was still under 5 to 10 inches of snow. It's amazing what a little elevation or latitude can do. Ed Twohig, Junior, the pro at the Springfield Country Club, says they opened the back March 14th. Then it snowed. They opened again a week before April got here and by the 29th of March they had the full 18 going which is about a week ahead of time. Ed says he remembers a no-snow winter about 15 or 16 years ago when a lot of places opened early, but the 14th is early for private clubs. April 1st rolls around, the club's in high gear and the greens are excellent. He did point out that his brother Dave, at Amherst, didn't open until the last weekend in March. But that's not a latitude thing. The Country Club of Greenfield way up north, (where snow does linger at times) opened March 16th. They had carts out that day. Then it snowed and they waited until the 30th to reopen. But Bucky O'Brien says the 16th is the earliest opening ever. And he should know. He's the only pro the club has ever had, dating back to 1896.
The Western Mass Golf Show was held March 2nd and 3rd this year and it struck me as I entered the building that I was in shirtsleeves. Ordinarily one wears some kind of jacket to this show and comes in from the cold to dream about a warmer time. A few people took in the show after rounds of golf earlier in the day and not necessarily their first rounds of the season. The Oak Ridge Golf Club right down the street had opened February 28th. This is the earliest they've been open and this was after closing the 2nd week of December. Jim Modzelesky and the gang barely had time for Christmas vacation.
Quaboag pro Arvid Hill was at the show. He says they went back to Monson and were unpacking on Monday and decided it was time to open right then.
Franconia opened the following weekend, for about a week. It snowed and they reopened on the 28th. Dan DiRico says it's about the earliest he can remember opening.
It is obviously time to play some golf. Might as well. Can't dance.
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Dan Lapierre wants to trade headcovers for fairways
By STEVE KELLY
Dan Lapierre is good at locating lost headcovers.
But, if he never finds another one that'll be OK with him.
Lapierre, 24, is in his sixth season as a golf pro and he thinks it's time to put a new plan into play.
Like playing.
"I've been a club professional. Now I want to be a pro golfer," Lapierre said recently in between answering phone calls in the golf shop at Springfield Country Club.
The Chicopee High grad and former pro soccer hopeful got his start in the golf business when he drove up the hill to SCC and asked then head pro Harry Mattson if there was a temporary job he could handle.
So, he spent a season in the bag room, cleaning clubs and doing other chores - like finding lost headcovers.
"I'm very good at that," he laughed.
By the next year he had become an assistant and was in the PGA program. He learned merchandising, club fitting, how to run tournaments and how to find the members' lost items. And he still played soccer on a semi-pro level.
But after a slow start as a competitor, he thinks he's close to becoming very good at finding fairways and greens.
Last year he held the title of assistant pro at SCC and tried to play a competive schedule, working around his 50 or so hours a week on the job at the club.
He has surrendered his title and says he is now just another assistant to pro Ed Twohig. His brother Dave Lapierre and Bart McCarthy will now share his former role as head assistant.
In 2001 Dan Lapierre won four tournaments on the North Atlantic Tour, which used to be well run and highly competitive. It is neither these days following the death of the NAT founder Buddy Young and the meager money up for grabs isn't always paid on time.
Lapierre had about $9,000 in NAT earnings.
"It isn't much but on that tour it's like a million dollars," Lapierre said.
While the NAT might not be valid these days, it did offer a competitive arena and Lapierre admits it got his juices flowing.
This year he had hoped to play on the competitive New England Pro Tour, now in its second season and offering $10,000 to tourney winners. But he was counting on sponsorship cash to pay the required $7,000 up front fee and that didn't work.
One sponsor - Town & Country Liquors, Inc. - did come through with a check for $2,500. Had others done the same Lapierre was prepared to give up his club job and try playing for pay.
Now he'll work 20-30 hours a week at SCC and play as big a schedule as money and time will allow.
"I need sponsors more than they need me. I was hoping to play full-time but this will work out. My game has been getting better and better. I'm building up to PGA Tour School and I'll give it three or four years," Lapierre said.
He got his first taste of PGA Tour qualifying last fall near Tampa, Fla., with the help of many SCC members who raised close to half of the $4,000-plus needed for entry fee and expenses.
With Mattson as his caddie ("he wanted to carry the bag but I told him to put it on the cart," Lapierre said) he was even par through 54 holes. But he closed with a 76 to finish at +4 and failed to advance from the first stage.
But he liked the taste.
"I missed some putts. But Harry told me I have the game to get out there. He told me I had to work on my short game and he also told me to get out of the club business," Lapierre said.
So Lapierre is weaning himself from the golf shop.
And in addition to committing to plenty of travel and competition, he's going full-time into marriage.
He and Katarzyna ("Kat') Janczar, a native of Poland, plan to wed on June 2.
Lapierre will play in New England state Opens, about three events on the 10-tournament NEPT, and some other attractive tournaments.
"If you know where to play in the northeast you can count on making some money," Lapierre said.
The first event he's put on his schedule for this season is the Home City Open in May at Veterans Golf Course.
Former Nike Tour player Billy Downes (who will play full-time on the NEPT this season) has had a solid grip on the Home City title for many years.
"He's number one around here. That will give me something to shoot for," Lapierre said.
He is also done with soccer.
He played briefly with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers after high school and was hoping for a shot at finding an MLS roster spot as a forward.
Last year he was a part-time player for the Ludlow Lusitanos.
"I was on the bench, as a sub for a game the night after the first round of the Massachusetts Open. I had shot 72 in the first round.
"They needed me that night so I played and I ran too much. I shot 81 the next day. No more soccer," Lapierre said.
Headcovers and soccer are out. Kat and pro golf are in.
Lapierre is off - ready to follow the sun.
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Golf plays important role in life
A story from 9-11
By CATHERINE FORREST BEIN
September 11, the date of a horrible tragedy. Yes, if it had been caused by an earthquake or some other equally impersonal agent.
The actions of September 11th were a declaration of war but a war wrought by shadow men. These men hide where all nightmares hide.
September 11, 2001 was the day evil took flight.
We all watched or listened in a state of shock. Which one of us didn't revisit a childhood fear that seemed long since dormant or at least banished to the far reaches of our psyche. The images on the television seemed like something from Hollywood, something that couldn't possibly be true but for thousands of our fellow Americans it was much more than that.., it was happening to them.
Most of us will live our lives not being personally touched by such events, not even being brushed by them.., but others will and have.
Recently I met a young man who during the course of every day life had taken a turn toward salvation without even knowing it. Salvation on the golf course. Jay Taylor works for Aon, an insurance Brokerage Company that was located on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center.
Most mornings he would wake up, tune into NBC's Today Show to catch up on the news, have some breakfast, shower, get dressed and catch the 7:20 a.m. train to be in the office by 8:15 a.m.
But on the morning of the 11th he had other plans, he was going to play golf at the TPC at River Highlands in Cromwell. This was an outing that had been planned twice before only to be canceled because of scheduling conflicts and had almost been canceled this third time but Jay was pressed to go because of availability, it had come down to now or never. And for Jay if it hadn't been that morning - the morning of September 11, 2001 - it most probably would have been never.
They had an 8:45 a.m. tee time but had to push it up because of traffic, As Jay and his friend Javier Yturralee, a former coworker in the financial district, approached Hartford it was nearing their original tee time. They speculated on how they would normally be in the office at that time probably wishing that they were instead on the golf course.
When they reached the club house where they were to meet their mutual friend Doug Cole, they heard the news of the first plane crash. Not knowing the actual extent of the damage or what was yet to come, they kept their new tee time. Even after the second plane hit they still thought it was an accident. With little else they could do the three men continued their game. Out on the fairway the air felt different, there were no planes overhead and the birds seemed strangely quiet, no one else was on the course.. The silence was eerie giving their surroundings a surreal, vacuumesque feeling,
The grounds crew knew that Jay worked at the Trade Center and would give the men updates. Jay decided to take some calls and try to place some but when he couldn't get through to any New York numbers, he called his New Jersey branch office and was told that the Pentagon had been hit. This news solidified the underlying fear that this was more than an accident and that war had most likely been declared. When they were on the third hole news of the towers' collapse reached them.
Taking calls from family and friends Jay reassured everyone that he was all right. The men felt strangely safe and buffeted on the golf course and decided to stay and continue the play. Jay couldn't say enough about the crew at the golf course. He related that "They were fantastic", very accommodating and that the "TPC was beautiful".
When the first tower was hit people in the second tower started to evacuate only to be told by Port Authority Security to go back to their offices. It was felt that it would be better to have a contained situation in the building than to have people out on the street where debris was falling. As Jay's telling me this he states that there is no doubt in his mind that he would have gone back up, the second plane hadn't hit yet and he feels that he would have thought it an accident and would have felt safer in his office. He would have acquiesced to the orders of the fire department if the situation had worsened. As he is telling me this I can almost see him doing exactly this and felt relief that he hadn't been there, but anguish for those that had.
When Jay was younger his father had tried to encourage him to take up golf but he had no interest. When he was a freshman in high school Jay signed up for baseball but when he went to the appointed room, there had been a switch and he found himself in the golf meeting room. When he went home his father was very pleased to find out that his son was finally going to play golf. He signed him up for lessons but when that didn't work out, Jay's grandfather, who had been a golf coach at Rutgers University came up from Florida to teach his grandson the game. Jay enjoyed golf throughout high school and took every opportunity that presented itself to go out and play but after his grandfather passed away he lost the desire to play and didn't play all through college.
Jay got his first job in insurance from an acquaintance he had met years before with his dad on the golf course. This man had impressed upon Jay the importance of the game. After 9-11 he called Jay and during the course of their conversation said "I told you golf would be important to your career".
When Jay, Doug and Javier reached the 18th hole they noticed people teeing off on the 1st and because they still didn't know how bad the situation was, this reassured them that things weren't as bad as they could have been, America would recover. After finishing the strangest game of golf they would ever play they returned to the club house. Jay made more phone calls, one to his aunt in New Jersey, who had fielded many calls for him reassuring friends and loved ones that he was all right.
When Jay returned home to Stamford Connecticut that night, he had 45 messages waiting for him on his machine and ended up on the phone until 2:00 a.m. He spoke to one of his superiors at Aon and they discussed the logistics of getting back to work, Jay decided to take one day off to regroup and feels that it had been very therapeutic for him to get back to work as soon as he did. When he arrived at the branch office on Thursday he was relieved to see many of his coworkers, but the void left by those that weren't there was deeply felt. The company conducted a mass memorial at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, honoring the twenty plus employees they lost. Jay feels that Aon management did everything they could to help their employees to get through this, they instituted an employee assistance program which among other things included site counselors.
Jay's secretary, Angie Bridges, had taken her time getting into the office on the morning of the 11th. Because her boss was not going to be in that day she did a few errands first, as a result she didn't arrive at her usual time and was not in the building when the first plane hit.
Jay and his coworkers had felt a sense of pride working at the Trade Center and although talk of the vulnerability of the land mark to terrorist attacks was commonplace, no one really dwelled on it. It was felt that the magnitude of the fire power needed to bring it down was what made it safe. Security at the towers was extensive and reassuring to those that worked there.
During all this Jay had someone very special to help him, his girlfriend Kristen. Jay and Kristen met while out with their respective friends and through Jay's persistence got the pretty, young girl to give him her phone number. Even though Kristen lives in Enfield and Jay in Stamford their long distance romance has been going strong for over a year. Kristen knew that Jay was playing golf that morning, had even spoken to him about it the night before and was confident that he was o.k. Jay now has carte blanche as far as golf is concerned.
When asked by his company about personal possession loss assessment, Jay automatically thought about his prized collection - golf balls from each of the TPC courses, that he had mounted on a plaque and displayed with pride on his desk. They had been a great conversation piece and he has since been looking on eBay in the hope to replace some of them. But these few possessions he has lost are not his focus of that terrible day. Time and the love of family and friends will help heal the wounds.
On that horrible day many precious lights were extinguished but as I looked at this articulate, handsome, intelligent young man - this beacon of hope for the future that stills shines, I was grateful for golf. Grateful that he's sitting here with his girlfriend by his side who has a smile in her eyes instead of tears.
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Letter from the editor
It looks like the 2002 golf season will be one of the best on record. Several area courses have been open since March. Last year was just the opposite when most courses were closed in early April. Several local pros have changed jobs with Bill Kubinski and E.J. Altobelli graduating to head pro positions. Bob Mucha is now at Shaker Farms with Tom Miron moving to Crestview. Rob Berube is out at Hampden, Bill Tragakis is in.
There are several new tournaments on the schedule. The CT Section PGA will be running the Western Mass Open, combining amateurs and pros May 20th -21st. Wayne Leal, second year pro at Ledges in South Hadley has revived the Western Mass Team Championship also slated for May. Edgewood and Chicopee will host separate tournaments geared specifically for seniors.
It is good to see The Golf Course at Cold Springs back on line. New owner Bob Grenier of 4-B Construction hopes to have 9 holes open by August. We are told memberships will be honored by the new owner. Our good friend Jim Casagrande will play a major role in the day to day operations of the club.
Members at the C.C. of Wilbraham will get to play 18 different holes for the first time this summer at the private club.
Hopefully the town of Ludlow can keep politics off their free course. They could use a few friendly starters to keep visitors coming back.
Environmental Landscape Management will be making major improvements to Shaker Farms C.C. that all members at that club deserve. New carts have been purchased and extensive work is underway.
April 14th starts the tournament schedule with an open 2-ball at Tekoa C.C. The course is in great shape for this early in the season.
The Blandford Club will be accepting tee times for open play up to Memorial Day, so if you have not played the course, now is the time.
The golf show on WNNZ starring Cindy Johnson and Steve Delnickas will begin on April 6th. The show can be heard Saturday mornings beginning at 10:00am.
Western Mass Golf Magazine welcomes Burke Beverage, Phipps Liquors, and Healthsouth as new corporate sponsors for the 2002 golf season.
The official start of the Western Mass Golf season is at the Tee Party slated for April 25th at Oak Ridge GC in Feeding Hills. Congratulations to Mike Grigely of Edgewood, this year's Tee Party Honoree.
Have a great season,
Jay |
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April Issue | June Issue | July Issue | August Issue | September Issue |
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