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Worthington Golf Club By Steve Magargal
During the Reagan Administration, the entrance to Ridge Road and the Worthington Golf Club appeared more like a state police outpost than a country club. The locals all knew this meant George Schultz was playing the scenic 9 hole layout, while visitors were stalled as the troopers blocked both ends of Ridge Road and asked everyone for name, rank and serial number! Worthington's most famous member was also Secretary of the Treasury under Nixon. It was during that tenure he gave the club a dollar bill with the serial number of 1904, the founding year of the Worthington Golf Club. George Schultz's memberships have included such lofty layouts as San Francisco Golf Club, Stanford, Cyprus Point, Taconic, Burning Tree and of course Worthington. The Golfing Toski families have all graced the porch at Worthington Golf Club. Bob, Jack, Ben and Tom have all played the old nine while giving lessons on golf and life in the lounge overlooking the fields and hills in the distance. James Kirkham, Will Niel, Fred Weber and Harry lapham founded the club in 1904. The original layout was less than 2000 yards and ran over the area now known as holes 1-6 while also covering some of the terrain near the current clubhouse. The current layout has remained basically untouched since the 1930's. Minor changes and reconstructions have occurred but the routing of holes and the smallish greens have been played and replayed since then. In the early 1970's, then Superintendent Leland "Babe" Smith (who was also club champion) built the bunker left of #2. In 1983 the 2nd green was rebuilt by Peter Bacon of Wyantenuck C.C. to its current "upside down saucer shape" so as to shed the ice build up we see every year here. In 1983 the sand bunker surrounding the "old hump" on #9 was built by Bacon, as was the putting green and the extension on the back of the eighth green. The back of the 8th green was actually the old putting green until Bacon joined the two to create the current two tiered monster. The new 15th hole was added in the late 1980's along with the small bunkers short and left of the 8th green and off the apron right of #8. The current layout of 10 holes provides quite a challenge to all, even the low handicapper, but people always remember the greens. Putts that break up hill, putts that don't break, putts that break 10 feet. The greens here are as challenging as any in Western Mass. With out of bounds right on both #1 and #2 a slight fade off either tee can make double double starts common. The dogleg right 3rd hole is also trouble right, so slicing tee shots are punished severely in the 1st 3 holes. The uphill 4th with its sloping side hill lies and elevated green provides no relief for any wayward shots. Hole #5 has been called d the hardest par 3 in Western Mass. At 204 it requires a long accurate iron to a pinhead on green that won't hold and is protected by a bunker on the high side. A downhill and between trees #6 is unique in style and design with deep bunkers in front and a green that slopes severely away. The par 5, 7th has been called the best par 5 that no one plays. Ralph's Creek is the only water hazard in play at Worthington Golf Club and the sloping green has putts that will break over 10 feet. The dogleg left #8 is the highest hole in the state and also the biggest green on the course. Finishing at the par 3, 9th the smallish green has great sloping pin placements and from the back tees a 185 yards presents a great finishing hole. Two trips around change a bit. With various tee placements #5 changes to a par 4, #6 changes to play the "new" 15th hole, #7 is shortened 40 yards and #8 is played from a forward tee as a par 4. Played this way the course gives you a different look and provides a strong test in finishing up a round at Worthington. Worthington GC, Ridge Road Worthington, MA, (413) 238-4464 Club Pro: Mark Duane, PGA Directions: Take I-91 North to Northampton. Follow Route 9 North to Route 143 and continue to Worthington Center, take Buffinton Hill to Ridge Road.

Connecticut ______________ SECTION NEWS Madison CC wins Mohegan Sun Pro-Am Series event at Springfield CC
Madison Country Club, of Madison, Conn., won the team competition of the Heritage Creations Mohegan Sun Pro-Am Series Tournament at Springfield Country Club. Led by Golf Professional Mickey Hawkes and his amateur partners Chris Rotormund, Mac Dolan and Dale Sweitzer the team scored a combined team net and gross score of 123 to win by 1 stroke over Edgewood Golf Course, Elmcrest Country Club and Brownson Country Club at 124. The winning team qualifies for the 2003 Mohegan Sun Pro-Am Series Tournament of Champions and wins gifts certificates from Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse Restaurant, located at Mohegan Sun. Bill Mackedon, playing for Clinton Country Club, of Clinton, Conn., won the individual professionaldivision with a score of five under par, 67, and collected $358.00 for his victory. Mike Carney, playing for Watertown Golf Course, of Watertown, Conn. scored the lowest of the senior professionals competing with a score of even par, 72, and collected $160.00. Grigely and Finnie of Edgewood G.C. Crowned Pro-Assistant Champions At the Pro-Assistant Championship Jim Hanlon won first place of the Long Drive Contest with a 307 yard drive. Jeff DelRosso came in second with 302 yards and Mike Zaranek in third with 301 yards. BERNARDSTON, MASS. – It took over ten hours, but the wait was worth it for the Edgewood Golf Course team of head professional Mike Grigely and assistant professional Joe Finnie. Grigely and Finnie emerged victorious in the 2002 Connecticut PGA Pro-Assistant Championship at Crumpin-Fox Club when the former sank an 8-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole in a sudden death playoff. Edgewood and the Watertown Country Club team of Mike Carney and Ian Marshall finished with 5-under par 67’s at the end of regulation at 6:45 PM. The starting field of 55 team of PGA golf professionals and their assistants began play at 10:00 AM, but play was suspended after 15 holes at 2:05 PM for three hours due to a severe thunder and lightening storm that swept through Western Massachusetts. When play was suspended, Watertown held the lead byone over Edgewood. Finishing tied for third at 4-under par 68, were Longmeadow Country Club and Tower Ridge. The 2002 Pro-Assistant Championship was presented by AHead Headgear and Venture Vehicle, the exclusive distributor of Yamaha Golf Car in New England. Springfield CC wins Mohegan Sun Pro-Am Series event Springfield C.C. team captures Mohegan Sun Pro-AM SIMSBURY, Conn. – Springfield Country Club of W. Springfield, Mass., won the team competition of the Mohegan Sun Pro-Am Series Tournament at Hop Meadow Country Club. Led by Golf Professional Bart McCarthy, and his female amateur partners Roe Stocks, Debbie Chabot, Chris Caney scored a combined net and gross score of 127 to win by one stroke over Norwich Golf Course and Oak Lane Country Club. The winning team qualifies for the 2003 Mohegan Sun Pro-Am Series Tournament of Champions and wins gifts certificates from Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse Restaurant, located at Mohegan Sun. John Paesani, playing for the Norwich Golf Course of Norwich, Conn., won the individual professional division with a score of three under par, 69, and collected $412.00 for his victory. Jack McConachie, playing for Pine Valley Country Club of Southington, Conn. scored the lowest of the senior professionals competing with a score of one over par, 73, and collected $160.00.
DOWN THE FAIRWAYS/By Steve Kelly
Mahoney on top in WMass Amateur David Mahoney, 52, of Wilbraham wanted to see if he could grab one of the top three places in the senior division of the Joe Pagos Western Massachusetts Amateur at Elmcrest Country Club. He actually did that. But you won't find his name listed among the seniors. That's because the Braintree native won the tournament in a playoff against Tele Wightman of Chicopee. So look for Mahoney's name on the regular trophy. "It's certainly the biggest win I've had in the last ten years. I entered on Wednesday (the day before the Aug. 8 event) and I really didn't expect to do much. I haven't been playing," Mahoney said. He and his wife, Stephanie recently started a screen printing business and with her blessing he entered the tourney. After he took bogies on the opening two holes the former Elmcrest CC member said he thought he should probably have stayed home and put in a full day working on putting images on T-shirts. Now maybe he can make a few that say "Western Mass. Amateur Champ". Mahoney, who now plays at Franconia GC, shot an even par 70 then won a two-hole playoff against Wightman when he knocked a "123-yard, nine-iron shot" to within a few inches of the hole on No. 2. "It was eight, maybe six inches. Tele missed about a 30-footer then said he'd like to give me mine. But I felt pretty comfortable from that range," Mahoney joked. Mahoney, who once won the Elmcrest four-ball title with Dick Murphy, was living and playing his golf in Iowa prior to relocating to Wilbraham in 1994 and said he tried to win the club championship at Elmcrest but kept losing to Jack Kearney. Earlier this season Mahoney tied for fourth with 72 in the Greenfield Singles. Kearney, who twice won the Western Mass. Amateur title, shared third at 71 with Al Alminas. They are both Elmcrest members. Chris Burke of West Springfield, Paul Couture of Pleasant Valley CC and Peter Gordon of The Orchards GC were in at 72. Gordon was the winner in the Senior Division followed by Alistair Catto of The Orchards and Jim Ruschioni of Oak Hill, both at 74. Dean Godek of Agawam shot rounds of 73-70, 143 to tie for the top spot in the Massachusetts Public Links Championship at New England Country Club in Bellingham. Godek then lost in a playoff against Gary Fornari of Beverly. Fornari's par won on the first extra hole. Chris Rousseau of Oak Ridge GC tied for 36th at 159 and Tim Skorka of Franconia tied for 44th at 161 . . . . Alistair Catto of the Orchards GC had six birdies and three bogeys in posting a 3-under 67 to win the Worthington Singles for the second time. It was his first title as a 50-year-old. Earlier this season he tied for the top spot in the Greenfield Open with a 3-under 69 then lost the title to Gary Burt on a match of cards. Catto also tied for 17th in the Ouimet tourney at three Boston-area courses. He shot 78-73-76, 227 at Belmont, Wellesley and Woodland. Bonnie Catto, the other half of the golfing clan, made it to the quarterfinals of the WGAM Association Championship at Wyantenuck. She defeated Cheryl Krueger, a clubmate at the Orchards and then edged Mary Gale of Worcester in 19 holes before losing to Briana Vega. Teenager Kelly Robb was the winner. CHIP SHOTS - Elmcrest deserves credit for starting it's senior division at age 50 instead of the silly 55 used by the Mass.Golf Association and United States Golf Association . . . . Wightman was 1-under until a bogey at the 18th hole . . . . Tony Kelley, head pro at Wyckoff CC, finished in a tie for 36th in the 68th Connecticut Open played at New Haven CC. Kelley had rounds of 70-77-73, 220 on the par 70 layout and he earned $340. Wayne Leal, head pro at Ledges GC in South Hadley, tied for 48th and earned $276.67 with scores of 72-79-73, 224. James St. Pierre of Woodbridge shot 7-under 203 to claim the $8,000 top prize after a seven-hole playoff against Frank Bensel of Century. Amateur Jerry Courville Jr.of Shorehaven was third at 204 . . . . The Massachusetts Women's Open is scheduled for Aug. 21-22 at Hyannis GC on Cape Cod but defending champ Hope Kelley may not be there. The former head pro at Futures Tour stop Blue Fox Run in Avon, Conn., is currently serving as Canadian rookie Angela Buzminski's caddie on the LPGA Tour and the Mass. Open conflicts with the LPGA's Betsy King event . . . . Derek Hurwitz of Longmeadow shot 73-73, 146 to share fourth in the 16-17 division of a PGA Junior Series event at Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine . . . . Ed Budz of Williamstown was the only Western Mass. player to grab anything at the U. S. Amateur qualifier at Wyantenuck. He shot 77-69, 146 and at 6-over took the fourth alternate spot for the event to be played later this month at famed Oakland Hills in Bloomfield, Mich. David Hayes (74-70) of Menards, N.Y., Paul Heffernan Jr. (77-67) of Wellesley and Steve Shafer (74-71) of Port Orange, Fla., took the three berths. Shafer got in after a four-way playoff . . . . Deb Patten and Lynn Oberbillig, both members at Hickory Ridge CC, teamed to shoot 74-73, 147 (3-over) to win the annual Orchards Women's Invitational at the Orchards GC. Patten put a stamp on the win on day two with a birdie at the par-3 17th and a nice par on the long 18th. Oberbillig was a late sub and a solid contributor. It was their first overall title in the event but in 1993 they won the first flight. They had seven birdies over two days.

Fit for what? By Bob Reed
Despite the current interest in physical fitness, many people still question the need for golfers to focus on general fitness activities (aerobics, strengthening, stretching, etc). “I don’t run the course” or “Once my bag is on the cart, I’m not lifting very much” they say. Their focus is on the skill and technique of various shots in order to improve their game and lower their score. Of course it is true that practicing your swing, stance, set up, chipping, putting, etc. can result in a better technique and a better game. But all of these activities, and your game of golf, require a level of physical exertion that your body must be ready for. If you don’t have enough endurance, strength or flexibility, then sooner or later, you see the result in fatigue, forced shots or lowered concentration; which can lead to a poor round of golf or even an injury. Think of your level of physical fitness (endurance, strength and flexibility) as your total level of activity tolerance stored up in a box (your body). Now, think of all the things you have to do during the day (work, home chores, school, etc.) then think of all the things you want to do during the day (GOLF). All of these activities require you to reach into your storage box and take out some of your activity tolerance. If you don’t have enough activity tolerance stored up (fitness) then your storage box (your body) will be empty pretty quick (fatigue). Once you hit that fatigue level, your performance will suffer. And, the less activity tolerance you have stored up, the sooner you will hit your fatigue level. The higher your level of stored activity tolerance (fitness), the higher your resistance to fatigue. In general, there isn’t much you can do to lower your daily activity level. There many things you must do each day that use up some of your activity tolerance. So, if you can’t do much to reduce what you must do, then the next step is to increase your stored up activity tolerance (fitness level) so you can better manage all you have to do; and have enough left over for golf. This you can do through a regular program of exercise. Your program should include some aerobic activity (exercise walking, running, biking, aerobics class, swimming, etc.), some strengthening activity (weight machines, free weights, body resistance training, etc), and some flexibility/stretching activity. Focusing on leg and hip flexibility as well as back, abdominal and arm strength can help your game. If you don’t know where to start, seek help from a qualified fitness professional, or physical therapist.
Berkshire Red Cross 2002 Golf Classic Bill Casper featured guest
PITTSFIELD - The tenth annual Berkshire Red Cross Golf Classic will be held on Monday, August 26th, at the Country Club of Pittsfield. Registration will begin at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch at 11:30 am. Corporate sponsors are Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts, BerkshireBank, Health New England, Country Curtains/The Red Lion Inn, Guardian, Johnson Ford Lincoln, Mercury, Inc. and Price Chopper. The co-chairman of this year's Golf Classic are Ernest Sagalyn and Joseph Furgal. Other committee members include: Mary Broderick, Greg Coscia, John Davidson, Fran Hearon, Cy Henry Jr., Raymond Kushi and Sandra Walters. Our featured guest this year will be PGA golfer Billy Casper. Billy was the PGA player of the year in 1966 and 1970, the 1959 and 1966 U.S. Open Champion and the Masters Champion in 1970. He is also a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and the PGA Hall of Fame. Since the beginning of the Berkshire Red Cross Golf Classic in 1993, approximately $307, 000 has been raised for our local Berkshire Red Cross programs and services that residents of Berkshire Country have come to rely on. Everyone is invited to participate either individually or as a team. The entry fee is $200.00 per person and includes: green and cart fees, prizes, lunch, refreshments on the course, professional golf demonstration, a commemorative gift, awards dinner, a team photo with Billy Casper and a chance to win a 2002 automobile. Call the Chapter House to purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of three great trips. Tickets are $50.00 each. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Mary Eberwein (413) 442-1506 or Joe Furgal (413) 243-3320 or stop by the Chapter House at 480 West Street Pittsfield.

Pistol Creek - The Murfield of New England By Dr. T.J. Tomasi Director of Golf, Pistol Creek Golf Club Pistol Creek is the newest 18-hole championship golf course, located in the geographical center of Connecticut. It has opened to rave reviews from serious golfers who enjoy the challenge this 6,586-yard course presents from all tees. With a 136 slope and 72.2 rating, smart golf is the key at Pistol Creek. When you play Pistol Creek you must maneuver the ball and play smart golf much as you should at Murfield in Scotland. If you watched the best players in the world play Murfield in the British Open, you saw a clinic on how to maneuver your ball around a golf course. The pros hit irons off many of the par fours and even some par fives. They exercised self-discipline, only attacking when the pin was accessible. Most times the greatest players in the world played for the center of the green with care not to miss on the same side as the flag was located. The key at Murfield, and at Pistol Creek, is to keep it in the short grass, miss it on the correct side of the green and bide your time. To play any great course you must think your way around instead of beat your way around. This involves knowing your strengths and weaknesses as well as controlling your emotions. It is “Scoring Golf” versus “Spectacular Golf,” and the two are very different. Spectacular Golf The object of “Spectacular Golf” is to hit heroic shots and attack the course regardless of the consequences. You don't keep score because you expect sensational shots and daring recoveries, sprinkled with disasters. It's a good game if you understand its evaluation system: spectacular results. You announce “Spectacular Golf” on the first tee and you prepare yourself to not be upset by bad breaks, high scores and lost balls. They are as much a part of “Spectacular Golf” as getting wet is a part of swimming. This is a fun game to play as long as you don't run out of balls, but it is not Scoring Golf. Unfortunately, most golfers play “Spectacular Golf” without realizing it. They mix the crash-and-burn strategies of “Spectacular Golf” with the evaluation system of Scoring Golf. When their scorecard ends up with more X's than a bowling sheet, they berate the golf course for being unfair. Scoring Golf If you want to play “Scoring Golf” at Pistol Creek, you need to use both the strategies and an evaluation system germane to that game. Scoring Golf is a game of strategy. Your shot selection is based on your current on-course ability, the conditions [wind, pin positions, hazard locations, rain etc.] and the circumstances of play; is it match or medal, early or late in the round, is your opponent in the weeds or next to the pin? “Scoring Golf” is also a game of position. As you progress from the tee, where by rule, all positions are equal, you either increase or decrease your positional advantage until you hole out -- the ultimate positional advantage. A great player develops a plan and maneuvers the ball to favorable positions around the course just as the good billiard player controls the cue ball to run the table. Thus there is only one strategy for Scoring Golf – POSITION – and those who consistently gain positional advantage consistently score well. Unfortunately, “Scoring Golf” is a game unfamiliar to many. Most golfers want to hit driver off every tee, shoot for every pin and charge every chip. Golfers can get away with "Spectacular Golf" at many courses that have been "easied uped" by the architect. However, Pistol Creek is like Murfield - there is a penalty for foolish golf. Bluntly stated, you better play tour-smart golf or you'll run out of balls. Your Most Important Choice of the Round at Pistol Creek Your Strength and Weakness Profile can help you choose the correct tees at Pistol Creek. When you play from the wrong tees the course is more difficult than the architect intended, so don't get mad when it is you who has over matched yourself. By choosing the wrong tees you have turned most of your strengths into weaknesses. Enjoying Pistol Creek is all about matchups - what you can do and what you'll be asked to do. Play from the forward tees and you'll have a good time - play from the blues, and unless you can really golf your ball, you'll find out why they call them "the blues."
His First Love Was Soccer By Jim Cline
Dan Lapierre grew up a soccer player. Sure, he played other sports, golf being one of them, but soccer was what occupied his time every day after school and he says it was pretty much what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Then came the injuries. A couple of broken ankles and a broken leg slowed things down considerably. He did go to Florida to train with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers for a few months and he got invited to the Major League Soccer combine the year they were starting. But it didn’t work out and Dan decided to call it a career and come back to the Pioneer Valley and go to college. He had a few months to kill before school and heard Harry Mattson was hiring at the Springfield Country Club and took a job washing clubs in the bagroom. That job was supposed to get him thru the summer. He’s still there, as an assistant pro. And he’s playing golf for a living. He still doesn’t have a real job. "This is definitely a real job," Dan says, "but in the golf world that’s what they call it, when you go to a golf course every day and play golf. They tease you about it." So how does it feel to play golf for a living? He likes to think it’s the best office in the world. He says he’s been lucky this year. The head pro at Springfield, Ed Twohig Jr., and his brother Dave and the other assistants at the club have been picking up most of the slack so he’s been able to practice and work on his game full-time. Full-time means 40 or 50 hours a week, just like any other job. He wakes up and goes to the gym and then hits balls for 4 or 5 hours, depending on the schedule. When he’s at tournaments he doesn’t practice quite as much but there’s always some aspect of the game that needs to be addressed. He has been playing on the New England Pro Tour, which is in its second year. He says it’s run very professionally, and because New England’s such a great place to play in the summer, there are good players in from all over the country. There are ten 3-day tournaments on the schedule. They cut to the low 40 and ties after 36 holes. The competition can be pretty stiff. Dan says of the 75 guys who play in the tournaments, about forty or fifty can win any week. It’s all pretty new playing full-time against the guys who have been playing full-time for many years, but Dan feels he‘s making progress. There have been a few surprises this summer. The Western Mass Open at The Ranch was one. He says he wasn’t really in the tournament the first day and a half but he started to play a little better on the back 9 on Tuesday. He luckily birdied the last 3 holes and won by 2. He won a North Atlantic tour event the next day, finished third in the Providence Open later that week, and was back in Springfield on Sunday for the Home City Open, where he finished second. He says once you win, even if you play your local course, your confidence gets a boost for the next time out. Riding that confidence goes a long way in this game. The Mass Open at the Longmeadow Country Club wound up being one of his worst finishes. He says it was the first time he made the cut. The past couple of years the Mass Open has been played right after the Springfield Country Club’s big 4-ball, so he’s pretty tired and hasn’t played well. So he was happy to make the cut and he played solid the first two days but the last round let him down a bit. He’s used to playing one and two-day tournaments. Three days of competitive golf is a lot, physically and mentally and he’s still adapting. What he’s learned this summer is you have to keep working. You have to pay your dues hoping that one day it will pay off. The payoff would be making it on a bigger tour, like the Buy.com or even better, the PGA. Dan went to Q-school for the first time last fall. He wanted to see where he was in his game and what he needed to work on this summer. He shot 4 over par for 4 rounds, and missed the first stage by 6 shots. "I didn’t get blown out of the water," he says, "I didn’t play great but it showed me what I needed to work on. I’m planning on going back in October to try it again."

Three giants and a little lady
The Tournament of Giants long drive contest was held recently at the CC of Greenfield. Past winners Brodie Conant (6'4") and Jay Nomakeo (6'7") were present, but the attention soon shifted to Greenfield assistant pro, Kevin Piecuch. Piecuch, several inches shy of the 6' mark, put on a show. He blasted four consecutive drives of 350 yds. or more with the final drive coming to rest at 363 yds. 2 ft. "I was on a roll" said Piecuch, after the competition. He could only wait as the competitors fell one by one. Jay Nomakeo came the closest at 362 yds. and not far behind was Colin Hanley at 357 yds. Colin with a personal best of 365 yd. drive, has won 2 Cadillac Invitational Long Drive Competitions. Piecuch's winning drive of 362 yds. 2 ft. set the tournament record beating out Josh Hillman's old record of 360 yds.
Wyckoff Country Club Western Mass PGA Pro – Senior Thursday August 8, 2002 Team Gross 62 Frank Leja Frank Leja Sr. Bill Skiba Dave Lambert	Wyckoff CC 4-Ball July 22, 2002 Chris Burke and Chris Ferriter combined to win the 2002 Wyckoff CC 4-Ball which concluded on Sunday. They defeated Mark Keser and Keith Orlen in the finals and the team of Wojtowicz/Leal in the semi-finals.

Tekoa CC club champs crowned
By E.J. Altobello The Tekoa Country Club Club Championship was held Sunday August 4 and Sunday, August 11. Robert Wichowski made up a two shot deficit during the final round to edge 14 year old Joseph Meagher by one shot. The turning point came on the Par 5, 12th hole. Wichowski pulled his tee shot left into the pines, got a fortunate bounce back into play and managed a par. Meagher hit two good shots, chipped on and then three putted his fourth green of the day to give Wichowski a four shot lead heading into the final six holes. Both players two putted 13 for par. Meagher then hit a drive and a three wood to five feet on the Par 5 14th and made eagle to cut the lead to two shots. Both players missed 10 foot birdie putts on 15. Meagher also had birdie chances on 16 and 17. Then a 10 foot, downhill, left-to-right birdied chance on 18 to force a playoff, when that slid by Wichowski had secured his second club championship in as many years. On the net side Rick Olszewski shot a career best 73 second round to secure the Net Club Championship by 10 shots. Olszewski's final round included an even par front nine highlighted by birdies on Holes 4 and 8. The Senior Club Championship was won by George Paiva, who also happens to be the Course Record holder, Jim Crean gave Paiva a match until the final four holes when Paiva took over. FINAL RESULTS TEKOA C.C. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP Sunday, Aug. 4 and Sunday, Aug. 11, 2002 GROSS DIVISION 1 Robert Wichowski 73-74 147$100.00 2 Joseph Meagher 73-75 148 $60.00 3 Nick Petrangelo 77-77 154 $40.00 NET DIVISION 1 Rick Olszewski 66-59 125$100.00 2 George Paiva 68-67 135 $60.00 Tie 3rd Gary Thomas 70-66 136 $20.00 Bill Crean 67-69 136 $20.00 SENIOR DIVISION LOW GROSS George Paiva 77-76 153 $50.00 LOW NET Bill Crean 67-69 136 $50.00		Nick Petrangelo won the Tekoa Junior Club Championship in fine style on Monday August 12, 2002. His 73 included 5 birdies and a double-bogey, bogey finish on #17 and #18. With that win Nick Petrangelo has qualified to play in the Junior Tournament of Champions at Fox Hopyard in Haddam, CT. Petrangelo will be only the third player from Western Massachusetts to qualify. Ryan Gaw finished second with a score of 78. Final Results Ages 13-17 Nick Petrangelo 73 Ryan Gaw 78 Zack Lapponese 84 Greg Strattner 85 Sean Henry 86 Jeremy Rogalski 87 Ages 10-12 Nine Holes Evan Walkwitz 44 Andrew Sullivan 47 Kevin Rewinski 48 Conner Murphy 54 Andrew Brennan 55
New England Junior Invitational August 18-20, 2002 Agawam Hunt (Rumford, RI) Individual Results: 1 Jesse Speirs (Maine) 70-66--136 2 Shawn Warren (Maine) 69-71--140 3 Jesse Larson (Vermont) 72-71--143 3 Andrew Resmini (Rhode Island ) 70-73--143 5 Chris Gehling (New Hampshire) 74-71--145 6 Jeffery Busnarda (Connecticut) 75-72--147 6 Mathew Giftos (New Hampshire) 73-74--147 6 Corey Lomas (Connecticut) 75-72--147 6 KJ Camera (Connecticut) 72-75--147 10 Brad Valois (Rhode Island ) 71-78--149 11 Corey Jozefiak (Vermont) 74-76-150 11 Brendan Mahoney (Mass.) 79-71--150 11 Steven Velardi (Connecticut) 73-77--150 14 Keith Godfrey (Vermont) 77-74--151 14 Joe Baker (Maine) 77-74--151 14 Chris Woodward (Maine) 72-79--151 17 Todd Brown (New Hampshire) 75-77--152 18 Drew Harker (Rhode Island ) 79-74--153 18 Matt Heath (New Hampshire) 76-77--153 20 Keegan Bradley (Vermont) 73-81--154 20 Brent Paladino (Connecticut) 78-76--154 22 Robert Reed (Vermont) 80-75--155 23 Peter Uihlein (Massachusetts) 77-79--156 23 Ryan Lynde (New Hampshire) 74-82--156 23 Masyuki Kobayashi (Conn.) 80-76--156 26 Joey St. Laurent (New Hampshire) 73-84--157 26 Daniel Mollicone (Rhode Island ) 82-75--157 26 Mark Purrington (Massachusetts) 79-78--157 29 Scott Stachelek (Rhode Island ) 77-81--158 30 Sam Chud (Massachusetts) 76-83--159 31 Andrew Clark (Rhode Island ) 77-83--160 31 Trevor Murphy (Vermont) 85-75--160 31 Jeff Bouchard (Maine) 80-80--160 34 Paul Burke (Massachusetts) 86-75--161 35 Jay Driscoll (Massachusetts) 82-81--163 36 Scott Barnicle (Maine) 82-82--164
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Head pro at the Ledges G.C., Wayne Leal and his brother Rick are headed to Orlando for the finals of the Golfweek/Calloway Pro - scratch 2 ball. Their 7 under 65 at the Ranch Golf Club earned them one of the four spots into the finals. " Rick carried me to victory ", said Wayne of brother Rick's many birdies on the championship layout. The two day tournament in Florida will be played at Champions Gate in early November. _________________________ Ken Langlois scored an early season hole in one on the short 100 yd. 12th hole during the Norm Cloutier 2-ball. A skins game was part of the tournament and its hard to think a hole in one will not stand up. Along comes Birdman (MR Leal) and covers Ken for a wash on the 12th hole. Matt Scytkowski is the club champion at the Ledges Golf Club in South Hadley. The soon to be junior at South Hadley High not only won but set the course record in doing so. Matt scored an impressive 63 in the opening round and followed with a 74 for a two day total of seven under par 137. Congratulations Matt!!! –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dave O'Brien claimed his first ever club championship at Franconia G.C.. Dave's final round 4 under par 67 gave him a two shot cushion over Jim Fontaine. "These were the best scores I have seen in a long time in the club championship," added Pro Dan DiRico on the outstanding play over two days. _________________________________ Bill Skiba won his third consecutive club championship at East Mountain Country Club in Westfield. Robert Wichowski added another club championship to his trophy case by winning again at Tekoa C.C. Robert shot 73 - 74 - 147. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Ken Ross had quite a week playing golf at Franconia in mid July. To say his iron game has improved is an understatement. On July 14th Ken recorded his first ever hole in one on the fifth hole at Franconia. Ken aced the 135 yd. downhill, tough par 3. The next day he knew exactly what iron to hit. His approach landed inches from the cup. On July 17th, just three days later, Ken scored his second hole in one on the same hole. On Saturday July 20th Ken's iron from 85 yds. on the 11th hole at Franconia found the cup for his third eagle of the week. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Kevin Piecuch had quite a run at the Tournament of Giants long drive contest. A string of drives measured 345, 352, and 357 followed by the winning drive of 362 yds. two feet. This was Kevin's personal best. He won by two feet. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Larry McDermott aced the 120 yd.. 16th hole at Longmeadow C.C. August 8th. In a call from WMG Larry promises more golf coverage in the Union News - Sunday Republican. _______________________________ Art Burger,84 bettered his age by shooting 82 on July 26th at Franconia Golf Course.
Here's what's cooking on the WSGT
When you first qualify for the LPGA Tour you are consumed by golf and establishing your career. You're afraid if you take one day, or even one hour off that someone is going to pass you by, so you practice constantly even if you're not really focused on what you are particularly practicing. The tendency is to play too many events, stretch yourself too thin, and pretty much wear yourself out in the first year or two until you settle into a routine. That routine still revolves around the "sun" of your golf game. This was especially true for me. Growing up in a little town in Montana, the biggest tournament I had played in before qualifying for the LPGA Tour was the Montana State Amateur. Suddenly I was on the practice tee warming up with JoAnne Carner and Kathy Whitworth. I was "green" in other ways too. I wasn't experienced in traveling, setting my own schedule of tournaments, or knowing the finer points of dining out all of the time. Let's be honest - I'd never even heard of an artichoke. By the time that you are qualified for, and ready to play, the Women's Senior Golf Tour, life has changed dramatically. You have already established your golf career, for better or worse, and you have learned that balance is important, and that there is more to life than just golf. Some of the things that fit in that "more to life" category are things that are shared by several members of the WSGT. One of them is an appreciation for good food combined with great wines. When you are traveling all the time, and on the golf course either practicing or playing an average of 8 hrs. each day, you learn to look forward to the little pleasures in life, like having a good dinner at night. Not only did several of us learn the locations of the best restaurants in the towns we played tournaments in, we also learned how to finagle the recipes out of the chefs so that we could recreate their specialties in our own homes. Jane Blalock, Shelley Hamlin, Jane Crafter, and I are all very good cooks, and we all have wine cellars or coolers or combinations of both that we are very proud of. I would never turn down an invitation to dinner and an opportunity to raid of the cellar of any of those individuals! My residence for the 20 years that I played the LPGA Tour was Phoenix, and basements are rare there, so I got my first wine cooler, a 40-bottle "starter" model, in the early 1980's. I quickly graduated to a 280-bottle "adult" cooler, and sold my starter set to Shelley Hamlin, who rather quickly graduated herself and turned the beginner cooler over to another golfer, Shirley Furlong, who isn't old enough quite yet to join us on the WSGT. When I moved back to Montana at least part-time two years ago I was happy to discover that the basement keeps wine at almost the perfect temperature and humidity level, so all I had to do was construct a rack to hold the bottles. Hamlin now sports a 350-bottle cooler, Crafter has two that can hold about 300 bottles each, and Blalock uses a cooler in her Boston residence and a beautiful cellar at her new place on Cape Cod. Just as I can remember nearly every golf hole I've ever played in my life, I remember having thick lamb chops combined with a Beringer Cabernet while sitting on the deck overlooking the Charles River one night with Blalock, and diving into a nice shrimp cocktail, sipping an Australian shiraz, and breathing in the aroma of hundreds of orchids on Crafter's patio in Florida. My repertoire of food that I specialize in includes Rigatoni al la Vodka, Thai Grilled Filet Mignon and Southwestern Chicken from friends' recipes that I stayed with in Corning, NY during our tournament there, and Crusty Rack of Lamb cooked in a clay cooker. As you can tell, I'm an equal-opportunity eater! I also make a mean and spicy Devil's Chicken from a recipe that I coerced out of the chef at the old Water Street Grill in Rochester. I'm not much of a desert eater, but I can make Bananas Foster based on my observation of the process at the Blue Horse in Minneapolis. When we're not doing our Julia Child imitations in the kitchen, you might also find a number of us in the middle of a blue-ribbon trout stream. Lori West not only won our last event in Des Moines, but she could probably guide on several rivers in Colorado and Wyoming. Debbie Massey, Allison Finney, Shelley Hamlin, and Janet Anderson were annual visitors to an exclusive fly-fishing camp called Elk Trout near Kremling, CO. Last summer I was on the Thompson River, west of Kalispell, MT, following my fly downstream very quietly, when I heard some noise but couldn't see what was making it. I saw fish breaking the water down at a bend so I continued in that direction, and then heard splashing and saw water rippling as I got closer. I'm saying to myself, "it's probably ducks" just about the time that I peek around the bushes on the bank, and see the largest "MaMa" moose of my life. Needless to say, my little 5-wt. fly rod was giving me no comfort as a weapon, and luckily Mrs. Bullwinkle did not give chase as I noisily removed myself back upstream and out of the area. Once I determined that I was not going to have a heart attack because of fear, I was back fishing the next day. So you see, we golfers aren't always one-dimensional, even if we start out that way. Finding something that you have as much passion for as golf is not always easy, but for many of us, food and wine and fly-fishing have filled the bill.		Alice Ritzman, a twenty year member of the LPGA Tour and now a WSGT player and ESPN commentator, has joined WMG Magazine to add valuable insights for our readers.

Rizzo takes another shot at the LPGA Tour
By Steve Kelly (Patti's caddie) Patti Rizzo, a four-time career winner, was playing her first hole of LPGA Tour competition in three years in her latest comeback attempt. It was mid-April of this year and she was on the par four green in regulation at the Longs Drugs Challenge at Twelve Bridges GC in Lincoln, Calif. Then disaster struck. No, she didn't trip over her putter, fall and break a leg. It was worse. It took Rizzo six more shots to get the ball into the hole and she made an eight. Maybe that putter was lucky to survive. Her second putt on a sloping green trickled past the hole and never stopped. It kept going and going until it had left the green and rolled some 20 yards down a slope and back into the fairway. She took four more shots to hole out, missing a two-footer in the process. "I was so nervous that my hands were shaking," she said. Rizzo, 42, was once one of the brightest names on the LPGA Tour, losing in a playoff as an 18-year-old amateur, then winning four titles between 1983 and 1989. But she had played only two of the last seven seasons after leaving the tour following the birth of her son Seve, 7, and daughter Gabriela, 5. Rizzo did not compete in 2000 or 2001. The road back has not been an easy one. On Jan. 1, 2000 her husband committed suicide with a handgun in the backyard of their Ft.Lauderdale, Fla., home. Rizzo forgot about golf and became a full-time mother . But at the urging of friend Summer Greene, an enthusiastic amateur player, Rizzo went to hit balls and play at the Diplomat in Hallendale Beach, Fla. in December of 2001. There she met instructor Manny Zerman, who became her latest teacher, and after a phone call to the LPGA to discover if she was eligible to compete again, Rizzo was ready to give tour life another go, So, after practicing for weeks, she was ready in April. Or so she thought. That opening eight did nothing for her confidence, which was low anyway, and after two tournaments and two missed cuts she wondered if leaving the kids at home while she was miserable on the road was the right move. A sports shrink told her not to put a time frame on the comeback and let the process play out. Now she can laugh about the eight and after showing a solid line of stroke average improvement (from 80.50 to 74.88) she made her first cut of the season in her eighth start, the Giant Eagle Classic in Vienna, Ohio. It was there that her current caddie (a freelance golf writer) authored a story for an area paper, the Tribune Chronicle, after convincing the sports editor that there was a good story behind Rizzo's comeback. Ironically, the paper chose to run the story on Friday, the day of the opening round in the 54-hole event. "Rizzo back on course" the headline trumpeted. For that day, was she ever. Rizzo shot a 4-under 68, with no bogies and that brought more headlines in Saturday's Ohio papers. She faded a bit but managed to finish tied for 66th and earned $2,125. It was her first tournament payday in a long time. She was back.Sort of. That remains the only cut she's made, though a couple of misses by one shot have been frustrating. It all used to come so easily for Rizzo, a natural athlete who competed in many sports before turning to golf at age 15 after breaking a leg playing tennis. By 18 she was competing on the LPGA Tour as an amateur and lost in that playoff in 1981 after shooting 66 in the final round. She could have become the first amateur to win on the LPGA Tour since JoAnne Carner did it in 1969. In 1982 Rizzo was the LPGA's Rookie of the Year. By 1991 she had the four titles and nearly $1 million in earnings then made a shocking move. Shocking, at least, to the LPGA Tour. She resigned (which by rule she was entitled to do) the LPGA Tour and went to Japan, where she competed full-time in 1992, won three times and was leading money winner. Why would she do that? "I got a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar contract with several Japanese companies. The money was up front. So I did it," Rizzo said. Some Japanese enjoyed her successes with her, others resented her. She was a striking figure on the Japanese tour with blonde hair, long legs and short shorts. And, a long, flowing swing that produced elegant right to left shots. Rizzo had enjoyed the Japanese people and their culture during yearly visits (she has nine career wins in Japan) and in many ways she was a good fit. She has a gentle nature. "I've been told that I don't have the killer instinct in golf. In many ways golf isn't a fair game," she said. She was referring to her up and down short game. Sometimes she was a birdie machine, sometimes she struggled with her chipping and putting. But the swing was always there. "In her prime she could really hit her irons close. She was so solid," said LPGA Tour player Sue Thomas, who is non-exempt this season and serving as a caddie for friend Mitzie Edge. "Oh yes, I like her swing," said LPGA Tour player Pam Kerrigan. "Her long irons were very good and she always posted her left side perfectly," said Penny Hammel, a veteran LPGA Tour player and former college teammate at Miami. So while Rizzo's swing is legendary, so too were some of her practice habits. Like hardly practicing. "I've never had a problem hitting the ball. And I find practice rounds boring," she said. In Japan she often did not play practice rounds, simply walking the courses prior to the competitions. At the Giant Eagle Classic she opened with that 66 despite playing only 13 of the holes (on a course she'd never seen) before the tournament. That 66 could have easily been lower, too. Birdie tries on 17 and 18 lipped out. Rizzo left Japan after that one season and returned to the LPGA Tour. Nothing was ever the same, of course, but she did OK in 1993 and was 49th on the money list. Then came her odd marriage to French soccer player Jacques Depardon, followed by the birth of her son. Rizzo did not play the LPGA Tour from 1994-97. She competed again in 1998 and 1999 before quitting again. "I was being half good as a mother and half good as a player," Rizzo said. She wanted to be a GOOD mother. So that's where she devoted her energy. Investments had left her in a strong financial position and things went well with the kids. Not so well with her affair-happy husband. Rizzo has kicked him out of the house more than once but allowed him to return for the kids' benefit. Then came Jan. 1, 2000. "We had stayed up past midnight to watch the celebrations on TV then I went to bed," Rizzo recalled. At about 2 a.m. she heard a loud noise. "I thought it might be fireworks from people celebrating. Then I thought I'd better check to be sure," Rizzo recalled. "Then my knees buckled when I thought it could be him. He left a note telling me where to find the body (across a fairway behind their house)," Rizzo said. Because the emotionally challenged Depardon had never bonded with the kids they were somewhat spared following the tragic incident. Now, two years later, the Rizzos are a happy clan. This summer Seve, Gabriela and nanny Jackie Ceballos spent several weeks with Patti, seeing the country as they cavorted in an SUV and checked into hotels near interesting attractions while she competed. A couple of years earlier Rizzo has thrown her clubs into the basement of her Ft. Lauderdale home and they had literally become rusty. But with the kids grown enough, Rizzo wanted one more challenge in pro golf. She was once the most promising of young players. Now Rizzo is promising only that she will try hard for the few weeks left in this season and return with vigor in 2003. "This year I'm taking baby steps instead of leaps. But I'm already excited about next year," Rizzo said. "I just wish I had that confidence I used to have." The confidence of youth is gone. But Rizzo has rediscovered her game. And though it's been a long road back, she's in the driver's seat once again.
If back, neck, shoulder pain or tightness is keeping you from that perfect swing, perhaps you should visit the chiropractic office of Dr. Gary Graziano in West Springfield. An avid golfer himself, Dr. Graziano knows how seemingly minor aches and pains can inflate a golf score, and more importantly, he knows how to correct these problems before they become worse. Raised in West Springfield, Dr. Graziano attended public schools. He is a graduate of American International College and Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, Missouri. In his practice, Dr. Graziano treats a wide variety of sports injuries resulting from golf and tennis to the martial arts. He treats injuries from motor vehicle crashes and work related accidents. Dr. Graziano can be reached at (413) 732-1908 and his office is at 1036 Elm Street in West Springfield.
Mark Simons invites all golfers to stop by and try Little George's before their next round of golf. Little George's, famous for ham, is now offering catering, specializing in BBQ's on site. Their catering unit BBQ Blues can handle any size outdoor or indoor function. Leon Simons (Mark's dad) took over Little George's from the original owner George Anamisis 16 years ago. Leon, along with sons Mark and Lee have continued the tradition of great ham and good food. Mark is now the owner and he hopes he can pass on the restaurant duties to his sons Mark Dillon and Brady Michael so he can enjoy an occasional round of golf.

The New Hogan Ball By Jim Cline
The Ben Hogan Company came out with its first golf ball back in 1972. The Hogan balls became quite popular on the PGA Tour, earning more money than any other ball in 1980. But the Hogan company has gone thru several owners in the past twenty years. It was sold to Cosmo World in the late eighties, Bill Goodwin bought it in the early nineties and then sold it to Spalding Sports Worldwide in 1997. What Spalding bought was a very prestigious name in golf, one that had taken a serious dive under Goodwin. Hogan clubs were considered top-notch for years, by many players. Spalding has developed new Hogan irons to be marketed as high-end product. There has not been a wood, or a ball, until now. The folks at Spalding were working on a new Strata ball. They invented a 4-piece urethane covered golf ball with an energy transfer core. . Len Mattiace, Bernhard Langer, Hal Sutton and other players on tour helped design and test this new product. Mattiace was playing a prototype of this wall when he won the Nissan Open in February at the Riviera Country Club. It was called a Strata at that time. The idea of coming out with a Hogan ball again had been in the planning stages for some time. Spalding liked this ball so much, they decided to stick the Hogan name on it. Langer, Mattiace and Sutton are playing it. So is Luke Donald, Craig Parry, Dennis Paulson and Mark Brooks, who has just signed a multi-year agreement with Spalding to play the Hogan product. He‘s playing the Hogan ball, he‘s wearing the Ben Hogan cap, carrying a Hogan bag and playing the Apex forged blades. Now if he starts playing the way he did in 1996 when he won the Bob Hope, the Houston Open and the PGA Championship and finished third on the money list, he’ll have that Hogan name all over the television screen, which is one of the most effective means of moving golf products. Golfers want to play what the pros are playing although that’s not always the wise thing to do. However, in this case, even though the Hogan ball is aimed at the low to mid-handicapper, it is perfectly fine for the high-handicapper. At fifty plus dollars a box, it might not be prudent for the high-handicapper who tends to lose a lot of balls. The Hogan ball is competing against the Titleist Pro V1 that was launched with much success and fanfare over a year ago. The Pro V1 was hard to come by and I’ve watched good golfers choose to hit other balls over water hazards for fear of losing one of their Pro V1’s. When you only have a limited number to hit, you tend to take care of them. Taking its cue from Titleist, Spalding says it will have a limited allocation of its new ball. It will be sold only where other Ben Hogan products are sold. The marketing and advertising campaign started July 12th. The television advertising was right behind, just in time for the British Open. But the best promotion of all occurred right before the launch. Mattiace won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis the last week in June, playing the Ben Hogan Apex Tour golf ball.
Great Battle on the Little Course By John Barry Jr.
In the booming mill town of Adams, Massachusetts in 1899, a few sports minded locals placed tomato cans in the ground and paced off a crude course in the local park to partake in the emerging sport of golf. Less costly and more durable balls, along with more affordable clubs, made the sport more attractive to those who had formerly found the "royal" game too cost prohibitive. Still, it was a pastime for the more well-to-do and in Adams those were the individuals attracted to the game. The next year, on land donated for town use as a park by local industrialist W.B. Plunkett, the "Forest Park Golf Club" was formed. Twenty-four of the more prominent citizens of the town were charter members, including one female, Millie Anthony. Dues were set at $5.00 for the men and caddies, a must for men of means even in those days of small bags, was set at ten cents for the first round of nine holes and five cents for any additional rounds. That first year, professional golfer Alec Findlay arrived at the club as a guest of W.B. Plunkett. On his first time around the course, Findlay lowered the link's record by four strokes. In the afternoon, he played a 27 hole, best ball match against three of the club's best golfers; W. C Plunkett, Theodore Plunkett and E. C. Jenks, winning one-up. A gallery of over 100 spectators watch the match as well as the driving exhibition Findlay gave afterwards, with nearly every drive about 240 yards in length. Before leaving, Findlay would redesign the course, which still retains many of his original ideas. Findlay's changes to the layout, which included lengthening the course and increasing the size of the greens, were completed the following year. In 1902, Findlay would return to play one of the greatest golf matches seen in Western Massachusetts. His opponent would be Willie Anderson. W. C. Plunkett had arranged for professional golfer Willie Anderson, then club professional at the Pittsfield Country Club, to spend a day at Forest Park G.C. Anderson was fresh off his 1901 U. S. Open victory. He would eventually win a total of four Opens, a record shared by Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. Anderson is also the only golfer to win three consecutive U.S. Opens, doing so between 1903 and 1905. Only twenty years of age, Anderson proceeded to lower the new course record to 34 while playing in a steady rain. After the exhibition, it was decided that a challenge match between Anderson and Findlay would be arranged for the following week. The Golfers Scotsman Alex Findlay came to the United States in the early 1880's to manage a cattle ranch in Nebraska. On a cattle ranch he managed, he constructed his first golf course in 1885. Three years later he placed 13th in the 1898 U. S. Open at the Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts and 10th in the next Open, held at the Baltimore Country Club. Findlay was probably best know for bringing Harry Vardon, creator of the Vardon Grip, to the States. Later he became more involved in golf course architecture, constructing and operating courses for the Florida East Coast Railroad. Findlay laid out more than 500 courses in North America and Mexico. He also promoted his own line of wood shafted clubs for Wright & Ditson. Willie Anderson was also a native of Scotland, the son of a greenskeeper. He came to the U.S. in 1895 at the age of fifteen and two years later, at seventeen, he finished second in the U.S. Open. He won the title in 1901 by beating Alex Smith in a playoff at the Myopia Hunt Club. At the end of the tournament, Anderson became angry when he was told the professionals, at that time deemed socially unworthy at many clubs, were not allowed in the clubhouse. Anderson was an extremely serious golfer whose trance-like concentration while playing golf labeled him as a dour individual. Anderson was also unconventional in his style of dress, rejecting the formal attire of the time for a tartan wool cap pulled low, baggy plaid trousers, a plain shirt, a cloth neckerchief, and old tweed jacket. He was most dangerous with the mashie, equivalent to today's five iron. Anderson died in 1910 at the age of 30 from either arteriosclerosis or possibly by heavy drinking. In 1975, he was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame. The Match Findlay, fresh off his recent Mexican Open victory, arrived in Adams from Boston. Over two hundred spectators, including local golf club members from Williamstown, Pittsfield, Lenox and Stockbridge, crowded the small course to view the match. The 18 hole competition began at 2:30 on a Tuesday, July 29th. Both players lived up to their professional billing, with there being "but two 'footies' in driving and both men were excellent on approach." The older Findlay, though a local favorite, was thought by many to be the lesser of the two golfers, giving the youthful Anderson the edge. Though somewhat timeworn, Findlay surprised everyone with his excellent play from the start. Though somewhat timeworn, Findlay surprised everyone with his excellent play from the start. Findlay took an early lead, winning the first two holes, then relied on his putting to give him a one-up lead after the first nine holes. Anderson should have won the 10th hole, but his putt rimmed the cup and the hole was halved. Anderson regrouped to win the next two holes, going one-up with six to play. Findlay would birdie the short par-three 13th to even the match as the pair crossed the road that intersects the course to the 14th. Both of the players hit the green with their approach shots, but could not hold the tiny 14th green. Anderson had the better approach, but his ball rolled onto the nearby dirt bicycle track. Findlay's shot was also on the track, but had a better lie than Anderson and played his third shot two feet from the hole. Since Anderson had a difficult third shot over a small, sloping bank to get to the green, it appeared Findlay had the upper hand in the contest. While spectators pondered Anderson's fate, he once again turned the tide of the match towards himself. Lobbing his shot over the bank, he landing it softly on the green, and this time it held. When it came to a halt, it lay between Findlay's ball and the hole. Findlay was stymied, which meant in those days before balls were marked to give opponents a clear line to the cup while putting, he had to play around Anderson's ball. Findlay not to be out done, "jumped his ball over Mr. Anderson's and it bounded into the hole" to the delight and amazement of the crowd. Anderson managed to halve the hole by sinking his putt. Until 1950, there was no relief unless the two balls lay within six inches of each other. Many scorecards at the time, including those at Forest Park G.C., had stymie gauges measuring six inches printed upon them. When encountering a stymie, the most common technique at the time was for the player to jump over their opponents ball, usually with a 'niblik' or 8 iron. Findlay won the next hole and held the one-up lead to the last hole. Needing only to tie the hole to win the match over the favorite Anderson, Findlay hit his approach shot long, opening the door for Anderson. Findlay finished with a six, while Anderson carded a five to win the hole. It 's what seems to be an appropriate ending between two of golf's early stars, the match ended in a tie. Findlay did gain a bit of satisfaction by lowering the course record, set two weeks prior by Anderson, from 34 to 32 on the par, or as then labeled, bogey 36 front nine. Both golfers ended up shooting a two-under 69. Conclusion Though the course has been improved upon over the last century, many of the original features remain. Walking the fairways at Forest Park in today's world of stadium courses and million dollar purses, recalls the days when golf was simpler and more of a social institution. It's uniqueness, whether the golfer is charmed or disgusted, is unforgettable. It's history is lengthy and, in many instances, surprising. Though the sport of golf has changed dramatically in the last century, little has changed about Forest Park G.C.

Letter from the editor

Its hard not to get excited about the upcoming golf season. After all the snow we have had it was hard to believe we would be playing by April 1st.
Scottish Meadows the newest course to open in Western Mass is shooting for a May 2nd opening.
We are sorry to see Mickey Sanchez leave The Ledges GC, in South Hadley. A class guy who we hope gets picked up in the business soon. Mickey made it a point to seek out and introduce himself to as many local golfers and golf professionals as he could when he first arrived from California.
We would like to thank all the courses who participated in the 2003 calendar. The 2004 calendar is already in production and we urge everyone to send in their tournament dates (info@westernmassgolf.com) for inclusion in the calendar as soon as possible.
Only 15 months to the biggest tournament to hit Western Mass. Bruno Event Management has done a tremendous job and hopes to set an attendance record for the 2004 U.S. Women's Open at The Orchards Golf Club.
The new clubhouse at Berkshire Hills C.C. in Pittsfield continues boon in clubhouse construction. Last year the C.C. of Wilbraham finished its new construction. Its like Major League Baseball where the next park built is better than the previous one. I just hope the beer prices remain the same.
• Its been three days since the opening of golf in Western Mass and no holes in one at Wyckoff C.C.
• Rumors from Ludlow are they are considering a change in the contract of pro Bill Kubinski.  It only makes sense to let the expert run the show.
• Adding an addition at Springfield C.C. is like death, taxes, and assessments.
• Who has better food? The Trading Post in Chicopee or the 19th hole at Chicopee C.C.
• Is there a better Mayor of Golf in the Berkshires than Steve Magargal?.
• Who has the best 11 hole course in the area? None other than Tim Kurty and Mill Valley GL in Belchertown.
• Sand save: Arvid Hill, head professional at Quaboag G.C. in Monson, has taken a leave at the course for 2003 so he can defend the country with the National Guard out of Natick.
• Best kept secret in Western Mass. One of the most successful Executive Women's Golf Association chapters in the country.

Have a great season
Jay

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