Don DeNyse III and his father volunteered at the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black

PAYING FOR WORK, FUN
By Timothy S. Wyld

So, you’ve been thinking about volunteering to work at a professional golf event? Here is the lowdown on how to go about landing that experience and what to expect if you do.

Almost every professional golf tournament relies upon individuals to volunteer their time and yes, cash, to work at an event. For the past two years The Heritage on Hilton Head Island has charged volunteers $100 for a uniform consisting of a shirt, hat, and wind jacket. If you purchased a second shirt to accommodate your four-day shift schedule, it costs another $25. And, if you wanted a discounted pass good for the grounds the entire week for your spouse or loved one, that would be another $75. In total, volunteering for The Heritage this year cost me $200 for the aforementioned items.

In return at The Heritage you generally work four shifts of about six hours each. The hosts provide each volunteer with a lunch pass good for a meal provided by the on-course concessionaire. The lunch consisted of your choice of chili dog, cheeseburger, or a deli meat sandwich, chips, cookies or a candy bar, and a non-alcoholic beverage.

Your assignment depends upon what kind of volunteer work you would like to do, but the majority of volunteers are stationed on the golf course as hole marshals. Some events might organize volunteer BBQ’s and provide discounts on golf or merchandise.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED

If the above still appeals to you, your first step is to search online for the name of the event you would like to volunteer for, i.e. “The Heritage.” Once you find the event’s website, look across the tabs at the top or side of the screen for one labeled “volunteers.” There you will most likely find an application form to print, complete and to mail to the appropriate authority. Make sure you express on the application any experience you have had volunteering or working for golf events and your love of the game. Some tournaments are harder to find a volunteer job for than others, but I’ve worked a men’s U.S. Open, two women’s U.S. Opens, a Champions Tour event, many PGA Tour events and the ladies Future Tour events.

Be prepared to be on your feet, and make sure you protect yourself from the elements and nature. Sunscreens, bug sprays, sun glasses, small binoculars, snacks and a folding chair (if allowed) are invaluable.

AUTOGRAPHS AND CAMERAS

If you want autographs after your shifts are over, bring along a permanent “Sharpie.” Generally, events do not allow players to sign autographs during play of the official event. There are many opportunities however during practice rounds, at the practice areas before the tournament officially begins and after completion of rounds to score your favorite player’s signature.

Be prepared, however, to handle the disappointment of not being able to get the one autograph you really wanted. The players are professionals, take practicing and playing very seriously, and can’t possibly sign enough to please everyone.

The events frown upon camera use except during practice rounds, and most now have “designated cell phone use” areas. Otherwise, your cell phone should be silenced while you volunteer on the course. It helps to be polite and a people person in handling the spectators or patrons. With very few exceptions, golf crowds respond to uniformed officials’ requests to stand still and keep quiet when the lead in is a properly toned “please.”

STEP OUT AND STEP UP

Getting to watch the world’s best perform at their craft up close can be a lasting and memorable experience in many ways. It can take 1,000+ volunteers at each PGA or LPGA event to make things run smoothly. Step out and step up for “the love of the game.”

SITE OF U.S. OPEN QUALIFIER

Editor’s Note: CapitalAreaGolf.com asked for a player’s guide for the site of the regional U.S. Open Qualifier – McGregor Links Country Club in Wilton. It was the site of last year’s state junior tournament. Head pro Tom Oppedisano asked his reigning three-time club champ Dave Huestis to give it a shot.

McGregor Links Country Club is a Devereaux Emmet design that has similarities to last year’s U.S. Open course, Congressional Country Club outside Washington D.C., which is also a Devereaux Emmet design. Both have a finishing par-3 18th hole.

McGregor Links has a USGA course rating of 72.2 and a slope of 134. It’s a par-72, 6,629-yards long.

Click here to watch a video on Youtube.

HUESTIS’ MCGREGOR GUIDE

1. With a wide fairway and a generous green, the opening hole is a short par-5 that offers an excellent chance to begin your round with a birdie.

2. This long par-4 features a demanding tee shot with out of bounds on both sides, and favors a left-to-right ball flight. Leaving your tee shot on the right side of the fairway will provide the best angle into the green. Accuracy is a must on the second shot, with a severely sloping green guarded by bunkers on both sides.

3. A very long par-3 featuring a blind uphill tee shot to a green fronted by bunkers. With a bail out area short and to the right, par is always a good score here.

4. This short par-4 offers a multitude of choices. Hitting driver off the tee requires precision, but a well-placed shot will be rewarded. Some will choose to lay up off the tee, leaving a wedge into a shallow green.

5. A medium-length, downhill par-3. Bailing out right off the tee requires a flop shot to get up-and-down, while missing left will leave a player dealing with a difficult chip.

6. A relatively wide-open tee shot is followed by a blind second. A large green rewards a well executed shot into the green.

7. One of the most challenging and picturesque holes on the course. A tee shot in the fairway is as critical as controlling the distance on your second shot. Bogeys and worse abound in the pot bunker fronting the front right side of the green.

8. A reachable par-5, this hole requires a precise tee shot hugging the corner. A well protected green will reward accurate shots and punish those that veer offline.

9. This straight-away downhill par-4 will leave a short second shot, and is an excellent birdie opportunity to close out the front nine.

10. #10 starts the back-9 with a tight tee shot, with out-of-bounds on both sides. It’s uphill to the green, and shots left short will spin down to the bottom of the hill, leaving a difficult up-and-down.

11. Another long par-3, this green is guarded by a difficult bunker on each side. Par is a great score, and invariably, some large numbers will be made here.

12. Probably the most generous fairway on the golf course, this short par-5 offers an excellent chance at birdie, but requires a well-placed second shot into the large green.

13. Sometimes jokingly referred to as “the most difficult par-5 on the course,” #13 is McGregor’s shortest hole. Miss the green, and you may discover where this holes reputation originated. A well-placed tee shot will offer a chance at a birdie, but there are no gimmies on this green.

14. This medium-length par-4 features a very demanding tee shot into an undulating fairway, and places a premium on accuracy. The green features a false-front, bunkers right and left, and a collection area for shots missed short and right.

15. The longest hole on the course, there are no shortage of ways to play #15. A wide landing area off the tee rewards shots played toward the right side of the fairway, but be careful to avoid the waste bunker and hazard running down the right side of the hole. The third shot requires players to place their shot on the proper quadrant of the green. Good shots are rewarded while poor shots are punished.

16. This tight, straightaway par-4 features a fairway bunker to catch errant tee shots and an elevated green. The green is guarded by bunkers, and falls off on both sides, penalizing errant second shots.

17. This long par-4 features a generous fairway, with the left side leaving the flattest lie for the second shot into a blind green. Look to the circle on the maintenance building for a clue as to where the pin is, and avoid the bunkers fronting this green.

McGregor Links Head Pro Tom Oppedisano

18. A par-3 finishing hole is a frequent Devereux Emmet design feature, and many matches have been decided on McGregor’s 18th hole. Requiring a mid-iron tee shot, #18 is surrounded by bunkers, and sits below the rear patio of the clubhouse. Make a long putt and you will surely get cheered by the crowd.

CapitalAreaGolf.com thanks both Dave Huestis and Tom Oppedisano and wishes everyone to “play well” on Monday, May 14 at the U.S. Open qualifier – and every other time you play the course.

Weekdays – 9 holes $14 to walk, $21 w/cart; 18 holes $23 to walk, $35 w/cart.

Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays: 9 holes $15 to walk, $22 w/cart; 18 holes $24 to walk, $36 w/cart.

Call Rich Duda, Pro shop Manager at 518-258-1350, or click here for more information.

ONE YEAR, $1 DEAL FOR 9-HOLE COURSE

The future of one of the most historic golf courses in Fulton County was up in the air. Membership was down at Pine Brook Golf Club, a private nine-hole facility on South Main Street in Gloversville, and suffered a big hit from the economic woes.

At one point, a letter was sent to the membership (about 90 members) saying Pine Brook was going to close for the 2012 season. New president George Ringland said it would probably take 200 members to get the facility back in operation and pay on its debt. It was going to be a long fight.

On Thursday, April 12, the Pine Brook membership met and voted to lease the course to Blansper Inc., a landscaping company in the area. Don Blanchard, who operates Blansper Inc. along with partner Jim Esper, has managed the restaurant/bar at Pine Brook for three years and will also lease the clubhouse through November.

“It’s a new atmosphere down here,” said Blanchard. “Now it’s open to the public. We’re hoping to pay the bills, just make the place affordable. I was affiliated with Kingsboro Golf (Gloversville) for five years so this is not my first rodeo. I’ve got to put people in the seats. We did it at the Railyard and Kingsboro.”

BLANSPER BUYS IN

For 21 years, Blanchard owned the Railyard restaurant on West Fulton Street in Gloversville but closed it in March. The lease at Pine Brook will run through Oct. 31, 2012 for the price of $1 and Blansper Inc. will have full use of the course including equipment, cart rentals and greens fees.

Blanchard, also a member of the club, didn’t want to see the course deteriorate and offered to mow the grass and keep it in good shape. He discussed this matter with Ringland and shortly after the lease was approved.

Blanchard also points out that having his business, which requires liability insurance, made it easier to cut the grass. If someone else came in they would have to acquire insurance and that would come at a cost.

“I got the course for $1 and that happened just two days before I left for Florida to see my father (Donald Sr.). He’ll be returning to Gloversville in a couple of weeks and I know he’ll be at the course,” said Blanchard. “This place has weathered very well. This place can stay alive but it needs to be supported by the community.”

UPKEEP ON DEBT

To Blanchard, it’s one more item on an already full plate – the landscaping and snowplow business.

“My hands are full,” Blanchard said. “I asked Jim if he would join me in this effort. My mind is open to anything as far as Pine Brook is concerned.

“Carts will be here at the end of the month. I just want people to experience Pine Brook. It would surprise me if I ran the show (after the lease expires). I’m in a one-and-done deal.”

In effect, this gives the Pine Brook Board of Directors and membership time to work on the debt and possibly re-open next year.

“The membership can’t support the debt,” said Ringland. “It was a wrenching decision on the part of everybody to close the course. The goal of getting 200 members may be unrealistic. The Gloversville area has changed immensely. A lot of the leather mills and businesses where owners belonged to the course are gone and so are the waiting lists.”

There was also discussion about the Pine Brook deed. It has to be maintained as a private course and apparently, if it isn’t for one year, it goes to the city of Gloversville.

For now, Blansper Inc. leases the course in hopes that Pine Brook can get back on its feet and continue operations.

PINE BROOK’S PAST

The history of the course goes back to 1923 when it was known as Sir William Johnson Country Club and built on 169 acres.

“Leasing the course to Blansper Inc. is good because they are in the landscaping business and will keep it mowed,” said Ringland. “It’s very positive and this keeps the course open and in good shape. In the meantime, we have to rebuild the membership.”

Years ago, it was a familiar sight to drive past the golf course and see the parking lot located in front filled with cars. Pine Brook also played an integral part in promoting junior golf. Blanchard is open to junior golf and high school golf activity.

For now, the course will operate without a golf pro. Anthony Ondriska held that position until the course closed. Tim Martin will manage the course. The driving range will be open.

Blanchard is offering a deal for golfers: $275 for weekday play and $375 for full membership.

MANY MEMORIES

“This is a difficult time,” said Pam Farhart, who has been a member for 42 years. “I’m happy it’s still going to be open. It gives us time to work on things. The board recommended us to go ahead and lease the course to Blansper. There were hurt feelings among the membership. Don had an interest in Pine Brook with the restaurant and this seemed like a natural move.”

Last May, Pine Brook had a $50,000 mortgage from the Fulton County Economic Development Corp. and borrowed $325,000 from NBT Bank. So, Blanchard and his staff have been busily working on getting Pine Brook open for the season and hopes the community will give it a chance.

“We will do our very best to make this successful,” Blanchard said. “I hope we do well and all the parties involved can sit down with the banks and work out a deal…This course can survive.”

Bob Kennedy, new head pro at Van Patten Golf Course

KENNEDY NEW COURSE PRO
By Mike Collar

It didn’t take long for Bob Kennedy to move up the ladder at Van Patten Golf Course in Clifton Park. After working as an assistant to Head Golf Professional Mike Behan last year, Kennedy finds himself in that position for the 2012 season.
Behan left which prompted management to look in Kennedy’s direction to carry on the duties.

Kennedy is a Class-A member of the PGA of America and the Northeast New York PGA Section. He began his golf career as a caddie at Ekwanok Golf Club in Manchester, Vermont and learned the game from area PGA professionals – developing a passion and knowing he wanted to follow in their footsteps.

KENNEDY’S STEPS

Kennedy worked at several golf courses before becoming head pro at La Cita Country Club in Titusville, FL, a private club, for 10 years. He grew up in the Capital Area and wanted to move back up north to raise and be around his family.

Van Patten is a 27-hole public golf course, known for its wide fairways and fast greens, plus The Vista restaurant for dining pleasure.

“Last year, we had a successful junior program with over 100 junior golfers participating,” Kennedy said. “I would like to grow the program with more introductory programs and have more on the course, play with a pro, classes for juniors wanting more on the course training.”

This summer, every Saturday afternoon, Van Patten will offer a free family clinic and then open the Blue Nine for family golf. All kids play for free with a paying adult.

Additionally, Van Patten has a successful corporate and charity tournament schedule.

“A goal of mine is to raise the level of service for these events,” he said. “We offer customized options for each event. We also offer golfers of all levels an exciting and enjoyable golf experience. With 27 holes, we have more options for golfers. My staff and I are in the entertainment business. We realize golfers have a choice and we want Van Patten to stand out.”

WHAT A PLACE!

I recently gained membership into the Golf Writers Association of America and was pleased to learn that GWAA membership included an invitation to the Annual Business Meeting at Augusta National on the Wednesday of tournament week. After the meeting I was issued a grounds pass for the remainder of the day.

I had been to the Masters in 2003 when I accompanied three friends on a golfing road trip that included a Tuesday practice round. The tournament that year was won by Mike Weir, who beat Len Mattiace in a playoff. Weir was the first Canadian to win a major and the first left-handed golfer to win the Masters. In 2003, we made Columbia, SC, our base of operations. Columbia is located 60 miles (all expressway) from Augusta, GA and has plentiful and affordable golf and hotels.

This time, I had no opportunity to golf, but I did use Columbia again. I left my hotel early Wednesday and set off for the 9:00 a.m. meeting that was held in the new press center. The main room has horseshoe-tiered seating with an amazing TV screen covering the entire front wall. Each individual station has its own mini-television and an outlet for a laptop. The working press does have the best views of the tournament.

NINE YEAR CHANGES

There have been many other changes at Augusta National since I was there. New roads have actually been constructed, or altered, to ease traffic. Washington Road which fronts the main entrance at Magnolia Lane is now one-way in that vicinity during tournament week and all traffic enters and exits using that pattern. Additional free parking areas have also been added. Both do a great deal to improve the flow.

The biggest improvement inside has to be the new practice facility – which is now so much more than a “driving range.” Five rows of stadium-style cushioned seats can accommodate 600 people, and an elevated grass area behind the seats also offers great viewing. The site has a putting green, a large chipping area and a v-shaped formation of pine trees that allow for a variety of shots.

I was fortunate to see Gary Player on the range Wednesday afternoon preparing for his first opportunity to accompany Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in hitting ceremonial first drives. Player hardly looks his 77 years of age. He still does 1,000 sit-ups a day and usually shoots four or five strokes below his age. Player indicated he wanted to hit the longest drive of the three – which he easily did.

HOW AND WHERE TO WATCH

You’ve probably heard it before – but the course really is “more beautiful” than the pictures we see. Everything is perfectly manicured and the fairways and greens are as lush as you can imagine. Being there also allows you to observe those treacherous greens and the overall steepness of the course. Even HDTV doesn’t do it justice.

Viewing a practice round at the Masters is a very pleasant experience. Cameras are allowed during practice rounds and autographs are easy to secure. The players are often laid back and some even banter a bit with patrons. They often drop multiple balls to test a green for future pin placements. I saw Jim Furyk hit a dozen chips from behind the 16th green before finding a way to get the ball close to the pin. If he’s in that position on Sunday, I bet he’ll make par.

The famous 16th hole par-3 is fun as the players follow a custom started years ago of going to the edge of the water and “skipping” the ball across the pond after hitting their tee shots.

I certainly recommend walking Amen Corner (holes 11, 12 & 13). However, you might want to start your day on #10 if you get there early because it will be less crowded at that time. At #12 you will find the shortest hole on the course – Golden Bell – at 155-yards. The swirling wind often causes havoc here. That’s where Tom Weiskopf hit five balls into the water and carded a 13.

John Garrity, in a recent Sports Illustrated article, suggested watching the downhill 6th hole par-3 from the tee box. From there you may pick up some conversation as players wait for the green to clear and then you can observe the shots as they descend to the green. I tried it and it was a good advice.

Wednesday of Masters week also features the par-3 tournament which has been in place since 1960. However, it wasn’t a highlight for me. There are only nine holes in a rather confined area and the viewing was difficult. It didn’t measure up to the spacious grandeur of the main course. This year it was actually stopped early because of a late-afternoon thunderstorm. Padraig Harrington and Jonathan Byrd posted 5-under par – the lowest scores of those who had finished – and were declared co-winners. By the way, no one who has ever won the par-3 championship has ever gone on to capture the Green Jacket in the same year.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

And yes, the food and drink prices are from another time. It is $1.50 for a famous pimento cheese sandwich or a large soda, and $3 for a generous draft beer. However, it’s getting harder to attend the Masters these days. Tickets for a practice round on eBay or StubHub go for $300-$500. This is tough for average folks.

You can enter a Masters Lottery for multiple tickets by signing up on-line at their website. It’s gotten quite popular so the odds of winning are long. However, it’s free of charge and you find out if you are a winner in plenty of time to make plans.

I hope many of you are watching on Sunday when the “Green Jacket” is presented. The first went to Sam Snead in 1949. What’s not as well known is that in addition to the jacket, the tournament winner also receives a 2.3 oz. engraved gold medallion. This started with Ben Hogan in 1951.

Spring is here. Happy golfing!!

TROY’S COURSE OPENS FRIDAY, OTHERS READY TOO

We may be smack in the middle of “March Madness” but for golfers, the madness of smacking the ball is earlier than most can remember. It’s all about this unseasonably warm, welcome weather.

Here’s a list of courses we have found that have, or will open, shortly, in addition to the ones we have already reported on here at Capitalareagolf.com.

We have provided easy links to get you more information about the links. If you don’t see your favorite course here, please call them and tell them they should be listed at Capitalareagolf.com.

FREAR PARK: In Troy, Frear Park Golf Course, which hosts our “Hook A Kid On Golf” events, will open Friday, March 23 at 7 a.m.

“We’ve been fortunate that the mild winter and recent warm weather have allowed us to get a jump-start on the golf season,” Mayor Lou Rosamilia told the Troy Record. “Our city crews have worked hard to get the course ready and have made some significant upgrades…we’re happy conditions have given us the opportunity to begin the golf season this week in Troy.”

Hours: the course opens at 7 a.m. Friday and closes at dusk. For the early part of the 2012 season, golf carts must remain on cart paths. Golfers will be sent out on a first-come, first-served basis. Tee times will be available in the next few weeks.

TOWN OF COLONIE: Two of its four nine-hole courses opened March 15. Usually the course doesn’t open until early April.

AIRWAY MEADOWS: The unique course in Gansevoort opened March 14. Usually it opens the first week of April but manager Joan Heber said customers from Plattsburgh and Lake Placid have already inquired about driving down the Northway. Golf leagues began March 15.

STADIUM: In Schenectady, one of the most durable, and well draining courses in the area, opened for business March 12.

BRIAR CREEK: The Princetown course opened March 15, only the second time in 20 years it has opened before St. Patrick’s Day. It usually doesn’t open until April 1.

BRUNSWICK GREENS: It was open on New Year’s Day and 45 people came out with their sticks to the par-3 in Brunswick. Last year, it opened March 25.

WESTERN TURNPIKE: The course with three-nines opened on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.

SARATOGA SPA: The driving range at the state park course opened March 14 and the course opened this week.

MCGREGOR LINKS CC: Opened Saturday, March 17, the earliest time ever. “It’s a wonderful problem to have,” head pro Tom Oppedisano told “The Saratogian” newspaper in the March 20 edition.

VAN PATTEN GOLF COURSE: Opened March 13. They had been looking at March 5 but that Leap Day snow set them back a week.

SARATOGA NATIONAL: Opening March 30.

SARATOGA GOLF & POLO: Now open.

SARATOGA LAKE: Now Open. “We had a great weekend,” GM Lauren Mackay told Tuesday’s “Saratogian.”

BALLSTON SPA CC: Now open. It’s open to the public Monday-Thursday and it’s members only Friday-Sunday.

SCHENECTADY MUNI: Opened Wednesday, March 21.

BARNEY ROAD: The executive course in Clifton Park opened March 21.

CAPITAL HILLS: Albany’s municipal course opened on St. Patrick’s Day.

WARM WEATHER MEANS GOLF

CLIFTON PARK – Due to unseasonably warm weather, town officials will open its Barney Road Golf Course on Wednesday, March 21, at noon.

Built in 1966 in Clifton Park’s oldest residential neighborhood by the Van Patten family, Barney Road is an executive par-3 golf course just a few minutes off Exit 9. The course features 1,331 yards of golf from the longest tees for the par-28. The golf course was purchased in 2010 by the Town of Clifton Park.

The Barney Road Golf Course’s layout will reward good shots and provide a fun golf outing for everyone. The course is excellent for beginner golfers, golfers up to challenging their short game and golfers with limited time.

A number of leagues and special events are held at the Barney Road Golf Course throughout the golf season. For more information, call the town’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Community Affairs at 371-6667.

HOURS: March 21-April 12: noon to dusk Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-dusk Saturday and Sunday; April 13 until the end of the season: 8 a.m. – dusk daily.

EARLY GOLF IN CENTRAL NY

VERONA (AP) – Turning Stone Resort is opening its golf courses three weeks earlier than usual because of the winter’s limited snowfall and mild temperatures. Last weekend, March 17-18, Turning Stone opened two courses; the other three will open on April 2 and 9.

Turning Stone Resort Director of Golf Robert Todd says the golf courses held up nicely over the winter and workers were able to get out and mow the greens and groom the bunkers early.

Three of the courses are championship courses.

ALBANY’S GREENS OPEN ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY

On the traditional day for green, St. Patrick’s Day, the greens opened at Capital Hills @ Albany for the golf season, according to Mayor Jerry Jennings. The driving range is currently open.

“Capital Hills is one of the many jewels in our city, and I am confident that this year will, once again, be a great golf season for our residents and visitors,” Jennings said in a statement. “I encourage all golfers to take advantage of the beautiful and challenging course at Capital Hills.”

Tee times can be made for Saturday by calling the pro shop at 518-438-2209 on Thursday after 10 a.m. Sunday’s tee time can be made after 10 a.m. Friday.

Golfers may obtain golf IDs at the Pro Shop during the following hours:

Monday: 9:00 a.m. to Dusk
Tuesday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. to Dusk
Saturday-Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to Dusk

IDs can only be obtained at the Pro Shop.  If you would like to schedule tee times or need more information, please contact the Pro Shop at 518-438-2208.