Hidden gold gem in our backyard
There are many different kinds of golf enthusiasts throughout the world. Some have a goal of playing every course in the Myrtle Beach S.C. area (plus or minus 90 total), others have their sights set on the old courses in The United Kingdom, while many others are infatuated by the designs of architect Donald Ross.
Ross designed 407 courses around the world, including 44 which are located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Longmeadow CC, Salem CC, Oakley CC of Watertown, and Orchards Golf Club of South Hadley are a few of his well known shrines located in the Bay State.
Berkshire County is fortunate to have a pair of Ross courses within our boundaries – the Country Club of Pittsfield, and the lesser known, off the beaten path, low profile Greenock CC of Lee.
The only reason that Greenock does not measure up to many of the other Ross designs is the fact that it only has nine holes. But the nine holes that they do have are perfectly manicured and its putting surfaces are second to none in Berkshire County.
Lenox native Bob Decker is the man in charge of maintaining the challenging, but fair, test of golf. Decker took his degree in Soil Science from UMASS and honed his trade working at Mohegan Sun CC at Pautipaug in Connecticut. Then after seven years at the Cranwell Resort in Lenox he matriculated to Greenock in 2002 .
If it is daylight Bob Decker can be spotted somewhere on the grounds tending to his fairways and greens usually in the company of his trusty companion Paige, a 13 year old Lab, who knows the layout better than anyone with two legs. Decker makes his home in Lee with wife Jonina and son Jackson.
If you think Greenock is a popcorn nineholer, think again. Last year when a group of aspiring PGA professionals tried for their PAT certificates the scoreboard had more scores in the 80s than in the 70s. It is an enjoyable place to play where the golf and lounge staff will treat you like a member with a paid up tab.
If you tee it up at Greenock this summer it will be a treat. If you don’t, it’s your loss.
Tiger Woods critics were quick to criticize his “collapse” in round two of the Bridgestone Invitational when he only posted a 61 on the par 70 Firestone layout after failing to make birdies on the final few holes. He had his sights set on a possible 59 but fell short of the magic number.
To put his round into perspective, I point out:
* Firestone Country Club is not an easy golf course
* His medal score for the day was 10 shots better than Lee Westwood, Graham McDowell and Phil Mickleson and 15 shots better than Sergio Garcia.
Beacon question of the week : If Tiger Woods can’t hit a fairway with his Nike driver why would any of us buy one and think we could ?
Alert to all Berkshire County Senior golfers: If you want a piece of the $10,000 to be awarded in prizes while supporting junior golf, it all starts on Wed. Aug 28 at Worthington CC and runs until October 9 for the finale at GEEA.
Each Wednesday a 12:30 shotgun start at the chosen venue will find Seniors ( 50 and over) competing for a share of the purse. We will include more details in next week’s Beacon.
Posted by Dick Syriac
on August 8, 2013. Filed under Berkshire Sports Guy,Sports.
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