Until then, you'd be shortchanging yourself if you didn't check out the CT GT and/or More Tracks pages, for starters.
(pictured above) the approach to the Sheep Track.
(pictured above) the legendary "Frog Rock" on #7 at Simsbury Farms.
The Goat Tracking Off Season on Goat-Track.com
We've been slow in cleaning up the site since the sticks came out of the trunk in November, but hope to have it as finely tuned as Lefty's short game by March. Stay tuned.
2009 Goat Track of the Year, Grossinger's Little G, tucked away in the former resort town of Liberty, New York. There were a couple of other contenders for this prestigious award, namely Chanticlair and Edgewood, but Sherpa JB's review of "Little G" put the other two contenders in its rear view mirror like they were standing still. Of note, this is the only course/Track reviewed by the folks at Goat-Track.com that has received a perfect 4 out of 4 GT logo rating. There may never be another.
Still on the off-season to dot list:
Goat Tracking Year in Review
Goat Tracker of the Year
Goat-Track.com 2010 Goat Tracking Preview
Reviews on the Goat-Track.com Radar 2010:
"Abe" recommended Sleeping Giant GC in Hamden, back in August, via the GoatTracker profile on Stracka.com. "This is definitely a GT course from start to finish. This was one of the strangest rounds of golf I'd played in years...starting in the ...clubhouse? ...or maybe it was the family room to a double-wide. Cash only. Holes so close together, we were ducking balls all day."
We reached out to Ornery Bob and the Kam-man for confirmation. The Kam-man offered, "Sleeping Giant could be the quintessential Goat Track golf course. It's almost an executive course since it's so short. Nice view of Sleeping Giant park/mountain." Ornery Bob added, "My favorite part was the two holes that criss-crossed each other. We almost got hit twice there, once on another hole where some kid was playing green to tee."
Sleeping Giant threw us off a bit by insisting on tee times when they were least expected. This may have pushed SGGC down the Goat Tracker food chain a bit.
Based on recent info gathered about the "reinvented 'Wheel'" we're looking forward to revisiting Fairchild-Wheeler on the Bridgepit/Fairfield line (for the first time in a long time). (see comments below). Sherpa JB and Wink are likely to be dragged along for the ride.
The Tracker known as Rabbit Ears has been pitching Shennecossett in Groton for a year or two (notable Track feature, hitting over the road). Since he hasn't provided a review, that's on the list as well.
On the eastern Mass. front, GT Duke has recommended Franklin Park and George Wright GC, which apparently gets a fair amount of pub. We may also be inclined to take a crack at Pembroke CC, while it's undergoing its "renovation."
Anyone who has a Goat Track recommendation or review is encouraged to email it to goattracker@yahoo.com. We always appreciate hearing from our readers. Observations on Current Tracking Conditions can be posted to the forums/blogs at right. That said, if the review consists of the same kind of generic commentary generally found on ctgolfer.com, you're better off sending it there. It probably won't add much value here. Thanks.
GOAT TRACK MINOR EVENTS
What are the Goat Trackers up to?
The PGA has the "Majors", the Goat Trackers have the "Minors"; the only similarity is that there should be four in any given year
Recaps of prior GT Minor Events can be found on the Minor Notes page
The 2009 GT Minor Events schedule
| Theirs (PGA Majors) |
Ours (GT Minors) |
| First Major The Masters 4/9 - 4/12 Augusta National |
First Minor The GT Open 4/16 The prestigious Copper Hill GC a/k/a "The Goat Track" |
| Second Major US Open 6/18 - 6/21 Bethpage (Black Course) Farmingdale, NY |
Second Minor The Willie Li Memorial Open 6/25 The inimitable Keney Public GC, a/k/a "The Urban Goat Track" |
| Third Major British Open 7/16 - 7/19 Turnberry |
Third Minor The Dank British Experience 7/23 The Tradition GC, Windsor |
| Fourth Major PGA Championship 8/13 - 8/16 Hazeltine National |
Fourth Minor The GT Championship 8/27 The alternate runway for Bradley Int'l Airport Airways GC |
Featured Clips: Kudos to Friar Tuck for providing this clip from NPR, which is generally off the radar as far as all things golf and Goat Tracking are concerned. This voice clip works on several levels, but the two most significant ones are: 1) it reinforces Friar Tuck's long held position that "the golf gods always punish hubris" and 2) Ana Gasteyer's NPR skits on SNL with Molly Shannon, occasionally with Alec Baldwin (Schweddy balls, Schweddy wieners), were more spot on than we could've imagined.
This FedEx ad is pretty well-traveled territory for most of us...
GT Notable Quotables...
The esteemed Tracker known as Friar Tuck provided some interesting insight to the "real estate angle" of the TW fiasco, "The last time an angry Swede went to an island to get away from it all, it was called England."
Per Sherpa JB 8/09, "Wink called me to say he was driving up for some Tracking. I said, 'Hey, that's a long ride for just 9 holes and by the way, it may rain.' Without a second's hesitation, Wink responded, 'That's what the Goat Tracker of the Year does. See you later.'" Truly a man who takes his status within the Goat Tracking community seriously.
"In honor of Michael Jackson, we're all wearing one glove today." Deep thought from Rabbit Ears at the Willie Li Memorial Open, 6/25/09.
"It's a good idea to keep your greens fee receipt on you at Keney. Not so much for the ranger, but if your body ends up in the woods, the time stamp may prove useful in establishing a time line for the investigation." Insight from Rabbit Ears on the Urban Goat Tracking Experience, 6/10/09.
"I wanted to make sure not to step in your line, I might improve it," GTC on the putting conditions on #4 at the GT Open 4/16/09.
Other Notable Quotables
"When primative man screamed and banged clubs into the ground, they called it witchcraft. When modern man does it, they call it golf." Source unknown, posted on a plaque above the urinal at Chanticlair GC.
"[Barkley] has a great coach. [Haney] coached Tiger. On the other hand, Phil Jackson coached Kwami Brown." TNT basketball studio analyst Kenny Smith, on the Barkley/Haney project.
"What Greg Norman has done so far this week is nothing compared to what Hef does every single day." Tim Kurkjian, ESPN, re. the 2008 Open.
"Somewhere in hell, there's a course where every shot is 55 yards from the hole." Jeff Foxworthy
Best GT Caption so far this year: "Nick Cook Reinstated as an Amateur." Straight from the cover of the CSGA 2009 Media Guide (which we picked up at Brooklyn CC back in May). Struck a chord in GT circles because we've all been "reinstated as hackers" after going low once, aspiring to better things, only to revert to form the next time out. In our opinion, this is a classic.
GT QUOTE OF THE MILLENEUM (not sure which tour player to credit): "[Augusta National] is the most unassuming clubhouse I've ever been in." As John McEnroe would say, "You CANNOT be serious!" Whoever made this comment has obviously never been to Keney's Great Room or the watering hole (can't really call it the 19th, since it's a 9-hole course) at Canaan CC. His loss.
Other "classic" archived GT-inspired quotes
(do you have a Track to add to the list? email your suggestion to goattracker@yahoo.com). To see all courses reviewed, check the CT GT and More Tracks pages.
Hawk's Landing CC, 2008 Goat Track of the Year
In a decision that created a stir within the Goat Tracking Community and may have offended some of the course's regular patrons, Hawk's Landing CC (f/k/a Pattonbrook GC) earned the distinction of being named "2008 Goat Track of the Year" by Goat-Track.com. (full announcement on the GT Forum, course reviewed on More Tracks)
"Goody" 2007 Goat Track of the Year
The reasons for avoiding this Track (Keney's alter ego) were weak at best. When we finally got to play/review Goodwin Public in August 2007, we were more than impressed by its superb Goat Track feel and couldn't play it enough during the late summer and fall. A more than worthy recipient of the first "Goat Track of the Year" award (course review on the CT GT page).
Fairchild-Wheeler
Golf on the Gold Coast of Connecticut. When I say this is the hardest course I ever played, that shouldn't be confused with "most difficult." You couldn't hold a green there in July with a nerf ball. I haven't played this one in a long time, but one thing's for certain; although it's only a chip shot from GE world HQ, I'm pretty sure that Jack Welch never played there. Surprisingly (and fortunately), the layout somehow keeps drives from bouncing off the hardpan and onto the Merritt Parkway.
8/09 update: Surprise, surprise. It seems that the above comments are out of date, most likely based on the fact that the last trip to "The Wheel" by anyone in the GT Review Group was in the summer of 1992 (and what a glorious summer it was). We're fortunate to get some updated info. from a member of Stracka.com, which seems to suggest that "$2mil in course improvements (including sprinklers)," has dramatically changed the course... The Black Course is beautiful and without a doubt the best value in the state."
Hold on just a minute! "Best Value in the State" is a claim that we at Goat-Track.com take fairly seriously (as opposed to most other golf-related nonsense). At a minimum, as "guardians of the golf value proposition," it's something we'd like to check out for ourselves, reporting our findings back to the Tracking Public. This seems like a great opportunity for the reigning Goat Tracker of the Year, Wink, to step up and take the goat by the horns. We'll see how it works out.
The Skunk!
Updated on the CT GT page following an July, 2007 round with GT Duke.. A classic Track from the UCONN days, formally known as Skungamaug River Golf Course. The Skunk...what a great name for a Goat Track and in this case the shoe (or FootJoy) fits.
...TBA
We're hoping that the folks running The Urban Goat Track will bring it back in 2010, after killing it, or at least putting it in a coma, in 2009 (until it was reintroduced as a "fall rate." To all who have enjoyed all the Keney Dollar Day experience, raise a Natty Light, the official $1 beverage of Dollar Day, in its honor.
What is Keney Dollar Day, you ask? Just the best reason to skip work...ever! $18 for 18 holes w/cart, plus $1 food & beverage, not to mention the unique entertainment that only The Urban Goat Track can provide. For those not familiar with it, there's no such thing as a bad time at Keney Dollar Day, unless your enjoyment hinges on finishing 18 holes in less than 4 1/2 hours, in which case you're probably s.o.l.
Let's cut to the chase...
...you may own some "TW" logo stuff; may have even proudly worn it on the links, thinking that glomming onto the TW phenomenon made you cooler. Consider this your chance at redemption. No matter how you choose to achieve closure with your TW licensed merch (burn it, chuck it, cry yourself to sleep in it or... best for your Tracking karma...put it in a Goodwill box), you can upgrade...to Goat Track Gear. Your golf karma will skyrocket; trust us, we're GT Sherpas. As one fan of the site noted, "Why 'TW' when you can 'GT'?" Visit the Goat Track Pro Shop and the GT Online Store, the only place where you can get official Goat Track Gear.
Free shipping on all orders over $30 (first class mail, in-stock items only, excl. AK & HI)
THE KENEYRIFFIC INDEX: Is it a good day to golf in the greater Hartford area? Forget Doppler! You can (usually) trust the Keneyriffic Index.
The Keneyriffic Index is...
...on hiatus til late March/early April
Why the chalk outlines on the Keneyriffic Index?
Current Tracking Conditions (new feature 2010, still trying to clean it up).
We're experimenting with the blog format in the links below to "expand the base of Tracker Knowledge."
(diaclaimer/mumbo-jumbo: Posted comments may be edited by Goat-Track.com as deemed necessary and/or incorporated into existing course reviews (on the CT GT and More Tracks pages) as appropriate. Comments on courses not listed can be sent to goattracker@yahoo.com, so that we can add them to our list. Thanks.)
Tracks with Open Forums:
Goat Tracks in the Minor Event Rotation:
Copper Hill (the Goat Track, East Granby)
Keney (The Urban Goat Track, Hartford)
Tradition GC (Windsor)
Airways GC (Suffield)
Goat Tracks West of the River:
Goody (Urban Goat Track-South, Hartford)
Fenwick (Old Saybrook)
Camaan CC
Indian Springs (Middlefield)
Goat Tracks East of the River:
Chanticlair (Colchester)
Long Hill (East Hartford)
Banner CC...and Resort (Moodus)
The Skunk (a/k/a Skungamaug, Coventry)
Twiin Hills (Coventry)
"The University Club" (f/k/a Willimantic CC, Windham)
Brooklyn CC
Executive Tracks:
Del Boca Vista (a/k/a Buena Vista, West Hartford)
Westwoods (Farmington)
Quarry View (East Canaan)
Willow Brook (South Windsor)
Miner Hills (Middletown)
Villa Hills (Storrs)
Goat Tracks Outside Connecticut:
Coventry Pines (Coventry, Rhode Island)
Goddard Park (Rhode Island)
The Terp Track (a/k/a the University of Maryland GC)
Vanny (Van Cortlandt, Bronx, NY)
Pembroke
GT Wannabes and Usedtobes (West of the River)
Tower Ridge (Simsbury/Avon town line)
Hawk's Landing (Southington)
Timberlin (Berlin)
Rolling Greens (Rocky Hill)
GT Wamabes and Usedtobes (East of the River)
Grassmere
Minnechaug
Rolling Meadows
(still a work in progress, we're trying to clean it up, tweak it, and make it more Tracker-friendly; constructive input appreciated, thanks)
Best Track Acumen Display of the Year
We saw a shot earlier in the year that matched its brilliiance (damned if we can find the link, though), but The Y.E. Yang shot on #18 during the final round of the PGA had a little something extra and defines the quintessence of Track Acumen. A tree, a hybrid, a stuck landing...too perfect, (not to take anything away from theTrack Acumen displays of Sherpa Jeff, which some of us are fortunate enough to appreciate on a weekly basis).
Based on his PGA win, Y.E Yang may have earned himself a trip to the Masters next year, but we'd still like to extend him an offer to participate in the 2010 GT Minor Event of his choice. That shot makes him our kind of guy.
In addition to the google Goat Track Golf forum, GT posts about all things Goat Track (and some things PGA) can be found on...
 |
| Goat Track Golf |
| Visit this group |
Track Stat (furnished by 2008 Tracker of the Year, Wink): "Joe Durant led the PGA Tour in greens hit in regulation, while Olin Browne led the tour in driving accuracy. Both had to go back to Q-School, where they failed to earn their cards." Does this not speak volumes about the importance of Track Acumen?
OTHER TRACKING RELATED NEWS...
There's a lot of "Goat Track" related material floating around on the web; we're always trying to sift through it and provide only the best, Tracker-relevant info. (contributions from GT readers are greatly appreciated).
11/3/09 "4.1 Pounds of Pot Found in Keney Park," (WFSB.com). Par for the course at the Urban Goat Track.
CTGOLFALLIANCE.com. A must read for any self-respecting local Tracker...(a partial explanation of why this gets under our skin at Goat-Track.com)
8/1/09 "Golf Cart Mishap Sidelines New Lion Bryant Johnson." Where to begin...at least it wasn't a self-inflicted gunshot wound caused by holstering in a pair of sweatpants.
6/3/09 "The Word's Toughest Golf Tourney: One Hole, Three Miles Long" (Yahoo Sports). Extreme Goat Tracking in Mexico...pretty cool.
5/26/09 "East Hartford: Man Dies after Police Shooting" (Hartford Courant). Noteworthy because of the location and the tie-in to the original June, 2007 review of East Hartford GC/Long Hill CC.
4/28/09 "Columbia Golfers Win Without Golf Course" (WSJ)
4/14/09 "Public Hearings Set for Next Month on Controversial Golf Course Plan" (Hartford Courant) We generally try to keep Goat-Track.com out of the political fray. We only wish that politicians would reciprocate in kind. Not so. Rabbit Ears forwarded the above article about a contentious golf course development in the northwest corner of CT. What's noteworthy here, from a non-GT perspective, is that this looks like Attorney General Blumenthal's second major overreach in as many months. We're sure that Senator Dodd has extra room in his club car out of town; we're looking forward to the AG tagging along for the ride.
4/4/09: Warning! Not all hazards are listed on the scorecard...or hitting the fairway is overrated..."Woman Dies After Falling into Hole at Golf Course" We're providing two links to this disturbing story; one with a picture of the sinkhole/death trap, just to help one wrap one's mind around it, the second with the more detailed news story.
1/25/09: "Bearly Open Golf Tournament" Golf on a frozen White Bear Lake. We like that they stuck some old Christmas trees in the ice to make it look more like a course. Nice touch.
1/5/09: "Playing Golf Can Damage Hearing" (BBC). Fore! What?
Check the Tracking News Archives for older news articles and/or the Recommended Tracker Reading section of the More Tracks page for other golf related pieces.
Tracker Commentary on the PGA Tour...just because we feel the need to set the record straight...
2/8/09: Nick Watney may have holed out for eagle on 18 to witn the Buick Invitational, but our vote for best shot of the week has to go to Retief Goosen for his exceptional display of Track Acumen (to view the 2/6 video clip of Goosen, scroll down to the "2/6 shot of the day" to find and play it).
At the other end of the spectrum, the product description in this link on Amazon for Golf Resort Tycoon II is more than a little disturbing; just so wrong on so many levels and reinforces the need for the GT site to keep putting the word out there.
Other links, sites, etc. of Goat Tracker interest: on the More Tracks and GT Pro Shop pages.
(As of mid-September, this section is on hiatus untiil spring, but we're keeping it posted here as a benchmark for forward-thinking Trackers. For more current info, check the Fall Golf Rates section above)
For the Tracker looking to maximize the value of his golf dollar, below are some twilight rates at local courses, generally effective weekdays after 5:30 and/or after the afternoon leagues have teed off.
Tradition GC, Windsor: "Twilight rate? we don't need no stinkin' twilight rate!" $10 to walk 9 all day Mon. - Fri. $25 for 18 w/cart. (conditions vastly improved over last year, but that bar was set pretty low.)
Copper Hill (The Goat Track): after disappearing for the first two months of the 2009 Tracking season, the $10 twilight rate returned 6/1 (but "don't call it a comeback!" ), effective after 6 p.m. Also offering $14 greens fees after noon on weekends ($16 before noon for 9 holes).
Blue Fox Run: $12 for unlimited golf after 5:30 weekdays; $35 after 3 p.m. weekends. The best deal out there that we're aware of, although the knucklehead factor increases exponentially during twilight time.
Hawk's Landing: $14 (other discounts available via email newsletter, i.e. spam every other day)
Keney (the Urban Goat Track): $12.50
Goodwin (Urban Goat Track-South): $12.50
Simsbury Farms: $8 (resident rate)
Tallwood CC: $13
Check ctgolfdeals.com for other cut rate greens fees in Connecticut.
Oustide Connecticut:
Eagle Ridge GC, Fort Myers, FL "Super Twilite Special": $10 after 3 p.m, $10 6-packs, $3 cocktails. As Sherpa JB put it, "it makes Keney Dollar Day look like a cash grab,"
