Since the amount of content on this page has exploded like the summer algae on the pond at GT hole #2, we've reorganized this page to make it easier for GT readers to sift through and find updates when they're posted. So, at least for now, it'll be easier to find something specific on this page than it is to find the next tee box at Stanley GC.
Thanks to all the Trackers whose contributions have made this page what it is.
The page is organized with the hyperlinks below linking to the various sections and subsections on this page (and to the main page when updates are posted), which are: 1) Connecticut Goat Tracks a) in the GT Minor rotation [Copper Hill, Keney, East Hartford, Airways] b) banging on the door trying to get in i) West of the River [Goody, Stashu], and ii) East of the River [The Skunk, Twin Hills]; iii Executive Tracks [Del Boca Vista, Westwoods Villa Hills] 2) Thinking Outside the Tee Box a) Goat Tracks outside CT [The Terp Track, Vanny, Pembroke] b) International Tracks [Dunloe, Castle Rosse] c) courses that wish they were Goat Tracks [Hawk's Landing, Timberlin, Minnechaug, Eagle Sticks, The Ranch, Okemo, Fountain Valley]; 3) Other Stuff a) Review of the 2008 Golf Show at Javits Center b) Recommended Tracker Reading c) Other Sites of Interest
Reviews of Connecticut Goat Tracks, starting with those currently in the GT Minor rotation
The "original" Goat Track that inspired it all...Fox Run at Copper Hill (Granby) (editor's note: the fact that the weblink lists the course as "semi-private" is way more than "semi-funny," right up there with "I don't think the heavy stuff's going to start for a while.")
While there was some concern several years ago that the GT would lose its unique personality after irrigation was installed and the parking lot was paved, one pearl of wisdom was overlooked, "you can take a piece of wood, put all the frosting you want on it, but that don't make it a cake." Most profound. This is the "gold standard" by which all other Tracks are judged. It's tough to pick out just one outstanding feature: swampy conditions, plentiful crabgrass, mating snapping turtles, algae thick enough to walk on in the hazards, mosquitoes that can probably carry off small animals; it goes without saying that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and the subtleties that make this a favorite Track can't be done justice here.
This course always hosts the first official GT event of the year and comparisons have been made between the first drive of the year at the GT and the ceremonial first drive at The Masters, although none of those comparisons have been made by anyone at Augusta National as far as we know.
7/2/08 update. The consensus among tonight's group was that the Goat Track was almost unrecognizeable, based on its "manicured conditions". Traps were raked (which did expose one good sized rock in the bunker to the left of the green on #2, with many others lying close to the surface elsewhere); tee boxes, fairways and greens were all cut to a nearly unreasonable height. Even if the GT had been somehow miraculously transformed into a TPC course, the traffic jam of 20 cars following a farm tractor down the road approching the Goat Track would've made this a great Tracking experience. Once on the course, we found what is becoming a constant at the GT, the mammal/rodent that inhabits the pond on #3. GT Natural Historian Matt says it's a muskrat, but that's just a guess (whatever it is, it may become the unofficial GT mascot). Matt did point out though, that the casual water on #5 was so schmeggy that it was the one water hazard on the course that the turtles wouldn't inhabit. The fallen willow tree is still in place on #7, providing a unique obstruction that other courses wish they had and as Sherpa Jeff pointed out, the "maintenance staff" may be using it to alter the layout of the hole, allowing the saplings to grow in from the trunk, making the approach to the green considerably tighter.
6/4/08 update (courtesy of Sherpa Jeff): "Signs of life on the house overlooking the 8th tee." This was "stop the presses" info that was both surprising and disappointing. The house overlooking the 8th tee at the Goat Track seemed to have been vacant for several years. While the hope has always been that the deck that overlooks the tee box would be used as a summer getaway by subathing swimsuit models, Jeff burst that bubble by confirming that the inhabitants did not match that description. We can't shoot the messenger, but can't help but feel a little disappointed that there was just some yappin' middle aged couple there. After further reflection, given the history of this house, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that one could've overheard the guy yelling, "it puts the lotion in the basket...", so from that perspective, it could've been worse.
5/14/08 update: Finally got my first 9 of the year in at the fabled GT. Fortunately for us, Matt, the unofficial Natural Historian of the Goat Track, was part of this day's lap around the GT. Previously, Matt's expertise has been recognized primarily in the niche field of "reptilian copulative activity in or near water hazards." On this day however, he was truly on his game as Natural Historian and Goat Track Observer in all areas.
Of Note:
-The largest snapping turtle ever seen (by this group, anyway) near the pond on #2 (where Matt has done his best research). Matt did a great job of finding this big fella who may have been trying to maintain a low profile. The turtle waited for us to tee off before doing a 180 and heading from the marshy o.b. area to the pond to get down to business. Impressive that the turtle showed some etiquette at the tee box.
-The wildlife adventure continued in the pond on #3. An unidentified mammal/rodent was swimming laps in the pond in front of the tee box, nose above water, probably just getting its work in. Matt picked up on this before anyone else, with his keen awareness of his Track surroundings.
--Hitting the wildlife trifecta, we got a woodchuck sighting on #8 (or was it #7?). There were plenty of bird sightings, but there's something about seeing the four-legged critters that makes a round at the Track that much better. Matt's keenest non-wildlife insight of the afternoon/evening was related to the putting conditions, which truly showed that he brought his "A-game", scoring ability aside. Tee Boxes: in midseason form in terms of the amount of grass, which is great to see (or not see, as it were); however, not firm enough for anyone to pop a nut teeing up. Rough: in mid-spring form, quite impressive, cut short enough not to put anyone "in jail" and to hit true midseason form by the end of July. 5/10/08 update: First trip of the year to the UGT, finally.
As noted on the 6th green, "This green is faster uphill than downhill." An excellent observation, pointing out the counter-intuitive nature of the greens at the GT. Bonus points for pointing out that "Lou can hit the broad side of a barn," as his tee shot on that par 3 pinged off the pump house, leaving a green paint mark on the ball and a decent chance to get up & down
8/9/06: Apparently the downside to playing 9 on the best day of the year is that the numbnut/lemming factor increases exponentially, as evidenced by the excruciatingly slow play at the GT. That said, the glass is still half full. As noted by GT Duke, the Goat Track has hit prime mid-season form, with crabgrass working its way onto the greens, which were utterly unreadable (for speed of course, there is no break) and a consistent, healthy crop of crabgrass on every tee box. The "golden harvest" on the 9th hole was also a nice touch. In addition, the firmness of the tee boxes is at an optimal point where they're still pliable enough to insert a tee without first using a jackhammer, yet offer an amazingly good isometric exercise. Also, the BCC gets two thumbs up for both personality and appearance. Goat Tracking near its best.
Keney Public aka "The Urban Goat Track" (Hartford, North End)
After holding the second Minor Event here in both 2006 and 2007, the consensus among a lot of Trackers who hadn't played it before was that Keney had earned the title of "Urban Goat Track." Is there a higher form of praise? I think not. Although it has received high praise within the Tracker community, I've also brought people to Keney who refuse to play there again (based in part on an unfounded fear for the safety of their personal property and/or person), so it's a great course to separate the Trackers from the lemmings. Keney doesn't have a clubhouse with a dopey name like Mulligan's, it has "The Great Room", which I wasn't even aware of until 2006. It's old school like the 19th at Stanley, but with a couple of modest flat screens. Two thumbs up. It all works in a GT kind of way. While there was some concern that, based on some of the projects launched in 2006, there would be too many improvements made to Keney, we can all sleep better knowing that didn't completely materialize.
The "Video Flyover of Keney," from Stracka.com (note: the cemetery that borders the 5th and 12th holes cannot be recognized from this view and the cemetery provides a lot of the "Track Charm" to this fine course)
A compilation of comments to shed some light on the Keney experience:
6/23/08 Dollar Day. Not much new to report re. the Track conditions, for those familiar with Keney, but here's a quick rundown:
Greens: There's always hope on Dollar Day that one can learn something to improve his Track Acumen and after a late afternoon downpour, we found it. "How to read speed on a green after a torrential downpour." When we saw water splashing up from the green while the group in front of us was putting on #7, we knew an adjustment needed to be made and that adjustment was based on "how full is the cup?" There were minor adjustments based on walking the line of the putt to see where it was most "squishy," but the consensus was that the best way to read a green under those conditions was to base it on how much water was in the cup. If it's full, hammer it; if it's a quarter to half full, adjust accordingly and putt like you're not swinging for the fences. This served us well on the last three holes and has been stored away for future reference.
Misc.: This was the first time in quite a while that any of us has been asked to leave a course. While we respect the staff's right to ask us to leave after we completed our round, we only wish that they had the same enthusiasm for serving customers trying to pay for greens fees or get something at the snack bar as they did for ridding the course of Trackers trying to play another hole or two (the group ahead of us got the boot, too), especially given that most non-Trackers wouldn't have come near the course on Dollar Day, given the weather, and the course had pretty much emptied out.
Notes from the front 9...
The Entrance: a "Please Keep It Clean" sign was posted on the road that feeds into the course. Thankfully, this didn't pertain to language on the course, but appeared to be an attempt to keep the sides of the road free of old tires, radiators, appliances, and the occasional murder victim.
Greens: apparently after the considerable rain that fell Friday, the greens weren't squeegeed Saturday to increase their speed. This is reassuring and just came to mind because some non-Tracks do squeegee them. That said, there may have been a few putts from beyond 20 feet with longer swings than the approach shots that preceded them.
Faiways & rough: remarkably free of debris for this stage of the Tracking season, based on what I recall from years past.
The Great Room (aka Keney's 19th): Friar Tuck mentioned that he thought Keney may be trying to go upscale on us and the private graduation party in the Great Room might lead one to that conclusion. The jury's still out, but my guess is that all will be just fine in Urban Trackerland going forward.
6/14/07: The UGTO. Good to have some Keney first-timers out, just to regain perspective on the tee boxes, which despite efforts to backfill the craters last week, were deemed "deplorable" by some of the UGTO participants, which is what I refer to as "midseason form". There was a suggestion on #3 that we hit from what appeared to be grass in front of the markers, as opposed to hitting from the barren sand between them. I did my best in true Sherpa Tracker fashion to demonstrate that grass on a tee box is overrated, firing at the green without a tee from the sand and making the only bird of the day. Greens and fairways were in remarkably good shape, which made the course almost unrecognizable from the Keney I've come to know and respect. Anxiously awaiting its return to form.
6/6/07: Dollar Day #2. Maybe they're prepping for the second Minor 6/14, they seemed to be doing a lot of work on the tee boxes; net result, more sand in the tee boxes than the traps. Fortunately, this worked in my favor on #13 when one of the maintenance guys, sporting a Tennessee Titans hard hat, was there, shovel and load of dirt in hand, after I went for the welcome mat divot on my tee shot. "Do you have enough sand there to fill that?" A nod and a grin, probably accompanied by a "yes I do, you dipshit" thought on his part, was sufficient for me. Nice job of mixing up the speeds on the greens, just to keep you on your toes. Kudos.
1/6/07: Predictably enough, the UGT was packed today (with temps pushing 70 and no snow on the ground); not sure whether it was more of a Tracker or lemming turnout. Just the right mix of mud, leaves & casual water for primo Tracking. Actually since the ground never really froze, casual water was less of a factor than slop. Tee boxes and greens were in mid season form, aside from being more pliable than we'd reasonably expect in mid season. Best quote of the day was from a guy in the parking lot on his way in, "should I wear my golf shoes or my mud shoes?" Obviously a person who came prepared.
10/4/06: One hour, 7 holes, not bad considering the amount of hoofing required to stay on open holes.
Tee boxes: about what would be expected, kind of beaten up, but no worse than we're used to.
Fairways/rough: We couldn't tell the difference last time and the rough was cut down again to make it smoooooth sailing!
Greens: THIS was an eye opener! When I say they aerated half the greens, I don't mean they aerated 1 through 9, but not 10 through 18...not at all...what I experienced was 1/2 of each green being aerated, adding a whole new dimension to reading speed on a putt...because as any Tracker knows, you DON'T have to read break! Last, but not least, if you tee off around 5:30, it's FREE GOLF, the ultimate twilight special! Two thumbs up.
8/23/06: (glad to have GT Duke aboard for this trek) If it weren't so excruciatingly slow, we wouldn't have jumped sides and played with the guys who put a new spin on "ready golf"...with simultaneous tee shots...these guys weren't burning daylight! Greens were amazingly crabgrass-free, just when we were conditioned to expect the opposite (from GT and Airways). I highly recommend playing the back 9 before they rebuild the tee box on 12 because after that your opportunity to say "I can't believe I left that eagle putt so far from the hole...DAMMIT...if only I hadn't gone long on the drive..." will never and I mean NEVER happen again.
7/18/06: UGT was in perfect condition, but we'll have to work around it. Recon from the front 9 (courtesy of GT Duke):
Long Hill CC, f/k/a East Hartford Golf Club (until 2008)
This "jewel" was the designated site as the fourth Minor of 2006, based on the following review forwarded by Sherpa JB:
The review, courtesy of golfcourse.com, circa 8/03 (I think)
(on the criteria of conditions, pace, service and value, one disgruntled reviewer {obviously not a Tracker] gave EHGC a score of 1 across the board). "Worst course I have ever played. The fairways were swamps and the greens had bare spots. My backyard has better grass than this course. The only challenging part of the course is the various roots, pits, tire tracks, and drainage gates that come into play throughout the course. And to top it off, the pro at the golf shop was an angry, bitter old man. I guess he should be angry considering his course is in terrible shape."
This piqued our interest as Goat Trackers and we were finaally able to work this Track into the GT Minor rotation in 2007 (it will likely be replaced in 2008).
6/21/07 The initial review (front 9). Some observations:
1) By mid July, the fairways will make one think that buffalo are a species native to East Hartford. "Pounded to a pulp" will be an understatement. This is impressive.
2) It's been a while since I teed of on a first hole with "roadside exposure" (Canton and Southington come to mind), but you can't beat a minor domestic dispute on the other side of the road for sheer entertainment value. "On this episode of Cops, East Hartford Public..." It kept me loose while hitting from underneath a pine tree (and saving par).
3) There was a strange white powdery substance in the bunkers which appeared to be sand. I only recognize it as sand because I've seen it in similar quantities on the tee boxes at Keney.
The "Video Flyover of Goody" from Stracka.com (note: although this is a good aerial view, it doesn't do justice to the view of the Connecticut River Valley that one gets from the parking lot).
(5/11/08) Hartford Magazine, in its "Best of Hartford, 2008" issue (May) lists Goody as the runner-up to Rockledge as best public course in the area. That Rockledge won is not surprising, but Goody finishing second with this audience forces us to review our criteria for selecting the Goat Track of the Year before naming a winner for 2008.
(11/25/07) If you're a fan of Goat Tracking and Christmas light displays, maybe you'll enjoy "Holiday Light Fantasia" at Goodwin during the holiday season. Wasn't aware of this until I saw them setting up lights late October near the path that traverses the course. An interesting opportunity to drive through the course and relive some of your errant shots from the golf season, with lights blinking at you.
(11/1/07) Officially named "Goat Track of the Year" by the powers that be on this site. Despite lacking some of the rougher edges that other Goat Tracks may have, Goody's Track Charm oozes from Hartford's South End out to the 'burbs in all directions. Friar Tuck and I have designated this Track as "the closest thing to Canton Public" available and there is no higher form of praise in old school Tracker circles. It provides a similar Tracking experience to the erstwhile Canton Public , provided that you can make it through the navigational clusterfuck required to get there from anywhere other than south of Hartford.
(8/11/07) The initial review of the sibling municipal course to the UGT, the South End's yang to the North End's yin, Goodwin Golf Course. While I've known for quite a while that this Track needed to be listed on the site, the logistics never quite worked out. Played 9 there and can offer the following on this Goat Track, which is more than worthy of hosting a Minor, but is a pain in the ass to get to (note that comments may be biased based on the fact that I was able to golf for free, which always puts a Track in a good light):
Stanley Golf Course aka "Stashu" (it's a Polish thing, in Hard Hittin' New Britain)
Stanley earns most of its GT status for being located in Hard Hittin' New Britain, having a great old layout (similar to Keney), and a clubhouse with a lot of history that used to serve Schlitz bar bottles, a true rarity (even rarer now, since they no longer offer them). On the other side of the ledger, the course is typically in better condition than anything we'd consider a Track, but the pluses outweigh the minuses and it earns a spot on this list. Also noteworthy, with 27 holes, the holes have been rearranged & renumbered over the years, with the result being a layout that's about as easy to navigate as New Britain itself, which is a confusing maze that would probably make a GPS self-combust. Bonus points for having a course whose layout mirrors that of the surrounding area.
According to a 4/7/07 "Hartford Courant" article, Stanley's carts will be equipped with GPS this year. As noted in the main page commentary section, unless it can help you find the next hole it doesn't add much value, which is too bad because it would be a good way to test the theory that navigating the area would make a GPS self-combust. In general, this doesn't add any Tracker value to this course.
review from 9/06: (blue course) Greens were aerated a couple of weeks ago, slow as hell, but in decent shape (they did uphold the first corollary to the "universal truth of putting on a public course", i.e. they were nothing like the practice green, according to GT Duke). This is why a smart Tracker either bypasses the practice green or only putts a few there to know what not to do on the course. Best landscape feature was the bunch of pines to the right of the green on #5 that were sheared off at about 20 feet during a summer t-storm; the debris was cleared away, but the trees hadn't been cut down. Impressive.
Executive/Par 3 Tracks...or reasonable facsimiles...
If you're looking for a par 3 course, you might try "Del Boca Vista". (formally known as Buena Vista, West Hartford) Not a bad place to get in a quick 9 and/or work on your short game; a couple of difficult bunkers, not much water, but a fair amount of mushy footing after it rains (especially on holes 1, 2, 4 and 5), #9 is a reachable par 4 dogleg right and probably the best hole, especially if you want to notch an eagle. If you've ever played there and have checked out the course's site, you'll note that someone took some serious creative license with the "country club atmosphere" comment. No pro shop, just a starter's shack about the size of a small tool shed, kind of reminiscent of the original pro shop at the old Bel Compo in Avon (now Blue Fox Run), which works for me, no complaints whatsoever.
5/8/08 update: After some early rain, wonderfully mushy out there on the first few holes, as expected. Two things of note: 1) the tee markers were all bunched within a foot of each other on one side of the tee boxes, which left things open to interpretation, which is good from a Tracker perspective, 2) there seemed to be some odd "provisional tee" placement, specifically on the 3rd hole, which has been transformed from a fairly interesting par 4 to sackless par 3 unless you're playing from the "championship tees". Greens were freshly aerated and fertilized which enhanced the "putting experience". All in all, nearly everything that could be hoped for from a round at Del Boca Vista.
Westwoods Golf Course (Farmington)
Brief History: Prior to being purchased/managed by the town of Farmington in the early 1980's, Westwoods was set up for night golf, light poles & all, a sort of "noctournal Track." The course was "upgraded" after the change in ownership, but still retains its Goat Track identity
(back 9 reviewed 5/08, after about a 15-year hiatus from what used to be a home course)
General Track Conditions: Most noteworthy about Westwoods is, that because it's on a lot of swampland, if it's not cold out or there's not a 2-club wind adjustment, you may want to postpone your blood donation at the Red Cross that week because you'll most likely be down a pint after 9 holes due to the mosquitoes.
Bunkers: The fairway bunker on #10, which may actually be a fairway bunker on #1 come to think of it, was the quintessential Goat Track Bunker; so many rocks in it that it was like looking at a "normal" bunker under a microscope, magnifying the grains of sand to huge proportion. Unfortunately, this was an anomaly; although there were plenty of stones in the other traps, they just didn't measure up to #10 (#1). Otherwise, the bunkers had the consistency that we expect at a Track and were satisfactory
Tee Boxes: Just chock full o'grass, which we hope will subside by midseason or at least upgrade to crabgrass
Greens: At this point in the Tracking season, they're definitely in the mix for slowest played this year, which is commendable. Putting from the fringe was an adventure, possibly because we hadn't adjusted to take full swings from the fringe, posibly worried about divots
Layout: Stashu-esque; we unknowingly went from the back 9 to the front 9. A navigational cluster****, worhty of the best Tracks
Other:
Rules posted in the clubhouse: "Shirts must be worn at all times." This rule was originally posted when the Town took over the course some 20+ years ago. Glad to see that it's still on the list.
Pace of Play: We were able to shoehorn in 9 here (actually 12, based on losing our way during the round), but because of its stragegic location, Westwoods gets a lot of league play. If one plays this course a lot, he can probably figure out whether he can get 9 in on any given day after work, based on when the leagues will wrap up, etc. That said, there are few things more mentally taxing than being backed up on a course that is primarily par 3's.
Summary: Although it was good to revisit Westwoods and provide the Tracking public some info, we have some reservations about recommending this Track to anyone looking to get in a quick 9 after work, unless they're willing to muddle through and hope to finish in the dark, as is true Tracker form.
Villa Hills GC (Storrs/Mansfield, somewhere out in the sticks near UCONN) reviewed 7/08.
Stumbled across this Track on ctgolfer.com when trying to find courses to be reviewed for 2008 and was intrigued because this was the one course in the greater East Bumfuck area that we did not play in college (aparently because this course didn't exist when we were in collge).
If you're looking to play a par-3 course to work on your short game, Villa Hills probably isn't your best option (we'd probably go with Del Boca Vista), but that doesn't mean that this Track doesn't deserve some pub. To the contrary, Villa Hills provides a quintessentially classic Goat Tracking experience on a smaller scale. The conditions are reminiscent of old school par-3 courses that have gone by the wayside over the past 20 years, like the one that used to be adjacent to the Tunxis Fore driving range. Some of the notable features include:
Pro Shop: There isn't one, just a sign in front of the vacant building facing the road that says, "pay the worker on the course." Awesome!
Layout: Despite being a par-3 course, there are some quirky shots to be made; elevated tees, threading the needle through overhanging trees, etc. From that perspective, it meets most Goat Tracker requirements for a layout that rewards Track Acumen.
Greens: Completely unputtable (on this trip, they had just been fertilized to make them even more grainy and challenging). Shaggy and no fringe. Since the poiont of playing a par-3 course is to see whether you can fire at the pin, putting is secondary; this aspect of Track maintenance was accepted and appreciated.
Yardage: The longest hole is posted at 185 yards. The beauty of this layout is that it forces Trackers to get in touch with their "inner Sherpa" because the marked distances are unreliable at best.
Tee Boxes: A true stroke of genius. Villa Hills took the driving range/par-3 course combo concept to heart. There are no tee boxes; instead there are driving range mats. Even better, the mats have the same undulating and uneven footing that we've come to expect from esteemed courses like Keney and Hawks' Landing. Truly impressive.
Bunkers: If there's a return trip to Villa Hills, it won't be without a camera. These were the best Goat Track bunkers ever, bar none; even the original Goat Track can't hold a candle to them. Calling them bunkers may be a misnomer. They were more like 12-foot diameter circles carved out around 6-foot diameter rocks. Best guess is that it's to make the course easier to mow, but as far as seeing something different, and Track-worthy, this rocked (no pun intended).
Summary: Villa Hills represents all that is Goat Tracking on a par-3 course. While it's probably not worth the trip for anyone outside the greater Coventry/Mansfield area, it should be a Goat Track of choice for UCONN students, especially since it's about a pitching wedge away from the Villa Spirit Shop, which isn't foreign territory to many of them. Load up, make some stupid bets, take your hacks, and circle back to campus within an hour or so. It doesn't get much better than that.
The better half of Coventry's Dynamic Duo, Skungamaug River GC, a/k/a "The Skunk". Had a chance to play here (8/16) for the first time since college (which was an awfully long time ago) and can offer the following (which can be framed by saying that it's not nearly the dump that I remember playing back then, but it's still worthy of consideration as a Track):
Rural Layout: Like a lot of courses east of the River (EHGC excluded), on the way to the Skunk, it doesn't take to long to cross into territory that makes you hear "dueling banjos" ringing in your ears. If you see stone walls on nearly every hole, you know that you're on a Track. There's no shortage of stonework at the Skunk; in fact as we made the turn, the groundskeeping folks were using a backhoe with a claw attachment to construct another stone wall.
Cart Paths: All peastone, as was the parking lot, which reminds the more seasoned Trackers of how the "original" GT used to be.
More Rocks: #8, par 3. Fortunately, I skulled my tee shot and had an opportunity to check out the layout of the rough. Enough rocks to build yet another wall. Loved it. In summary, don't worry about hitting out of the rough if you miss the Skunk's fairways, worry instead about where your ball may ping to off the rocks that lie in wait for your errant shot. Classic example, GT Duke and I were equally and utterly amazed that I could hit a shot dead nuts right and have it ping and go o.b. left (#12).
Tee Boxes: In better shape than we're accustomed to on a Track. Best one was #3, the undulating tee box, the waterbed of tee boxes. There was no way to get good footing on this one; downill, uphill, or sidehill lie, take your pick, but you weren't launching a great drive from this one, no matter what.
Greens: In waaaaaaaaaay better shape than expected, especially on the back 9. Speed was nicely inconsistent on the front, not so much on the back. They seemed to have a bit more of a "turtleback" contour than we've seen on other Tracks, which made for some ugly rolls on putts and approach shots that didn't settle in as well as they would've on another Track, but that was part of the challenge. As noted by GT Duke during his "front 9 of many one-putt greens" there was no explanation for speed; they would put on the brakes and drop, look dead and then speed up, who the hell knew where they were going...
Course Management: GT Duke said that the Skunk doesn't set up well if you want to play a draw off the tee. That is of course a foreign concept to most Trackers, so we'll just take his word for it.
Course Navigation: When playing the back 9, getting to #13 requires a trip across the road and through the parking lot to get to the tee box. Fantastic. Holes are way spread apart on the back 9, which makes it a pain in the ass to walk. As noted by GT Duke, the elevated tee boxes, particularly #17 may require the assistance of a Sherpa (a real Himilayan Sherpa) to traverse the uphill, gravelly ascents if you're walking; if you're riding, plan on getting familiar with dialysis.
Noteworthy Holes: 14 through 17 made interesting use of changes in elevation, to say the least. As an added bonus, the wafting scent of cow/horse manure that I remembered from way back when was reminiscent of a walk across the UCONN campus in spring. Two thumbs up for the Skunk!
The other half of Coventry's Dynamic Duo, Robin to Skungamaug's Batman, Twin Hills. Courtesy of Ornery Bob, who reminded me about this one that was a cornerstone of the UCONN golf rotation. I'll defer to him for his insights on this course if he has any; I don't remember too many specifics about it other than it was definitely a Track and I think you had to drive past the Mansfield Correctional Institute to get there from UCONN. Kind of keeps things in perspective when your tee shot winds up "in jail".
Goat Track Reviews....venturing outside the Nutmeg state
Favorite Track outside the tri-state area, The Terp Track, aka the University of Maryland Golf Course (reviewed 4/06). This was an unexpected gem. Situated on part of the swamp on which our Nation's capital was built, I had a chance to play this course before it reached its usual ungodly hot & humid summer conditions. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I figured that a course in a premiere Division I golf conference would be more impressive. Not quite the case here. Nice job of selling the comparison to the surrounding area though..."an oasis within the Beltway"; the bar for being an oasis there doesn't need to be set too high. Once I realized I was at a Track, I settled in, found my "Track Chi" and my game improved. Maybe it was the reed-filled marshes, reminding me of other courses like the Skunk or Del Boca Vista that made me feel right at home.
If only I could transport the terp statue near the clubhouse up to the GT, in honor of the proverbial mating snapping turtles on #2, that would be awesome.
The course met a lot of the usual Track criteria (fairways, traps, etc.), but to be fair the clubhouse and facilities were impressive (aside from the restaurant/bar being named Mulligan's, which doesn't rank too high on the originality scale).
"da Bronx Course", Van Cortlandt, a/k/a "Vanny". At long last (summer '07), the most highly anticipated course review for this site to "celebrate the lore of fabled Van Cortlandt" has been submitted by the Tracker known in some social circles as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. The Doctor's observations and reflections follow...
"A Bronx Tale, or How I Learned to Love to Ride the New York Subway System at 4:30 a.m."
To provide some context, the person who lined up our tee times lived in Riverdale, which was a fairly short walk to Vanny. As a "family guy", the result was some ungodly tee times made to avoid infringing on his family time. "Ungodly" was seasonally adjusted, but generally fell in the range of 6 to 6:45 a.m.
Making matters worse was the fact that the "temporal-minded staff" at Van Cortlandt required all golfers to arrive a half hour before tee time. Allowing for a typical hour-long subway ride from 34th to 242nd Street, plus fifteen minutes of hoofing time each to and from the subway stations, I would leave home around 4:30 a.m. Posing the obvious and fairly rhetorical question, "What good goes on in the New York subways at 4:30 a.m.?", the equally obvious answer is "None, whatsoever." I'll qualify that by saying that there is a laudable segment of the population that rides the subways at that hour for perfectly honorable reasons (e.g. those in the medical, wait staff, and security guard professions), but let me tell you, those folks are in the minority. Most who ride the subways at that hour are late-night partiers, vagrants, or criminals (any similarity to John Rocker's infamous diatribe is unintended). As an aside, just to provide the readers a better frame of reference, many a Vanny venture was preceded by "Friday Night Libations" which only added to the fogginess of waking up at 4 a.m.
While there were numerous memorable (or is that forgettable/regrettable) early morning subway trips, the most memorable was one of the times that I was running late and barely made the train. I got on as the door closed, dragging my K-mart-issue Wilsons behind me. I saw a rare stretch of empty seats to my left. While I should've instictively known better, I went for a seat. As I was sitting, I saw two inebriated fellows, presumably of Celtic descent (based on their brogues) watching my every move. I put my golf bag between my legs and sat. I no sooner planted my feet and golf bag when I felt them sliding on what was a hot, squishy, putrid-smelling pink vomit. The two Irish guys looked at me and laughed (thanks, guys). Not exactly the best foot to get off on, so to speak, with everyone in the subway car looking and laughing at me. Then there was the time that I almost got my ass kicked for wearing what two acutely intoxicated and less than amiable lads called "tube socks"...
The walk from the 242nd Street stop involved a Frogger-like street crossing (even at that hour) and a "short cut" through Van Cortland Park, which was generally safe at that hour. The clubhouse was no better or worse than most municipal golf clubhouses; sparse, but functional ambience, complete with a framed "Wall Street" poster leading up the stairs to the locker space.
As a rule, the employees of the pro shop ran things with Teutonic efficiency; woe to the group that showed up late for check-in time thirty minutes before tee time. When tee time approached, we boarded our "electric battlewagons" and took the two-minute ride to the starter box. The ride overblessed us with a picturesque view of goose shit-laden Van Cortlandt lake. Once at the starter box, the starter, of such an age that he may have carried a flag for the Grand Army, ran things with the same Germanic efficiency as the pro shop folks.
As for general observations on the course, the City put millions of dollars into the course in the late 90's making it respectable; par 70, moderate yardage, little sand, fair amount of water, and some nasty hills, with three par 5's of beastly length.
My Tracking experiences were shared with hundreds of my best golfing buddies on an average weekend day, by mid-afternoon golf carts were routinely stacked up like so many cars on the L.A. Freeway. Although I'm not a huge fan of carts, they're essential at Vanny in order to keep your round under six hours and to navigate the logistical clusterfuck between holes. Also, it's not a bad idea to have a set of wheels in case a gang fight breaks out on the 14th hole. Granted, during my golfing tenure there, gang fights had lost their cachet, but one perhaps apocryphal account of the old Vanny mentioned a gang fight taking place on one of the fairways, replete with burned out cars in the background.
Obviously this Track is all about ambience, but some observations on the holes one encounters at Vanny:
#4: Difficult par 4 with no room to the left, but playable from the next fairway to the right, which tends to be in the wheelhouse of most Trackers. By August, the fairway resembles the pock-marked surface of the moon, which of course helps those of us prone to the occasional worm burner off the tee.
#7: To the left, the Saw Mill Expressway. As a lefty with a wicked slice, I more than once wincingly awaited the wail of car brakes and the sickening screech of metal hitting metal as some unlucky soul caught my errant slice through the windshield and careened into the guardrail at an ungodly speed, but alas, it never happened (phew!); a difficult par three based on length and the gnarly weeping willow guarding the green.
#12: Toughest hole on the course in my opinion, an interminably long par 5 with water everywhere, placing a premium on course management and/or Track acumen. This hole gets progressively worse as the season progresses, reminiscent of No Man's Land on the Western Front during the First World War, albeit sans the riga-mortified horse carcasses.
#15 thru 18 are the more "goat track-esque" holes, in terms of terrain; steep uphill & downhill holes. Most notable is #16, which plays downhill, but an errant tee shot may send hand ball players in the adjacent housing scrambling for cover. As an aside, the tee box affords a view of the beauty and splendor that is Riverdale.
#19: While there is opportunity for a cold one back at the "clubhouse," the best bets to dip your beak and exchange war stories are Dorney's or Fenwicks in Riverdale.
Pembroke Country Club, (Pembroke, Mass.); submitted 11/07 by GT Duke.
I have a Track for you, Pembroke CC. Looks great (untracklike) in pictures, but don't let that fool you. By July this year it would have made Airways look like Augusta National during the Masters. What looks like grass is actually goose crap. There is actually "ground under repair" on some of the greens, I kid you not. Before May and after June it's in true Track form, within that window, not so Track-like. On the flip side, as a former country club, it's one of the best layouts I've ever played; a great mix of short and long par 3's and 4's, a reachable par 5, and mostly elevated greens.
Brief History of the Track: purchased by the current owner about ten years ago for real estate development, which was kiboshed by the local zoning board. As a result, there is little, if any maintenance, which has allowed this "Country Club" to achieve Track status. Although the site link for wedding facilities at the Club is both a bit disturbing and untracklike, it doesn't detract too much from this course's Track credentials.
Anothah Chowdah Track... Triggs Memorial GC, (Providence, Rhode Island) recommended by Friar Tuck, official GT review pending.
On one hand, as GT Duke has noted, there are golf courses in the greater Boston and Providence areas that have, or had, the makings of classic Goat Tracks, but this may not be one of them because it's a Donald Ross designed course (potentially questionable logic). On the other hand, Friar Tuck has noted that he found a set of brass knuckles on the course, which puts it under a slightly different light. We'll try to sort through it in the land o'chowdah. Take a look at Triggs for yourself.
EagleSticks Golf Club (Zanesville, Ohio); submitted summer 2007 by the venerable Friar Tuck, during a stint in the great state of Ohio.
At first glance, EagleSticks doesn't seem to have much "Track cred", primarily due to the saccharinely sweet, flowery prose on the home page, which would nauseate most Trackers, as well as course conditions that are unlike anything to which we're accustomed (i.e., far better maintained). That said, there are two aspects that have earned this course a spot here: 1) a great twilight special. Not a big fan of the POP (pay one price) greens fees as a matter of principle, but $25 at a top 100 public course is a great value and a lot better than one could hope for at a similar local course, Richter Public; 2) by their own admission, EagleSticks is in the middle of nowhere, which lends it a certain Track credibility.
Fountain Valley/Carambola (St. Croix, USVI)
Apparently the Fountain Valley Golf Club has a history that gives it some Track credibility, albeit with a fairly ugly dark side attached to it. A business colleague mentioned this course based on his time working in the Virgin Islands in the 80's. Kind of tough not to list a course that has had goat sightings on the Track. In a nutshell it's a Track which was nearly unplayable and a became a military outpost during a revolt. Since then it's been upgraded. As an aside, "carambola" is a Spanish term, generally applied to billiards, defined as hitting two stationary balls with the one struck by the player, which is occasionally how it works on a green at the Track.
This article ties a lot of the elements of the GT concept together, with a golf industry/PGA award linking Skungamaug to my all-time favorite Track, Canton Public, and its long-time club pro, Walt Lowell. It may be considered heresy in some GT circles, but I'd give Canton a slight edge over the Copper Hill on most GT criteria (exception being no BCC); unfortunately now that it's been transformed into "The Shoppes at Farmington Valley", we can't really make any more comparisons. ("can I reach the Panera Bread from Talbot's with a 9-iron, or do I need to 'club up' to an 8?" Very sad.)
"Who's Your Caddy?: Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf," by Rick Reilly (formerly of Sports Illustrated, now with ESPN). Synopsis: Mr. Reilly recounts his experiences caddying rounds for Tommy Aaron, John Daly, Jack Nicklaus, Bob Newhart, Dewey Tomko, Donald Trump and others. Really funny stuff, which is no surprise if you're familiar with Mr. Reilly's work in SI or on ESPN radio. Funniest chapters are probably those on Daly and Tomko.
"Maybe It Should Have Been a Three Iron: My Year as a Caddy for the World's 438th Best Golfer," by Lawrence Donegan. The book's not quite as funny as "Who's Your Caddy" (British humour, go figure), but is a pretty entertaining and quick read. The premise is similar to Reilly's, but the book's a little more in depth. A British writer offers to spend a year caddying for a journeyman player, Ross Drummond, who's near the bottom of the European Tour money list. The book alternates between chronicling the trials & travails of a player barely scraping by on tour and the caddies' gypsy sub-culture.
"How to Really Stink at Golf, " by Jeff Foxworthy (2008). This was reviewed mainly because it seemed like a plausible premise with some "Goat Tracking sensibilities." On the other hand, it also seemed like a contrived attempt to shamelessly market something lame for Fathers' Day. The latter is closer to the truth, so this isn't recommended Tracker reading as much as a review and a "caveat emptor" warning.
That said, this isn't a book so much as it is a collection of 32 jokes stretched out with enough illustrations to make it look like a book by its cover (cliché, but true, go figure). The good thing is that if you bring it with you to the tee box on your weekday league night, you can probably read it cover to cover while waiting to tee off. Of course if you do that, everyone will think you're a tool; the point is that it's a quick read.
Although the bar wasn't set too high after reading a couple of reviews on Amazon, I was hoping to find some nuggets and came up with four, the most quotable of which may be, "Somewhere in hell, there's a golf course where every shot is 55 yards from the hole." Unfortunately, that's about as good as it gets. If you've got 20 minutes to kill and can have your kid retrieve the book from the library for you (saving you the trip), you won't be investing too much time or money.
Other Sites that may be of Interest (some Tracking-related, some...not so much)
Golf Equipment, etc.
SXGOLF.com: Essex Golf Shoppe, with a retail outlet in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, sells a wide range of golf apparel and equipment for men, women, and juniors.
ironfinder.com: A good place to look if you need to replace an old club or are looking for something that may be hard to find at a sporting goods chain.
If you make it a habit of firing multiple shots into water hazards and are too lazy to fish them out individually, this gadget from golftraders.net is for you!
Caddychicks.com: This was the reigning "link of the week" on the GT home page for about two months, so it must've had something going for it...and that something is T&A. It's a fairly clever marketing concept that helps (attractive) women network with people who can possibly help their careers, modeling or otherwise (although modeling seems to be a popular choice, based on the caddy profiles). While the stated objective is that "We want to make your golf game the best experience possible," that double entendre is tempered by advising readers, "Please remember we are not an online dating service or escort service." Hilarious! Golf Blogs Other Stuff Shutuptimmccarver.com: The name says it all. If you watch enough baseball on FOX, you're not surprised that this site exists, especially if you're a Yankees fan. After this site was submitted, I asked myself, "self, Joe Buck's just as big a jackass as McCarver (if not bigger), where's the shutupjoebuck site?" Where indeed......apparently there are lot of like-minded folks out there on this one and I've scratched the surface by finding two sites, still hoping to find the proverbial great white whale of anti-Joe Buck websites; surely it's out there somewhere. If anyone thinks he's found it or has a personal favorite please email it to goattracker@yahoo.com.
Although the N. Tha Bunker blog link on golf buzz has mysteriously disappeared, we're on the scent. It's always helpful to know about other Goat Tracks outside Connecticut and our people are in the field to scout the Muni Tracks in Atlanta, like it or not. The Candler Park course, referred to as "The Goat Track" by an insider, is said to be the original executive course of Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler.
nothreeputts: Don't be fooled by the homeopathic/new age health remedy pitch on the main page, there's a pretty entertaining and wide range of golf topics covered.
pasturegolf: Some have commented that this site has certain "Track sensibilities"; no argument here. The courses featured here are more rural and Track-like than the mainly suburban courses in the local GT group, plus some other good stuff from a perspective that any Tracker can appreciate.
Golf "social networking" sites...there are a couple that are still on the home page(Stracka, the Golf Space) and we're trying to keep this category limited to five, but in the interests of International Tracking, we're adding golf-finder.net. Vaya con dios.
Marseliworld.com: The unofficial Keneyriffic index that used to be on this site has been replaced by the Cove Index (recreation conditions in Stamford/Fairfield County) and there's an eclectic mix of other stuff too (if you're curious about sailing or the lost art of unicycling, among other things). Dave's a guy with varied interests and it's worth an occasional click or two to see what's going on in "MarseliWorld".
Off the beaten path...if you're into world travel, an extreme sports enthusiast and anal-retentive about your personal appearance, you may be interested in this site.
