SUNDAY, April 14, 2013 • TiMES UNiON • AlBANY, N.Y. Guide to Capital Region golf courses /4-7 Golf Guide “30 Questions” asked of area golfers /15-17 Symetra Tour makes a move to June /19 Rescue club When the State Am needed a site, Schuyler Meadows stepped up./18 2 GOLF GUIDE | Times Union, AlbAny, new york And TimesUnion.com | SUnDay, aprIL 14, 2013 Three of the “Best Casino Courses 2012” –Golfweek Play all day and night at Turning Stone Resort • Casino. With 72 holes of golf, headliner entertainment, two spas and hot new dining choices, Turning Stone is always up for outrageous fun. Book your getaway now! Visit turningstone.com or call 800.771.7711. Proudly owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation Verona, New York • 30 miles east of Syracuse • Exit 33 off the NYS Thruway Sunday, april 14, 2013 | Times Union, AlbAny, new york And TimesUnion.com | GOlF GuidE 3 goLF guIDe 2013 it’s time to remedy Courses and clubs Extras Course directory ................... 4-7 State amateur ................18 Club directory ........................8-9 Symetra Tour ..................19 golf’s biggest ill Course changes .......................10 Tucker column ..............30 Destination courses .................11 GOLF GUIDE CREDITS: Edited by Pete ay what you will about belly putters, president Glen Nager said. “This problem .....................................12 Dougherty (pdougherty@timesunion. Websites com). Produced by Joyce Bassett. titanium clubs and grooved wedges. touches every golfer, from the profes- Club champions .......................13 Editorial assistance by Tom Quinlan, S The biggest threat to the sport of sional to the elite amateur to the millions Mike Piekarski and Mike Huber. golf these days is pace of play. of recreational golfers at both public and Future sites ................................14 COVER: Schuyler Meadows Club in For all the resources golfers spend on private facilities.” Loudonville, host of the 2013 New trying to play better, the one they can’t The USGA initiative is merely a small Amateur winners .....................14 York State Golf Association’s Men’s buy is time. As the five- or six-hour round step toward addressing the issue, but at Amateur on July 23-25. (Photo by becomes more frequent, players are going the same time recognizes that there is a Larry Lambrecht, courtesy of Schuyler to more time-efficient ways to spend their problem. Schedules Meadows) recreational time. “At the U.S. Women’s Open last sum- “There’s no single bigger deterrent to mer, we had six-hour rounds, which is Local ......................................20-21 ...........................21 On the web growing this game than how long it takes not acceptable,” Nager said. “We will USGA, NYSGA For the skinny on golf, to play golf these days,” says former PGA be talking to the players about what the Pro tours ..............................22-23 in and out of the Capital expectations are before the round, during Charity .................................24-25 Region, check out the around, and we’ll be administering http://blog.timesunion.com/golf penalties if we need to. Television ............................26-29 “But it’s not only the players. We have Pete to look at how we set up our champion- Dougherty ship. Last year at the Women’s Open, the sixth hole was a par 3, and a lot of pace-of- play problems in that round were from the seventh on Saturday. We have to be held touring pro Brandel Chamblee, now a Golf accountable for that.” Channel analyst. Here’s what the USGA program in- Unfortunately, today’s players don’t cludes: have great role models. We all turn to the ■■■Analysis of key factors known to influ- PGA Tour to get our cues — what clubs to ence pace of play. buy, what balls to use. ■■■Development of a pace-of-play model So if Ben Crane or Hunter Mahan or based on quanitifiable data. Jim Furyk takes the equivalent of three ■■■Improvements to the USGA pace-rating commercial breaks to line up a putt, some- system. one at the local municipal or country-club ■■■On-site assistance at golf courses to help course is sure to imitate it. managers assess and improve pace of play. If pace of play is ever going to improve, ■■■Creation of player-education programs. it must start at the top, with the players The pace-of-play model, according to on TV. Nager, “will show the specific influences “I was watching the guys pretty that course design, setup and operation, carefully about the slow play,” Johnny as well as the golfers themselves, have on Miller, the lead golf analyst for NBC pace of play.” Sports, said recently, “and I counted In other words, if the structure is in several times, guys taking four or five, place to promote speedier play, the golfers six, practice swings — and that’s prior should follow suit. to the start of preshot routine. That’s Nager said the PGA of America is on unbelievable.” board with the program, and he hopes Perhaps the USGA is listening. that the PGA Tour players will be, too. Golf’s governing body doesn’t always “They are a model for other players,” see things the same way as the PGA Tour he said. “What we need to do is figure out, — witness the bellyaching over the belly through our data analysis, how much of an putter — but it has announced a program effect it is. When we know what it is that’s to study cause and effect of players at any causing slow play, we are going to go to level playing a round that approaches the everyone we can and ask them to help.” eight-hour work shift. It’s going to be hard to grow the game “Industry research clearly shows that until we can stunt the growth of how long slow play and the amount of time it takes it takes to play a round. to play a round of golf detract from the overall experience and threaten to drive ▶ [email protected] ■ 518-454- players away from the game,” USGA 5416 ■ @Pete_Dougherty 4 GOLF GUIDE | Times Union, AlbAny, new york And TimesUnion.com | SUnDay, aprIL 14, 2013 Course guide albanY counTY Longest tees Middle tees Women’s tees Green Fees Cart fees*** Driving Putting Course Location Phone Ext. Built Holes Par Yards Rtg Slp Par Yards Rtg Slp Par Yards Rtg Slp Weekend Weekdays Weekend Weekdays Range Green Web site 1 Albany CC 300 Wormer Road, Voorheesville 765-2854 1963 18 72 7,051 73.4 131 72 6,774 70.7 125 1 73 5,675 73.1 126 Private Yes Yes http://albanycc.cc 2 Capital Hills at Albany 65 O’Neil Road, Albany 438-2208 1991 18 71 6,332 69.4 117 71 5,784 68.7 116 2 71 4,968 72.0 113 $29-$18 $29-$18 $16-$10 $16-$10 Yes Yes http://caphills.com 3 Colonial Acres GC 15 Saybrook Drive, Glenmont 439-2089 1964 9 27 1,317 3 29 1,197 $15-$10 $15-$10 No carts No carts No No http://townofbethlehem.org 4 Colonie G&CC 141 Maple Road, Voorheesville 765-4103 1963 18 72 6,847 74.1 133 72 6,310 71.5 130 4 72 5,547 73.5 126 Private Yes Yes http://coloniegcc.com 5 French’s Hollow Fairways 4681 Hurst Rd., Guilderland Center 861-8837 1968 9 37 3,145 5 37 2,980 $20-$15 $17-$14 $12 $12 No Yes http://frenchshollowgolf.com 6 Hiawatha Trails 6051 State Farm Rd., Guilderland 456-9512 1968 18 57 2,331 6 57 2,255 $17 $15 $12 $12 No Yes 7 Hidden Meadows GC 138 Smultz Road, Glenmont 443-2224 2009 18 54 2,677 7 $17-$10 $17-$10 $18-$10 $18-$10 No No http://golfhiddenmeadows.com 8 Mill Road Acres GC 30 Mill Road, Latham 785-4653 1973 18 58 3,025 8 57 2,39 $26-$18 $20-$15 $11-$8 $11-$8 Yes Yes http://millroadacres.com 9 Normanside CC 150 Salisbury Road, Delmar 439-3160 1927 18 70 6,454 71.2 124 70 6,005 69.1 121 9 72 5,244 70.4 119 $60 $50 Yes Yes http://normanside.com 10 Orchard Creek GC 6700 Dunnsville Road, Altamont 861-5000 1 1998 18 71 6,623 72.2 133 71 6,178 70.2 128 10 71 4,810 68.4 117 $40-$19 $35-$18 $16 $16 Yes Yes http://orchardcreek.com 11 Pinehaven CC 1151 Siver Road, Guilderland 456-7111 120 1960 18 71 6,496 72.1 125 71 6,186 70.5 123 11 71 5,810 73.9 131 Private Yes Yes http://pinehavencc.com 12 Schuyler Meadows CC 17 Schuyler Meadows Rd., Ldnville 785-8191 12 1926 18 72 6,787 72.3 123 72 6,567 71.3 121 12 74 5,650 72.8 125 Private Yes Yes http://schuylermeadows.com 13 Shaker Ridge CC 802 Albany-Shaker Road, Albany 869-5101 1931 18 71 6,837 74.0 137 71 6,308 71.6 132 13 72 5,258 70.8 123 Private Yes Yes http://www.shakerridge.com 14 Sycamore CC 38 Tompkins Road, Ravena 756-9555 1971 18 71 6,528 71.5 123 71 6,211 70.2 117 14 72 5,607 71.7 121 $25-$16 $23-$16 $14-$9 $14-$9 Yes Yes http://evergreencountryclub.com 15 Town Of Colonie GC (bl/wh) 418 Consaul Road, Colonie 374-4181 1969 36 72 6,795 72.5 130 72 6,330 70.1 125 15 72 5,770 72.3 118 $29-$22 $29-$22 $19-$16 $19-$16 Yes Yes http://colonie.org/parks/golf (red/green) ’81,’97 72 6,524 70.8 122 72 6,277 69.7 119 72 5,493 70.8 115 16 Van Schaick Island CC 201 Continental Avenue, Cohoes 237-6127 1920 9 36 3,197 35.7 125 36 2,714 33.4 116 16 36 2,722 35.6 120 Private Yes Yes http://vsicc.net 17 Western Turnpike (blue/red) 2354 Western Ave., Guilderland 456-0786 1930 27 72 6,427 72.0 132 72 6,026 70.0 127 17 72 5,137 70.7 123 $32-$19 $30-$18 $15 $16 Yes Yes http://westernturnpike.com (white) 36 2,970 34.8 124 36 2,809 33.9 121 36 2,472 33.9 118 18 Wolferts Roost CC 120 Van Rensselaer Blvd., Albany 462-2115 1915 18 70 6,255 70.6 132 70 5,863 69.1 130 18 70 5,237 70.8 123 Private Yes Yes http://wolfertsroost.com columbia-greene counTies Longest tees Middle tees Women’s tees Green Fees Cart fees*** Driving Putting Course Location Phone Ext.