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| Stacy Solomon, Mike Wolfe & I - Photo: Golf4Beginners |
It was a perfect day for the impromptu "mini meet-up" and casual round of golf, arranged by golf blogger and social media specialist, Stacy Solomon of Golf for Beginners. The venue was Putnam National Golf Course in Mahhopac, NY, about 50 miles north of midtown Manhattan.
Joining Stacy and I was golf media multi-tasker Mike Wolfe, who produces the WAMGolf blog and radio show and runs WAM Enterprises, a social media marketing company. Stacy's husband Barry... who you may know as co-host of the Golf for Beginners podcast... rounded out our foursome.
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| Stacy Solomon, Mike Wolfe & I - Photo: Golf4Beginners |
When our round got underway I was again reminded that at Putnam National elevation and rolling terrain shape the playing experience here... for golfers of all levels... while delighting anyone with an appreciation for the beauty of woodland nature.
From my own perspective... that of a purely social golfer who just recently began an earnest effort develop a more serious game... there were challenges at every juncture. My playing partners also found the course challenging, but their substantially more developed skills allowed them to fare much better, which is to be expected. As I told them, "... like Tiger, I'm tinkering with my swing and need more time to get it back on track" ... and believe it or not they were too nice (or too polite) to balk, even at that ridiculously pretentious joke.
Stacy showed some exceptional sand skills when she managed to save par after finding a tricky green-side bunker on the 8th, an uphill par 4. Then she offered me a tip that I've since used effectively. Mike not only has a great sense of humor he's also an impressive golf strategist and a straight hitter. He deftly avoided the rough which was quite thick and demanding of accuracy. As for Barry, he'd played the course on a number of occasions and was able to clue us in on what to expect as we made our way around the course. It was a pleasure to be part of this golf media foursome.
Putnam National is clearly a course that can be enjoyed at a variety of levels which would make it a fine venue for corporate outings, business events or casual rounds... as well as a place where avid golfers can compete. The putting green and driving range appear well set up for those who wish to get some practice in and the Grille Room where we had drinks after our round is friendly and relaxing.
As the summer turns to fall and nature transforms this hilly landscape into a burnished wonderland, it's the perfect time for golfers living in... or visiting... the New York metropolitan area or Hudson Valley would do well to check out Putnam National Golf Course.
Reworking a swing is always going to be frustrating at first and you'll probably be tempted to go back to what what you were doing. If you've got a good instructor just be patient and do your drills. It'll come together. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love a golf course with natural elevation and it's one of the things I miss most about playing in New England. Here in FL we have some great courses and we can play while you're covered in snow ... but the topography is definitely less interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words (especially about my golf game!) As my tag line says, "because we're always learning".
ReplyDeleteEven the greatest golfers have coaches to assist with different aspects of the game in order to tweak ever so slightly in the right direction. For most amateurs, the right instructor can really help. Barry and I were discussing how well you really swept through the ball.
Thanks for being part of the "golf blogger foursome". Can't wait to play golf with you again Patricia. You are an entertaining and refreshing golf partner (and a creative blogger to boot!)
I played at Putnam National a couple of years ago and found it disappointing. I've heard good things lately though and look forward to checking it out again.
ReplyDeleteI totally lost my swing in early July. I have no idea what happened, I wasn't trying anything new I just stopped hitting solidly and can't seem to get any real consistency back. So frustrating because I was playing really well early in the summer. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm finally going to have time to work on my own game this fall, Can't wait!
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ReplyDeletefor any beginner, i would suggest caddying first on the course, before attempting play
unless someone new to the game has the rythym of the pace of play and flow of the course, well, it's like dropping someone into grand central terminal during rush hour
forget even hitting a ball before orienting the body, including the legs and eyes, to adapting to course conditions
i may have mentioned a particular bachelor party in montreal and do remember posting about isle de golf de montreal where we played for four days straight (alternative two courses played twice each)
well athletic in shape guys who had never been beyond the practice range were all over the place for hours on end luckly we had the entire place to our selves or the results would have been disasterous for other golfers
guys had lost clubs, left entire golf bags who knows where, hit wrong balls, putters especially were being turned in to the pro shop days after we left, all security deposits were applied to damages, and, as they say, a good time was had by all
even a seasoner NYer would have to take time to obtain a balance to find the correct platform for the desired train from GCT and a "rushed beginner" is likely to take the wrong tact being disoriented
i've never seen a capable beginner swing properly under such stress and IMHO is caused by disorientation and the very familiar uncomfortable feeling of being on an unfamiliar course or in an unfamiliar environment
anyway that's what i think
frankD
ftliquordale, soFLA