Tsuga Links not for the faint of swing
GARRATSVILLE – If you’re someone who occasionally needs a GPS unit to find your way back to the fairway, then Tsuga Links Golf Course is probably not for you.
Tsuga Links (soon to be renamed) places a premium on accuracy and distance control, but do not be scared by the nearly 3,000-yard-plus layout. The course does not play nearly that long.
What awaits you at almost every turn, though, is some sort of trouble lurking left, right or even right in front of you. It isn’t until the sixth hole, a 155-yard par three, that one catches somewhat of a breather. Yet, that hole is uphill, and just half of the pin is visible from the tee. Considering the green is nearly 30 yards in length, club selection is critical.
Tsuga Links was the inspiration of original owner Gary Elliott, who designed the nine-hole layout. He opened for business three years ago, but failed to generate a significant amount of play.
I was given a brief summary of the current state of ownership by the shop attendant (I do not remember his name). He said the Elliotts turned over the business earlier this year to the owners of Butternuts Beer and Ale. According to the website, thefoaminghead.com, Chuck Williamson is the Butternuts Beer and Ale company founder and head brewer. The affable shop attendant, who just moved to New York two weeks ago, told me that the Williamsons do not have any working knowledge of running a golf course, but have the right people in place to drum up business and make the layout a little more player friendly.
Much of the overgrown areas that line each hole have been cleaned up and mowed down. Still, there are plenty of other areas that would make those with the faint of swing nervous.
I am not familiar with membership rates at the course, and taking into consideration that Tsuga Links is well off the beaten path, I can’t imagine too many people claiming Tsuga Links as their home course. For now, course management’s simple goal in 2011 is to get players on the course. The greens fee, for one, is the best I have seen anywhere in a long, long time. For $10, you can play all day as much as you want.
Last weekend, a co-worker of mine, Mark DeMellier, told me the greens fee price at Tsuga Links, and I literally drooled at the opportunity to take a shot (pardon the pun) at the course.
As someone who enjoys carrying a bag and walking golf courses, I thought I would easily use the greens fee savings to justify the gas money to drive 49 miles round trip from Norwich. After walking nine holes, I quickly understood why every player I saw on the course that day had a cart – Tsuga Links is not walker-friendly.
I made my trek to the course on a partly sunny Monday morning, and arrived around 9:30 a.m. To my surprise, I was the first player to sign in for the day. After paying for my bargain basement greens fee, my friend behind the counter gave me a quick rundown of where to go and what to avoid. He sent me down the path to the first tee. About five minutes later, I arrived at the first tee.
I always believed it was a rule of course design to place the tee for the first hole in close proximity to the clubhouse. In this case, Tsuga Links’ first tee is about 500 yards away down a bumpy cart path. Roughly 350 yards into the walk, you pass the course’s ninth green. (Again, I thought it was a rule of thumb to have your final hole close to the clubhouse).
Rarely was there a short walk from the finish of one hole to the start of the next. I estimated that a walker will cover between 1,000 and 1,200 yards moving from one hole to the next – and that doesn’t include the final 350 yards back to the clubhouse after finishing your round. I do not consider myself a slow player, but all of the extra walking added at least 15 to 20 minutes to my round. Given that most people do not hit the ball perfectly straight all of the time, if you factor in wayward shots, it’s pretty difficult (as a single player) to play Tsuga Links in under two hours.
Those minor gripes aside, I found this course one of the most challenging I have encountered. Every hole is a dogleg with the exception of the two par threes. The greens are exceptionally large and undulating, and the course is about as well maintained as can be. I only saw one person working on the course, and to care for all of that acreage seemed like a monumental task. At one point, I passed the lone groundskeeper as he was mowing fairways. He turned off his engine as I walked up to my ball. I told him, “go ahead and keep mowing, I don’t mind the noise.” He said, “that’s okay, I’ve got all day.”
As for my playing, I toured the nine holes twice – the second time with a cart. I hit four really bad shots, and each led to a double bogey or worse. I wasn’t hitting the ball all that badly, but those stray shots sent my score upward in a hurry. My advice if you make the trip to Tsuga Links: Bring plenty of golf balls.
Note: Tsuga Links is located approximately 7 1/2 miles north of Morris off Route 51N. About 6 1/2 miles from the main light in Morris, turn left on to Walters Rd., and follow the signs to the course.
Tsuga Links (soon to be renamed) places a premium on accuracy and distance control, but do not be scared by the nearly 3,000-yard-plus layout. The course does not play nearly that long.
What awaits you at almost every turn, though, is some sort of trouble lurking left, right or even right in front of you. It isn’t until the sixth hole, a 155-yard par three, that one catches somewhat of a breather. Yet, that hole is uphill, and just half of the pin is visible from the tee. Considering the green is nearly 30 yards in length, club selection is critical.
Tsuga Links was the inspiration of original owner Gary Elliott, who designed the nine-hole layout. He opened for business three years ago, but failed to generate a significant amount of play.
I was given a brief summary of the current state of ownership by the shop attendant (I do not remember his name). He said the Elliotts turned over the business earlier this year to the owners of Butternuts Beer and Ale. According to the website, thefoaminghead.com, Chuck Williamson is the Butternuts Beer and Ale company founder and head brewer. The affable shop attendant, who just moved to New York two weeks ago, told me that the Williamsons do not have any working knowledge of running a golf course, but have the right people in place to drum up business and make the layout a little more player friendly.
Much of the overgrown areas that line each hole have been cleaned up and mowed down. Still, there are plenty of other areas that would make those with the faint of swing nervous.
I am not familiar with membership rates at the course, and taking into consideration that Tsuga Links is well off the beaten path, I can’t imagine too many people claiming Tsuga Links as their home course. For now, course management’s simple goal in 2011 is to get players on the course. The greens fee, for one, is the best I have seen anywhere in a long, long time. For $10, you can play all day as much as you want.
Last weekend, a co-worker of mine, Mark DeMellier, told me the greens fee price at Tsuga Links, and I literally drooled at the opportunity to take a shot (pardon the pun) at the course.
As someone who enjoys carrying a bag and walking golf courses, I thought I would easily use the greens fee savings to justify the gas money to drive 49 miles round trip from Norwich. After walking nine holes, I quickly understood why every player I saw on the course that day had a cart – Tsuga Links is not walker-friendly.
I made my trek to the course on a partly sunny Monday morning, and arrived around 9:30 a.m. To my surprise, I was the first player to sign in for the day. After paying for my bargain basement greens fee, my friend behind the counter gave me a quick rundown of where to go and what to avoid. He sent me down the path to the first tee. About five minutes later, I arrived at the first tee.
I always believed it was a rule of course design to place the tee for the first hole in close proximity to the clubhouse. In this case, Tsuga Links’ first tee is about 500 yards away down a bumpy cart path. Roughly 350 yards into the walk, you pass the course’s ninth green. (Again, I thought it was a rule of thumb to have your final hole close to the clubhouse).
Rarely was there a short walk from the finish of one hole to the start of the next. I estimated that a walker will cover between 1,000 and 1,200 yards moving from one hole to the next – and that doesn’t include the final 350 yards back to the clubhouse after finishing your round. I do not consider myself a slow player, but all of the extra walking added at least 15 to 20 minutes to my round. Given that most people do not hit the ball perfectly straight all of the time, if you factor in wayward shots, it’s pretty difficult (as a single player) to play Tsuga Links in under two hours.
Those minor gripes aside, I found this course one of the most challenging I have encountered. Every hole is a dogleg with the exception of the two par threes. The greens are exceptionally large and undulating, and the course is about as well maintained as can be. I only saw one person working on the course, and to care for all of that acreage seemed like a monumental task. At one point, I passed the lone groundskeeper as he was mowing fairways. He turned off his engine as I walked up to my ball. I told him, “go ahead and keep mowing, I don’t mind the noise.” He said, “that’s okay, I’ve got all day.”
As for my playing, I toured the nine holes twice – the second time with a cart. I hit four really bad shots, and each led to a double bogey or worse. I wasn’t hitting the ball all that badly, but those stray shots sent my score upward in a hurry. My advice if you make the trip to Tsuga Links: Bring plenty of golf balls.
Note: Tsuga Links is located approximately 7 1/2 miles north of Morris off Route 51N. About 6 1/2 miles from the main light in Morris, turn left on to Walters Rd., and follow the signs to the course.
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