Local Golf Tournaments

 

Monday, August 16 – B’Nai Israel will host its first annual Golf and Tennis Classic on Monday, August 16, at the Country Club of Waterbury. Call Susan Commike at 1-203-267-4594 if you would like to participate. There are plenty of sponsorship opportunities and golf/tennis slots available.

Monday, August 16 – The 10th annual VFW Post 308/American Legion Post 202 Timothy Powell Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Monday, August 16, at Pomperaug Golf Club in Southbury. The tournament will be an 18-hole shotgun scramble, held rain or shine. Fee is $90 per golfer and includes golf with car, steak barbeque at the VFW Hall, refreshments, trophies and cash prizes. For further information, call George A. Powell Jr at 426-4004 or Dan Winsett at 459-9634.

Monday, August 23 – The Newtown Junior Women’s Club will hold its second annual golf tournament on Monday, August 23, at Whitney Farms Golf Course in Monroe. All proceeds from this event make it possible for NJWC to sponsor all of their major town wide service programs, such as Back-to-School Backpacks; Tag-a-Gift; Discovery, Science, Math & Technology Workshops; their new Field Trip Fund; and other charitable causes. NJWC is actively recruiting sponsors and players now, so please contact tournament co-chairs, Kim DiDomizio at 426-4917, or Kathryn Wolf at 270-0307. For as little as $100, any interested sponsors can advertise their company, and support our efforts. Please send all information, along with your tax-deductible donation to P.O. Box 217, Botsford, CT, 06404.

Buick Championship

Collegiate All-Americans Bill Haas and Casey Wittenberg have turned professional and will receive sponsors exemptions to compete at the Buick Championship in Hartford in August.

Haas, the son of PGA pro Jay Haas, and Wittenberg played together on the 2003 Walker Cup team and both made the cut at the recent U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. They join a long list of players already committed to the Buick Championship – including Nick Price, Stewart Cink, Brad Faxon, Peter Lonard, Bill Andrade, Tim Petrovic and JJ Henry.

“Bill Haas established himself as the best collegiate golfer in the country this year,” said tournament director Dan Baker, “and certainly over the last four years.”

Haas won the 2004 Ben Hogan award given to the top collegiate golfer and won 10 individual collegiate titles in his career, the most by any Wake Forest alumni. Wittenberg established himself as the No. 1 ranked amateur in the nation before ever setting foot on a college campus … something only Tiger Woods was able to do.

New Golf Courses

World-renowned designer Pete Dye is the creative force behind the new Wintonbury Hills Golf Course in Bloomfield.

The challenging, 6,600-yard, par-70 layout is the first championship course in New England designed by Dye. It features an open links style with rolling fairways, tree-lined holes, and more than 120 bunkers to offer a true test of golf.

Located in Bloomfield, Connecticut – just 15 minutes from Hartford and easily accessible to I-91 and Bradley International Airport, Wintonbury Hills provides golfers with a beautifully conditioned course in a peaceful setting on the Tunxis Reservoir.

“The good people of Bloomfield know how to get a bang for a buck,” it was stated in a February review in Golf Magazine. “After waiting 38 years for a muni, they were rewarded with a course by one of the game’s great architects for just one dollar. To serve public-course players, Pete Dye decided to create five accessible courses for a buck apiece. Wintonbury Hills is a hybrid that mixes links-style holes with the traditional, forested look of the Northeast. Several holes on the front nine demand that you carry some of the course’s 91 acres of protected wetland. The back nine has more character. A trough-like fairway at the 408-yard 16th kicks balls toward the center; short hitters can safely aim at a huge bunker 240 yards down the right side. The only quibble is that the practice range is a couple minutes’ drive away. Still, if that’s your biggest burden, you might be getting an even better deal than Bloomfield got for its dollar.”

Basic greens fees are $40 for residents and $50 for non-residents on the weekdays, $50 for residents and $70 for non-residents on weekend.

A look at a few of the holes –

#1 “Talladega” – A relatively short par 4 with a steep-banked fairway that will slide your tee shot from right to left. Aim your tee shot for the lone bunker on the right side.

#2 “Crossing” – An accurate tee shot is needed to carry the wetlands and avoid the series of bunkers framing the left hand side. Keep the tee shot right to have a longer but easier approach to this multi-tiered green.

#3 “Little Miss Divot” – This short but challenging par 3 requires a well placed shot to have a chance for birdie.

#4 “Garden Gate” – The shortest of three par 5’s will give players a chance for eagle with two well-struck shots. Watch the sloping fairway near the green that will force your shot to the left.

#5 “Hilltop” – Don’t let the scenery on this short downhill par 4 distract you. This is a great risk/reward hole that can be a good birdie or an easy double.

#6 “Coyote” – Another sloping par 4 that calls for a tee shot played down the left side of the fairway in order to end up in the middle. Avoid missing your approach to the right at all costs.

#7 “Western Union” – A downhill par 3 that has water lurking on the left and pot bunkers to the right. Short is not a bad miss, keep in mind this green has a lot of break.

#8 “Wild Turkey” – This is the longest par 5 on the course. Long hitters might be tempted to try for the green in two, but three shots is the more practical play for a legitimate birdie chance.

#9 “Barn Yard” – Club selection and accuracy are a must on this beautiful par 3. Several well-positioned pot bunkers are there to catch any stray shots.

#10 “Boardwalk” – This straightforward par 4 should provide golfers a breather and a good chance for a birdie. No trick shots needed here.

#11 “Milk Truck” – Another uphill par 4 with a tee shot played over wetlands. Golfers may choose playing to either side of this split fairway. Try to avoid the bunkers positioned in the middle of the fairway.

#12 “Fireplace” – This par 3 was carved into the trees with several white birch trees as a backdrop. Center of the green is a smart play and par is a good score.

#13 “Terrace” – Climbing uphill all the way from tee to green this spectacular par 5 has it all, length, trees and a sloping green that is sure to test even the most skilled players.

#14 “Snapping Turtle” – A tee shot down the left side will help you stay clear of the Tunxis Reservoir hugging the right side. Play your approach shot to the lone tree behind the green.

#15 “Duane’s Folly” – A scenic par 4 with a left-to-right sloping fairway. Keep your approach shot to the left to avoid the bunkers on the right that catch any miss hits.

#16 “Tower” – This short par 4 is no pushover. Use the tower in the distance to help place your tee shot in position to attack this tricky green. Do not go long!

#17 “Power Lines” – Don’t ease up yet! This is the most challenging par 3 on the course. The only place to miss is short and right with a green that slopes away.

#18 “Bloomfield” – This par 4 finishing hole requires a tee shot played down the left side that will move slightly to the right. Hitting this green with your approach is a must as collection areas around this green make getting up and down to save par a real challenge.