Twin Village Golf and Winter Park owners Phil and Donna Vallone have announced the appointment of Gregory Feeney Jr. as the new Golf Course Superintendent with consulting being provided by James Bowers.

Greg, 34, is a well-known long time resident of Roscoe, graduating from Roscoe Central in 2003 and an active participant in football, basketball and baseball.

He brings to the Twin Village golf course some 14 years of experience in golf course maintenance having previously worked at the Tennanah Lake Golf Course and in the building and renovation of the former Kutsher's Golf Course.

He is presently using that experience to restore and reshape the bunkers, restoring work to bring the greens back to original conditions, adding in shaped fairways and distinguished roughs and making repairs to the present cart paths.

Greg noted he does play the game of golf, jokingly saying, “after all I married into a golf family with my wife, Shannon and father and mother-in-law Jim Sr. and Cheryl Bowers, all well-known golfers.” He added he might get into the Monday Night Men's league.

Greg's hobbies include being a lieutenant in the Roscoe-Rockland Fire Department and enjoying hunting and spending time with his family and friends.

The new grounds keeping superintendent's family consist of his wife, Shannon “Birdie” Feeney, the Director of Marketing for the Roscoe NY Beer Company and Director of Marketing for the Twin Village Golf and Winter Park and children Carter, 11 and Hunter, 9.

With the purchase of the Twin Village Golf Club in January by Phil and Donna Vallone the new owners changed the name of the club to Twin Village Golf and Winter Park.

In talking with Greg at the golf course last Friday he did mention that the golf course officially opened that day and that new golf carts would be arriving shortly.

Two leagues will be starting in June with Chuck Husson IV being in charge of the Monday Men's League and AnnaMay Husson in charge of the Tuesday Ladies league.

The course has plans to grow their league programs.

In addition to the improvements on the golf course itself, updates are being made to the clubhouse and new tee markers and signs have been installed.

The official email address for the golf course is info@twinvillagepark.com.

Golf rates with cart are $22 for nine holes and weekend $25 and 18 holes $30 and weekends $35. Cart fees and membership fees can be viewed at twinvillagepark.com.

You must secure tee times reservation in advance and payment will only be by credit or debit card.

The golf course telephone number is 607-498-5829.

Ed's Outlook

More honors for Liberty University sophomore golfer Jonathan Yaun.

The ASUN Athletic Conference announced that Yaun was a unanimous selection for the 10 student-athletes named to the Conference team.

Yaun was named the top-ranked golfer in the ASUN as he posted a 48-0 head-to-head record against ASUN opponents this year, pacing the Liberty University Flames with a 70.78 season strike average.

Yaun is the son of championship golfers Radford and Meredith Yaun of Mineola, Florida and part of the Liberty, NY-based Yaun family where the game of golf is everyday conversation.

Golf is open at the Country Club at Woodloch Springs, Pa. with one golfer per cart rules.

Golf Tip

By Bob Menges

A good practice routine is important to your game and with this tip we hope to provide you with information on how to practice efficiently.

If you want to improve your game, it is important to set some goals for the season and map out a practice schedule.

You must first realize there are different areas of the game where you can focus on becoming a better player.

Most golfers consider hitting a bucket of balls before their round as practice.

Obviously, you want to work on your full swing, but you need to look at what is considered the scoring area of the game ... the short game.

Putting, chipping, pitching and bunker shots are just as important as a 300-yard drive. Most golfers ignore this part of the game when they practice. I feel you should spend at least twice the amount of time practicing your short game as you do your full swing.

Try to put aside a minimum of one hour a week to devote to your short game practice. If you have a chance to go to the range after work you can spend a half hour on the range working on your full swing, and then take another night and spend one hour on the practice green working on your short game.

I bet you will find if you improve your short game you will see an improvement in your overall score. Also it is a good idea to make an appointment for a lesson with your local Golf Professional.

Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club, Mt. Hope Road, Swan Lake. He is available when the course opens in mid-May. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 845-292-0323, 845-866-5567 or via email at bobmenges22@gmail.com

Putting Tip

By Geoff Walsh

When putting, for the entire Pre-Putt Routine (PPR), get your mind into “The Library” and keep it there for the entire round.

Remember, in “The Library,” it is calm, peaceful, quiet and serene all the time.

Nothing bothers you in “The Library” and this is where you accelerate on the forward stroke and finish the putting stroke with a delicate paint brush stroke. If golfers want to score well ... they must learn to putt well.

Geoff Walsh is a Class A PGA Professional at the Tarry Brae Golf Course at 387 Pleasant Valley Road, South Fallsburg. At this time private lessons are not available. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by telephone at 845-434-2620.

Ed Townsend is a Public Relations Consultant to the sport of golf and brings over 60-years of sports journalism experience in writing and compiling the information for this column. When leagues and courses are fully in operation send your league or tournament information to Ed at 845-439-8177, email to bghtnews@aol.com or fax to 845-205-4474. View this column and Ed's photos at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.