2019 ECGJ: Playing the Historic Binghamton Country Club, an A.W. Tillinghast Gem!!!

3

Fun, Fun, Fun at BCC!

What a treat, what fun to play. Binghamton Country Club today! Especially with my two good Hobart & William Smith College friends Professor Chip who teaches a golf architecture course and Ken the Statesmen Golf Coach!

The golf course is in incredible shape benefiting from recently completed tree removal and bunker restoration programs! The course conditions have historically been impeccable and they were no different today! The greens, the course’s main defense, along with the engaging high shot value A.W. Tillinghast design, were rolling at an 11.3 on the Stimpmeter today!

The long & difficult par-3 18th home hole at BCC!

The long & difficult par-3 18th home hole at BCC!

Binghamton Country Club is the bedrock, the history, the origin of golf in the Greater Binghamton area and all of Broome County and somewhat beyond! The club dates bank to 1889 with the first course on the flat lands near the Susquehanna River. The famous and tremendously skilled golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast designed the current golf course and it opened in 1921.

 

George F. Johnson in line with his workers ringing out on the Time Recording Clock Machine!

George F. Johnson in line with his workers ringing out on the Time Recording Clock Machine! (Picture Credit: Bundy Museum)

George F. Johnson was a charter resident member of BCC and such a big proponent of golf he built his Endicott-Johnson shoe workers a golf course of their own. Originally called the En-Joie Health Golf Club, the workers’ golf course opened in 1927. George F. influenced Thomas J. Watson not only in business but also in golf. Watson, who also became a BCC member was the man who built International Business Machines (IBM). He also built a golf course for his workers; the IBM Country Club which opened in 1938. The En-Joie Golf Club has brought the world of professional golf to the Triple Cities (Endicott, Johnson City, and Binghamton) since 1971 (Credit source of this information to BCC Club Historian Louis R. Panigrosso, Esq. and his 3-part series ‘E-J, Big Blue, & BCC.’)

Binghamton University Campus from the 15th green at BCC.

Binghamton University Campus from the 15th green at BCC.

With views across the Susquehanna Valley to Vestal in the South direction one can easily see the Binghamton University campus from the 15th green near the clubhouse. There are even better views from the 17th green all the way east up the Susquehanna River to Downtown Binghamton and my beloved Ely Park Golf Course on the western slope of Mount Prospect!

Great golf history, hometown views, and great camaraderie made for an exception day! While my buddies had to head north and home to Geneva after lunch in the grill room I ventured back out on the golf course for a second 18 holes! I had to make up for the round lost after being cut after two rounds in the TCGA Amateur Championship Keith Chesk! For those of you who know me and the TROML/SSS process I am always joyous and rejoicing so why not play and replay this beauty?

View from the 6th green at BCC!

View from the 6th green at BCC!

A Heartfelt Thank You to Hobart and William Smith Colleges

http://www.andygolftraveldiary.com/a-heartfelt-thank-you-t…/

Today also brought back memories of being selected as the 2015 John Henry Hobart Fellow in Residence! What a great on-campus experience with the freshman class which just now graduated four years later! Time indeed flies! I hope they learned as much from my share as I learned from them! TROML Baby (an exclamation of Joy and Gratitude!)

(Andy Reistetter; 7/27/19; Facebook Post with 30 Pics)

2019 ECGJ: Triple Cities Amateur; Kyle Nedlik Wins; Andy Reistetter Finishes Dead Last!

20190714_001407

With Round 1 playing partners Scott Strong (left) and Bobby Goerlich (right)!

Kyle Nedlik Wins the 2019 Triple Cities Amateur; Andy Reistetter Finishes Dead Last!

What a thrill to play in the first round of the Triple Cities Golf Association (TCGA) Amateur Championship at the Conklin Players Club today! Beautiful, challenging golf course as you can see in the link below from Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary’s visit in September 2016!

Conklin Players Club, Greater Binghamton’s Own Augusta National…

Tough course setup today—I think it was hard pin day—the lowest score in the 45-man field was a 3-over par 75! I shot an 88 with 38 putts including 5 one-putt greens! As many 3-putts and YES, you do the math; I did 4-putt after a brilliant chip on No. 4 and avoided another 4-putt making a tough downhill breaker from 3 feet on the 14th for par after hitting the par-5 hole in two shots! Decent run of 4-over par for 9 holes mid-round but 10 over on 4 holes and no birdies was the real challenge for me today!

It’s been a while since I last played competitive golf last August at the 4-day World Am in Myrtle Beach; finished T4 but that was handicapped and flighted!

Play the World Am in Myrtle Beach; It will make a Professional out of You!

20190713_235550Need to go low tomorrow Saturday at En-Joie Golf Club to make the Top 30 cut for the final round at Binghamton Country Club on Sunday! Know I can do it!

Great golf courses and competition in the Triple Cities of Johnson City, Endicott, and Binghamton! Reasonably priced too! And yes, En Joie Golf Club is the home of the PGA TOUR Champions’ Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and the previous BC Open on the PGA TOUR!

Bed time; early tee time tomorrow (11:40 am)!

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 3 Links; Friday, July 13th, 2019)

20190714_000711Even tougher day today for this golfer! Not only missed the cut but finished dead last except for a DQ and everybody else that did not play in this tournament! LOL, as Hogan said, there is golf and then there is tournament golf! Still a great experience playing two great golf courses. I will live to play another day, actually 3 or 4 in the coming week! TROML Baby (an exclamation of JOY)! (Andy Reistetter; Facebook Comment; Saturday, July 14th, 2019).

2019 TCGA Final Round Scores

Congrats to Kyle Nedlik – Great Playing!

2019 ECGJ: En-Joie-ing Endicott. New York’s En-Joie Golf Club Twice in One Week!

42019 ECGJ: En-Joie-ing Endicott. New York’s En-Joie Golf Club Twice in One Week!

Fortunate to enjoy En Joie two out of the last four days! Great golf course design, great golf course conditions but not enough golfing talent on my part! LOL, watch where the pros play and then playing it is always so much more difficult! They make it look easier! What a Broome County Treasure! Hats off to PGA Golf Professional Mike Deuel and GCSAA Superintendent Anthony Chapman for making it all happen so that we can enjoy En Joie!

Wednesday practice round with my buddy The Greek, aka John Yianni Koutsaris and Saturday’s Round Two of the TCGA Amateur Championship with former Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan!

2Too many DSGO stories to write about The Greek (yes that is him in the bunker on No.2 but it is not his drive), but here is one on our 2-term Mayor Ryan: his first hole-in-one came on December 26th at Endwell Greens (proof positive for global warming) just in time to be the very first member of the Golf Channel Hole-In-One Club when they first went on the air on January 17th, 1995! Wouldn’t that be an interesting feature on this year’s DSGO broadcast?

28So once again, the golf course that Ernie Smith designed and George F. Johnson built for his workers in 1927; home to the B.C. Open for 36 years and immortalized by local cartoon artist Johnny Hart; where Butch Harmon won the inaugural event in 1971; where EJ Assistant Pro Richie Karl beat Bruce Crampton in a playoff; where local favorite Joey Sindelar was the first to win two times; where Brad Faxon was the first to win back-to-back titles; where Palmer, Watson and Couples have played; where the PGA TOUR Champions’ DICK’S Sporting Goods Open has been played since 2007; where Bart Bryant became the first to win two times last year; and where Jack Nicklaus is coming this year… IS nearly perfect for the upcoming 2019 DICK’S Sporting Goods Open… only 4 more weeks and it is Keith Urban party time!

I hope you enjoy En Joie as much as I do!

Thank you to Mike Deuel for hosting Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary; The Greek, aka John Yianni Koutsaris, for having fun no matter what I shoot and Keith Chesk and the TCGA for recording what I shot and cutting me (deservingly so as I was not so deserving) and carrying on with the final round at Binghamton Country Club! Play well fellow amateurs!

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 30 Pics; 7-14-19)

 

2019 ECGJ; The 9-Hole Montrose Club in Montrose, PA: Charming, Fun, & Historic!!!

CLICK HERE for an Aerial View of The Montrose Club!

19One-of-a-kind for sure! The Montrose Club a nice 9-holer on the gentle slope overlooking Montrose Lake in Montrose, Pennsylvania! A golf course with charm; divided into three 3-hole sections by Routes 29 & 167. One that I have probably driven by 20 times in my life (20 miles east of Binghamton) and every time I did I said I wish I could stop and play this golf course!

With the "all-too-young-to-be-legendary" Joan E. Davis!

With the “all-too-young-to-be-legendary” Joan E. Davis!

The first hole is literally at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Route 29 but it is not quirky, it is just history, being built in 1898. Reminds me of the Road Hole on the Old Course at St. Andrews! Bit of a Ben Hogan aspect too… aim at the Hollywood sign… which letter said Hogan? Same for the approach shot on No. 9 with the Rite Aid beyond the 9th green! Diaz country smokestack too! Relatively new 2nd hole. Challenging par- 5 3rd hole with necklace bunkers. The red shack on the 5th hole is intriguing… must be a story! Short par-4 6th is drive-able for sure but stay off the road! Beautiful par-3 7th hole on the water. Challenging 8th! You will remember every hole because this is a special golfing experience!

With Keith Chesk (L) and Randy White (R), and proof positive above that they have won The Montrose Club Member-Guest!

With Keith Chesk (L) and Randy White (R), and proof positive above that they have won The Montrose Club Member-Guest!

Definitely a fun club that anyone, including myself, would enjoy being a member. Exciting day praying (Bridgewater Church Montrose) and playing with my friend Joan E.Davis! Thank you to my buddy members Keith Chesk & Randy White for sponsoring us and GM Rebecca Warner for hosting Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary! Pull over, stop, and play this golf course if you ever have the opportunity!

 

30PS- Oh by the way the fun & enjoyment is endless in this part of Pennsylvania! There’s a big chair and a frosty one waiting for you nearby at Endless Brewing! (Andy Reistetter, 7-13-19, Facebook Post with 30 Pics)

2019 ECGJ: Play Tall Pines Players Club in Friendsville, PA; Not Far from Binghamton, NY!

created by dji camera

created by dji camera

CLICK HERE for an aerial view of the beautiful Tall Pines Players Club in Friendsville, PA!

What better to place to play my first round of golf with the too young to be legendary Joan E.Davis than the Augusta-like Tall Pines Players Club just south of the PA border?

A memorable round on a golf course with spectacular character, beauty, and shot values! Can’t believe it has taken us 4 years to tee it up but as fate would have it the wait was well worth it!

With the legendary Joan E. Davis at Tall Pines Players Club!

With the legendary Joan E. Davis at Tall Pines Players Club!

On a windy day, when the clouds were gracefully passing overhead as the bright ground sun waves kept coming down the fairway at us, I watched in awe at the Sorenstam-like swing of the creator of The Golfer’s Buddy- the best lil’ golf carry bags around to enhance your enjoyment of the game of golf and speed up play! And I thought I was everybody’s Golf Buddy!Seriously, check out the link below!

 

 

Tall Pines Freedom Par-Tee 7-6-19Tall Pines Players Club is hosting a BIG golf & entertainment event on Saturday, July 6th; the Freedom Par-Tee featuring a great golfing competition and the UUU band (of DSGO Friday after-party fame & fun).

Don’t miss this one! Friendsville, PA aptly named; a place to visit whether for dinner, a drink, or golf and make friends! For Joan’s close friends Mildred LentineFrank Lentine, & Michael Sedlak, for the record, I did witness a full round of safe golf cart driving by Joan! She had me taking videos and pics just in case the deer ran into her golf cart or one of the trees moved! What a memorable day with Joan E.Davisat Tall Pines Players Club! See you on the 6th of July! YOU, YOU, YOU, too, too, too!!! TROML Baby (an exclamation of JOY)!!!

CLICK here for Joan’s Golf Buddy website!

(Andy Reistetter; 6/15/19; Facebook Post with 30 Pics)

2019 DSGO: Jack Nicklaus heading to Greater Binghamton for the First Time Ever!

DSGO PromoPJ, Lopez, Annika, & now the Golden Bear himself, Mr. Nicklaus is coming to the 2019 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in my hometown of Binghamton, NY! Congratulations John Karedes, David Pessagno, et all for landing the BIGGEST name in golf! Keith Urban performing on Friday night too! Over the top! Word on the street is Jack is working with Barry Goldstein & may actually compete in the Champions DSGO event? Or it may just be the great fishing in the Susquehanna River? April 2nd, this is for real! Soooo excited! The Golden Bear returns to the Valley of Opportunity, aka the Valley of Spiritual Growth!   (Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with DSGO Link; 4/2/19)

Jack Nicklaus receives the PGA TOUR’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 PLAYERS Championship while Tiger Woods Admits Nicklaus is “Forever Better than Me.”

Jack at the 2008 PLAYERS Championship!

Jack at the 2008 PLAYERS Championship!

That was the closest I ever got to Jack Nicklaus. No picture but I did get the program autographed. Historical Moment for two reasons: Jack is honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award of the PGA TOUR and Tiger admits in writing that Jack will always be “Forever Better than Me!”

The 2019 Friday Night Concert is Keith Urban!

 

CLICK here for tickets and more information!

Facebook Comments:

Barry Goldstein  Greatest of all time Jack ❤

Andy Reistetter Barry Goldstein Yeah! Understand that you can’t comment! Be a great story… from Parkside to Greenside; life & golf!

Barry Goldstein He’s as good a human being as he was a player.

Lisa Bennett-Fish Fantastic!

Pete Kinney Awesome news! May have to make the trip up.
He never played in the B.C., despite promising Alex, (many times), that he would. I was privileged to hear one of those conversations, at the 1980 PGA, in Rochester. Not the Bear’s fault, as no player had more of a limited schedule, (due to putting his family, before his career), which is very admirable, for sure.

Christine Pavlisak Wow,my favorite!

Andy Reistetter The DICK’S Sporting Goods Open along with UHS and Dr. Bai Lee are thrilled to announce the Honorary Host for the 2019 UHS Golf Expo will be World Golf Hall of Fame Member !⛳️

This will be the 18-time Major Champion’s first visit to Endicott!

Joan E.Davis I WILL BE THERE!!!!!

 

Windsor’s Golden Oak GC is Not Too Far to Go but Far Enough to Enjoy!

30Another great round of golf in the Greater Binghamton area today! This one at the Golden Oak GC in Windsor with my friend Kathleen Wolfe. A favorite of mine growing up playing with my Dad & Uncle George. Hadn’t played there in 40 years. Owners Rebecca & Ken Ellsworth have made great improvements in the last few years. Check out this sporty & very scenic golfing experience. Original 9 was built in 1921 & is flat & shorter. The other 9 is a great design of half valley & half mountain golf with three par 3s in a row along a ridge with fantastic views! The hamburgers are even better than I remember as a kid!   (Facebook Post with 30 pics, Andy Reistetter, 9-18-16)

Binghamton’s Ely Park GC; Where My Love Affair with Golf Began!!!

 

 

 

Is it a sunrise or a sunset? We never know in life, do we?

Is it a sunrise or a sunset? We never know in life, do we?

September 14th, 2016…

Amazing sunset & moonrise tonight up at Ely Park! Walked a quick first nine! Virtually 360 degree view of the City of Binghamton, valleys & rivers. Happy 49th birthday to Terri Connolly, the nicest, prettiest & friendliest lady behind the counter in all of golf! TROML Baby! (Facebook Post with 30 pics, Andy Reistetter, 9-14-16)

The Links at Hiawatha Landing, Go West Young Person & Play Golf There!

3The Links at Hiawatha Landing is  a world class links style championship golf course just west of Greater Binghamton, New York, my hometown. Great test of golf. Fun round with my friend Kathleen Wolfe. Beautiful wild flowers! Thanks JB for hosting me! So many great golf courses in the area, think there are 15 of them Must play if come through the Southern Tier area of Central New York State!   (Facebook Post with 30 pics, Andy Reistetter, 9-9-16)

 

Conklin Players Club, Greater Binghamton’s Own Augusta National…

4Great round of golf today with Sir Charles Novitske! Conklin Players Club is a fantastic golf course. In my opinion, with the exception of En Joie at tournament time, this is the Augusta National of Broome County! Bent grass everywhere including the fairways. Beautiful landscaping & flowers, everything is manicured. Awesome views of the Susquehanna Valley too! Plus out-birdieing my old pal 3-2 made it extra special too! Don’t you want a tour of the Pyramid House too? Thanks to owners Theresa & Rick for hosting us. Nongolfers themselves at the time, they built this course out of love in 1991. Build it and they will come, you should come to CPC & play!   (Facebook Post with 30 pics, Andy Reistetter, 9-4-16)