Early this month I was the lucky recipient of a last minute invite to golf with a good friend in New York.  I played The Atlantic Club, The Sebonack Golf Club, and Bethpage Black.  I'd never played golf in New York and had honestly never heard of Atlantic or Sebonack, two courses located in the ritzy area of Long Island known as the Hamptons.

Most of you have probably heard of Bethpage Black, the now famous public facility that's hosted the 2002 and 2009 US Opens.  But The Atlantic Club, sans the history, was a much better facility.  The private club was immaculate.  The caddies were exceptional and the service impeccable.  However, nothing holds a candle to Sebonack, the 8th ranked course in the country.  Thirteen of Sebonack's holes run along the ocean.  The spectacular views are surpassed only by the course's condition which quite honestly makes Pebble Beach look like a local municipal course.  Sebonack will host the 2013 Women's US Open.  Once this course is televised, everyone will want to play it.

But don't get your hopes up or book that flight just yet.  You won't play Sebonack without a member's blessing (or a PGA card).  Sebonack has the reputation for the highest initiation fee of any club in the country, a cool 1 million dollars. (Wonder what the dues are?)  After putting out on the 18th green, the gentleman playing in front of me was picked up by a private plane which landed in the ocean near the green.  The ham and cheese sandwich, on plain Wonder Bread with a bag of chips, cost more than the weekday green fee and cart at Drake Creek.  And my buddies paid the equivalent of an annual Drake Creek membership to play the course one time.  They all agreed, a least for one time, it was worth every dime.

All of this brings me to Bethpage Black and it's relevance to Drake Creek.  Bethpage had just hosted The Barkley's two weeks before I arrived.  So my expectations were high.  I had just played two magnificant courses but none of them had hosted 2 US Opens or a Fed Ex Cup Championship Event.  Surely this course was going to be the best yet.

Not so much.  We were hearded like cattle from the moment we arrived.  People were dressing, and undressing, in the parking lot.  We waded through a carasel of ropes until we finally reached the ticket counter!  We bought a ticket, think horse track betting, which we eventually took to a small booth near the first tee.  The range was horrible.  It had bad practice balls, you had to hit off matts, and I was screamed at for hitting a driver (I didn't see the sign!).  But this was Bethpage.  Surely everything would get better once I reached the first tee. 

Not so much.  Our caddies were awful.  They stepped in our line, gave us poor yardages, and didn't rake bunkers.  The course wasn't much better.  Two greens were dead and many others nearly dead and covered with sand.  The course was difficult only because of its extreme length and high roughs. 

While you may be thinking how let down I was by Bethpage Black, I wasn't.  I was happy to be playing a public course that's hosted 2 US Opens.   I paid $255 to play Bethpage Black and would do it again tomorrow.  I could sense echos from Open Championships and since the bleaches and tents were still up from the Barkley's, I was truly walking inside tour ropes.

But I was happier to realize that Drake Creek was in much better condition than Bethpage on this day.   You see, we'll never enjoy Bethpage's budgets, or the assistance it receives from the USGA.  And we'll never garner Bethpage's history.  Drake Creek will never be in the league with Bethpage Black.  But on this one day, Bethpage would have loved to enjoy our fairways, tees, and greens. 

This trip simply reminded me of what a great value Drake Creek is.  We don't have $1 million initiation fees and good sandwiches can be had for $4.25 each.  We'll greet you by name if we know you.  And if we don't, we're always glad to see you.  The course is good and the rates are fair.  We're not on the ocean but you can see the river on a few of our holes.  You can always play for $39 or less.  Or, incredibly, you can join for $99 a month which gets you unlimited golf with a cart.

Come on out.  We'll be glad to see you.

Todd

State Widens Old Ledbetter Bridge Overnight!


The State Highway Department has restricted large trucks from using the US 60 bridge that joins Paducah and Ledbetter. In fact, the state has restricted all non-emergency traffic over 3 tons. That may sound frightening to some people, but it’s quite refreshing for those of us who play golf at Drake Creek.

What the State, and News Channel 6, hasn’t told you is how much easier it is to cross the bridge now. The alleviation of semis and dump trucks means no more white-knuckling and breath-holding just to pass oncoming vehicles. I crossed the bridge this past Saturday morning and only passed 3 cars. I had so much room that it was easy for me to eat my breakfast sandwich and finish my texting conversation! (just kidding)

The old bridge is obviously in need of repairs. Repairs the State would prefer not to make since the new bridge will be done in two years. By alleviating large, heavy vehicles the State has reduced daily traffic by 35% and the daily weight load by more than 70%, which probably doubles the old bridge’s life expectancy allowing it to last until the new one is complete.

So come to Ledbetter, in your car, standard pick up, or SUV. We’re going to have a nice year at Drake Creek and we want you to be a part of it.

It's no secret that the historical Great Flood of 2011 affected course conditions at Drake Creek for all of 2011.  We were closed for most of May and June and we lost 6 greens that were under water for 27 days.   Matters were compounded by the fact that our maintenance crew was forced to focus on repairs instead of routine maintenance.  The rest of our course suffered as a result.
     We've always prided ourselves on consistently good course conditions.  In fact, we usually claim we're the best course in the area you can play.  But local golfers should naturally question Drake Creek's 2012 outlook.  Here's what we expect.
     TEE TO GREEN:  We spent $130K in 2011 on new sod to repair all the damages to our fairways, bunker shelves, and green aprons.  The sod had matured nicely by year's end.  We've put down the necessary chemicals and fertilizer this fall to insure it will be excellent in 2012.  Sod trucks will return in early 2012 to replace the the last zoysia aprons and to sod any bare places (if they can find any).  We've also replaced all the sand in our bunkers that was washed out by the flood.  The flood debris created a few drainage issues which should be resolved by February 1.  Anticipated Grade:  Better than ever!
     GREENS:  Well the good news is that the six greens we lost are now our 6 best greens.  The bad news is that 4 other greens didn't do well in 2011's record July heat wave.  However, those greens are recovering nicely and we anticipate they'll be perfectly normal after we aerate this spring.  Anticipated Grade:  As good as always!
     GOLF SERVICE:  We've hired a property manger, Aaron Bryant, to oversee operations and insure your experience is a good one.  Bruce Dowell, our long-time teaching professional returns along with Matt Smith and Dave Stanley, everyone's favorite golf shop assistants.  We'll be instituting a ranger and starter service on busier days to insure a better pace of play and to enforce our new cart policy designed to protect our new golf course.  And did I mention we just took delivery on a brand new fleet of golf carts?  Anticipated Grade:  Better than ever!
     BIG NEWS:  Drake Creek obtained Livingston County's first ever Golf Alcohol License this past November.   We are building Ledbetter's first ever bar and grill which should open in late March.  This exciting new amenity will feature casual dining, a large bar, private banquet areas, 4 large HD TV's, and a large patio overlooking the golf course.  The facility has been designed to enhance your experience at Drake Creek Golf Club.  We'll be offering more staffing and service including a beverage cart service on most days.  And the new facility will afford us more social events including parties and theme dinners.  Derby Party anyone?   Anticipated Grade:  Better than ever!
     They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  We got knocked down hard in 2011 but it wasn't our fault.  We've gotten back up, albeit slowly, and now we're starting to dance a little.   I think we'll be stronger than ever by late spring and I hope you'll dance with us!