How bizarre can it get? Stowe finally ends its 158-day ski season Sunday and announces plans to open for golf Saturday, but it snows Monday.
Okemo Valley Golf Club opened Saturday and had one great day before the return of winter weather.
Down south in the Berkshires the venerable Taconic Golf Club saw Williams College host 12 other teams Sunday for the annual Spring Challenge and finish second behind dreaded rival Amherst.
Mighty Killington, still hosting skiers and snowboarders, will hold its sixth annual Pond Skimming Championships Saturday, with the 41st annual May 1 Fun Slalom to follow.
And Friday, Golf Digest Magazine’s chain of 17 worldwide golf schools will mark its entry into New England, setting up operations at Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club in Lenox.
Covering every aspect of the game, Golf Digest Schools at Cranwell will offer a wide variety of programs ranging from three-day schools to individual hourly lessons.
The former Cranwell Golf School opened in 1999 after several million dollars were spent at the 58-acre site on a 12,000-square-foot academy building, an indoor practice area, four practice holes, and a huge driving area with lesson tees and target greens. An 18-hole golf course, built for national championships some 75 years ago, will also be utilized in the Golf Digest School.
Keith Lyford, founder of the Cranwell Golf School, will remain on the staff as director of instruction. He came to Cranwell in late 1998 after more than a decade as head of the Stratton Mountain Golf Academy, founded in 1962 by legendary golf guru Arnold Palmer.
Lyford, who has been recognized as a Top 100 instructor in America and rated No. 3 in Massachusetts by Golf Digest, will also be featured in future Golf Digest issues, offering tips and instruction.
“Cranwell, with its great practice facility, outstanding golf course and spectacular surroundings, is an ideal location for us to operate in,†said Jim Endicott, Golf Digest Schools general manager.
Golf Digest Schools national headquarters opened last month in Palm Beach Gardens at The Country Club at Mirasol, future site of the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic.
“We are delighted to join forces with such a prestigious organization as Golf Digest,†said Lew Kiesler, general manager of the Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club. “Along with the opening of our new $9 million spa, the Golf Digest School further enhances Cranwell’s long-standing reputation as one of the premier resorts in the Northeast.
Golf Digest created the school business in 1971 and more than 75,000 students have since been taught by an award-winning staff, including nationally-ranked PGA and LPGA instructors.
Cranwell’s other facilities include 107 deluxe guest rooms, 16,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, four tennis courts, an outdoor heated pool, five restaurants and 10 kilometers of hiking and cross-country skiing trails. Cranwell, with a snow-making system, is the site of the annual Bay State Winter Games Nordic championships.
For additional information or to register for the school, call 1-800-243-6121 or visit www.golfdigestschool.com.
All Berkshire golf courses offer hourly instruction and special clinics and several years ago the then Waubeeka PGA Pro Tom Toski operated a golf school.
Since the Arnold Palmer Academy, then instructing juniors, Stratton has specialized in adult programs, as have golf schools available at Mount Snow, Okemo and Killington, all in Southern Vermont.
Nike Junior Golf and Tennis Camps have been at Williams College for several years, with Chris Tremblay at Skyline Golf Club in Lanesborough and the Skydome Indoor Club in Pittsfield heading the golf staff. Williams Coach Dave Johnson directs the tennis camp.
Many golfers and more hackers claim they “never took a lesson,†but the value of instruction can be seen on the golf course with smoother strokes and lower scores.
“With just two full days at the Killington Mountain Golf School last year I went from a non-golfer to a golfer and in just a few months I was able to play with veterans. Last fall I outplayed my uncle who is on the course all winter at Hilton Head,†claims Kim Jackson, news bureau director at not surprisingly, Killington, and formerly best known as an expert, if not extreme, skier.
In any event, there is no excuse not to take instruction at any of the major area golf schools or from the pros at the local golf clubs.
Kids are not forgotten, as nearly all clubs offer special youth programs, usually soon after the start of summer vacations.
Another way to improve is to join a golf league and again just about every course has several evening leagues for different levels, some for men only, some coed, and some just for women. Competition encourages better shot-making!
Waubeeka PGA Pro Erik Tiele is currently setting up a Ladies Monday Morning League and a men’s league for Tuesday mornings. Contact Erik at 458-8355.
For lounge lizards, you can’t beat watching TV tourneys or instruction on the Golf Channel.
Are there sometimes failures, despite all sources of help? Yes, I am loathe to admit. Even after lessons years ago from the late Rudy Goff at Taconic and the still-teaching Jay Morelli, director of golf operations for American Skiing company and founder of the Original Golf School at Mount Snow, I have a tendency to quickly forget the best of instruction and still try to “kill†the ball.
If you wonder what ski area employees do in the summer, you should be happy to know that they spend a great deal of time maintaining and repairing equipment.
In fact, more than 300 ski people are at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington, where the popular resort is hosting the 25th annual Lift Maintenance Seminar, a three-day event ending tomorrow (Thursday).
The seminar’s motto is “Safety Through Shared Knowledge,†and national experts on lifts, snowmaking and grooming share their knowhow with the people operating lifts and making and grooming snow. Official inspectors, weather service and forest service personnel are included in the event, inaugurated by Butternut founder Channing Murdock and continued by his son, Jeff.
John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about the area sports scene.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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