Golf camps galore running in our area

Print Story | Email Story
Williams College holds or hosts summer sports camps ranging from basketball to volleyball, but its Nike Junior Golf Camp covers practice and play at three different sites, from Skyline Country Club in Lanesboro and the North Adams Country Club and north to the Mount Snow Golf Club in West Dover, Vt. And when the camps end each Friday with a nine-hole tourney, the participants have encountered just about every challenge possible from hidden holes on steep ridges at Skyline to ledge-studded roughs and tiny greens at NACC and water-guarded greens and long demanding par 4s at Mount Snow. The final session will begin Sunday, but Mount Snow will host two resident Nike camp sessions starting Aug. 11 and Aug. 18. PGA Pro Chris Tremblay, operator of the Skydome Indoor Golf Center in Pittsfield and teaching pro at Skyline, is in charge each year of the first two Nike Williams sessions, with Dr. Robert Winters of Orlando, Fla., a sports psychologist and mental game consultant from NBC Sports, directing the final five sessions. The boys and girls are quartered in Tyler House and have breakfast and most dinners at the Williams main dining room, with transportation provided by JT Bus Lines of North Adams, with a Williams van to haul gear. Campers practice and play at Skyline on Sunday and Monday, with an 18-hole shotgun start Tuesday morning at NACC, followed by afternoon practice at Skyline and all day there Wednesday. Thursday includes instruction in the morning at Mount Snow, 18 holes of play, dinner at the base of the ski slopes and recreational activities in the Snow Barn. The Friday schedule includes a nine-hole tourney at either NACC or Skyline. With up to 60 pupils, as many as eight pros come up from Orlando, including a few top college competitors and a member of the LPGA Futures Tour. Cost for the weeklong program is $995 and transportation is provided from the Albany Airport if required. High school and tournament competitors will be coached at the first Mount Snow Nike Resident Camp, Aug. 11, ages 12 - 18. The Aug. 18 camp will be for all ability levels, ages 10 - 18. The weekly fee is $1,045. Commuters are accepted. Full information is available from US Sports/Nike Golf Schools, 4470 Redwood Hwy., San Rafael, CA 94903. (800) 645-3226. Nike holds numerous golf, tennis and other sports camps throughout the country. The Williams Nike Junior Tennis Camp, directed by Eph head coach Dave Johnson, has been in operation for some 30 years. For full information on the various Williams sports camps, contact the Williams Athletic Department at 597-2366. Mount Snow is also the home of the oldest adult golf school in the country, started in 1978 by Pro Jay Morelli and now called The Original Golf School. Morelli now heads a chain including Mount Snow; Sugarloaf, USA, in Maine; Crystal River and West Palm Beach in Florida; and Ocean City in Maryland. Scene of many regional tournaments, Mount Snow will host the Vermont Senior PGA Open Aug. 20 and 21. The Geoffrey Cornish - designed course was ranked by Ski Magazine as one of the top 10 ski resort courses in the nation and is open to the public every day except during tournaments. Call (802) 464-4254 for tee times. Competition for bragging rights is tough in Vermont with exceptional golf courses at Haystack, Stratton, Okemo, Killington, Sugarbush and Stowe. Stratton, with three nine-hole layouts, opened in 1964 and became the home of the nation’s first ski area junior golf school, headed by none other than The King, Arnold Palmer. After a few years the Palmer connection ended and Stratton shifted its emphasis to adult camps, now directed by Rich Setter. Tremblay grew up playing for Pittsfield High School in the late 70s and was graduated from the University of Maryland in 1984, where he was coached by now PGA Touring Pro Fred Funk. “It was a lot different then, with virtually no programs to introduce golf to youngsters,” Tremblay recalled. Individual lessons were available from club pros, but many were not too keen on teaching kids. “Taking lessons from Dick Baxter (the late Scottish born pro at Taconic Golf Club) was no joy,” recalls a local adult. Tremblay, who won the 1984 Berkshire Allied title as his final amateur event, now coaches the PHS team, after five years as a club pro in New Jersey and seven years in Bristol, Conn.”Now kids and adults can take lessons and be coached year-round,” said Tremblay. Virtually every Berkshire and Southern Vermont golf club now offers junior lessons each summer and the Golf Digest Golf Camp at Cranwell Resort in Lenox claims to be the best in New England, directed by Keith Lyford, who headed the Stratton school for 17 years before coming to Cranwell four years ago. Most clubs have one tourney each summer for club kids, while the Allied Golf Club of Berkshire County conducts a series of tourneys at different clubs throughout July and August. There are three age categories: 13 and under, 14 and 15, and 16 and 17. The next event will be Tuesday (Aug. 5) at NACC, with Forest Park in Adams Aug. 12 and the final event at the Greenock Country Club in Lee Aug. 19. Donnie Troy of PHS and Jay Wilkinson of Taconic High have qualified for the Massachusetts Junior Championship Aug. 12 - 14 at the Country Club of New Bedford, with Mitch Boraski of Taconic an alternate. Unfortunately, some junior golfers never have a chance to realize their dreams. Such was the case of Scott Gliwski of North Adams, who at 16 was headed for a junior tourney at Waubeeka, where he was a part-time employee. His motor bike was hit by a tourist‘s car on Route 7 and he lost his life. Every year since his death, the Scott Gliwski Memorial Tournament is held and this year’s event will take place at Waubeeka Saturday. Call PGA Pro Erik Tiele for details at 458-8355. John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about the area sports scene.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Friday Front Porch Feature: A Charming House Like New

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The home prior to renovations.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Are you looking for a newly renovated home with great space? Then this might be the perfect fit for you!

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Autumn Drive.

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom split level was built in 1965 and is 1,396 square feet on 0.32 acres.

The house was completely renovated recently. It includes a one-car garage, and comes with appliances including a dishwasher and stove/oven, and other major appliances.

The house is listed for $359,500.

We spoke with owners Michael Zeppieri and Chris Andrews, who did the renovations. Zeppieri is an agent with Alton and Westall Real Estate Agency.

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

Zeppieri: I purchased this home to do a full renovation flip and saw tremendous potential in this mid-century split level home that had not been updated since it was built in the 1960s, in a great North Adams neighborhood.

 

Andrews: The house was a much different house when we first purchased it in 2022 (photo attached is from about 2010.)  The interior was painted all in dark colors and we brightened it up with neutral colors. The transformation makes you feel like you are in a totally different house.  

 

 

What were the recent renovations, any standout design features?

 

Zeppieri: The house has had a complete reconfiguration including new kitchen with high-end appliances, ceramic tiled baths, hardwood floors, new windows and roof ... just to name a few.  All a buyer has to do is move in and enjoy.

 

Andrews: Yes, we renovated the entire house.  New windows, new roof, all new custom black gutter system, new blacktop driveway, hardwood floors were installed through out the house. New kitchen and bathrooms as well as painting the exterior and interior of the house.  New paver patio in the back yard.

 

What kind of buyer would this home be ideal for?

 

Zeppieri: The buyer for this home could be a first-time homebuyer or a retiree ... the location is close to attractions in North Adams ... and the property is located in Autumn Heights, which is a very small residential development with several long-term owners.

 

Andrews: This home is truly ideal for a variety of buyers. Whether a first-time homebuyer, a small family or even someone looking to downsize from a larger home.

 

 

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

 

Zeppieri: The location, price and move-in condition of this home make it a true market leader in the North Adams Market.

 

Andrews: This house is completely renovated and in a desirable location of North Adams. The natural light in the home really makes the interior pop. And with all the upgrades the home stays quite cool in the summer months.

Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history?

Zeppieri: This home was built for the Gould family in 1969 and they lived there till 2010. It was always a family home during that time in which the Goulds had two children ... and Virgina Gould managed Mohawk Forest Apartments and was a very active resident of North Adams.

 

Andrews: Built in about 1965.

 

What do the current owners love about this home?

 

Zeppieri: As the current owner it was a fun project to transform this home and get it ready for its next adventure with a new family to enjoy for many years.

 

Andrews: No one has lived in the house since we purchased the home. The new owners would be the first to live in the house since the renovations have been completed.

 

 

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

 

Andrews: I would suggest seeing the house either on a sunny day or at twilight to really get a vision of how special the home feels.  

 

You can find out more about this house on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

 

 

 

 

View Full Story

More North Adams Stories