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| Hole No. 10 |
Conklin Players
Club:
Underrated Gem
Steps into the Spotlight
By Tom Robinson,
Staff Writer
CONKLIN, N.Y. - Course design and management's equivalent of a public
links amateur golfer playing himself into contention in the U.S.
Open is cause for celebration at the Conklin Players Club. Built
and run by the Brown and Rickard families, the Conklin Players Club
has been appreciated by players on the New York-Pennsylvania border
since it opened in 1991. The course started without an experienced
architect and it continues without a professional.
The formula is hardly typical of golf courses that wind up regarded
as among the best in national rankings. But, that is just where
the Conklin Players Club found itself this spring when the readers
of Golf Digest ranked the course among the 201 best public courses
in North America among about 6,000 rated for the magazine's latest
Places to Play book.
"That was great." general manager Theresa Rickard said.
"We were real pleased."
The ranking of 4 1/2 stars matched four others, including 2002
U.S. Open site, Bethpage Black, for the best among New York State
courses. Rickard said the ranking simply served as a confirmation.
The plans for the family-run course were to go on as currently operating,
learning to improve without hiring a club pro or other veterans
of the industry.
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| Holes No. 18 and 1 |
"A pro here could give lessons or could work the pro shop to
sell clubs, but what do we need that for," Rickard said. "We
don't know a lot about golf. We're still learning. But people who
come to play our golf course say they notice that it is well manicured
and in good condition." The "pro" shop is adequately
stocked. The snack shop and restaurant have the essentials covered.
It is the golf course itself that lifts Conklin above the pack.
It has been that way since Rick and Marty Brown, Theresa Rickard's
brothers, and Rick Rickard, Theresa's husband, first showed off
the course they built. From Day One, the design left players shocked
that such a course could be created without an experienced designer.
Now, the impressions are made by how well the course is maintained
under the supervision of Rick Brown, who remains as superintendent.
Mother Nature provides a boost with scenic views, especially from
the course's high point at the 15th green and 16th tee. The design
comes through with a course that looks tough and top flight, but does
not often beat up the average player.
Large greens can leave some long putts, but the greens do not
have the type of slopes that cause for huge breaks or difficult
reads. The result is large targets that play to the golfer's advantage.
Most of the holes have sand, but it is generally positioned far
enough away from greens that players can wind up just missing the
green without automatically finding the beach.
Water, with the exception of par-3s at 10 and 13, is positioned
the same way. It is in play on half the holes, but not all the hazards
are a serious threat. Ponds are also responsible for two of the
toughest par-4s.
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| Not Your Everyday Par 3s |
| CONKLIN, N.Y. - The
par-3s have always been the highlight of a round at
the Conklin Players Club. This season, the longest of
the par-3s has gotten even better.
The seventh hole has a new tee position that alters
the look of the hole and makes it more difficult. From
the original tee position, which will still be used
at times, the hole played steadily downhill for 180
yards from the white tee and as far back as 249 from
the tip of the back tee. One sand trap was positioned
well short and left and another was closer to the green,
guarding the right half.
A new tee placed behind the sixth green sends the
tee shot across a valley instead of straight down the
hill and also forces a line of flight directly over
the right trap from 173 yards.
"We rotate the tees on 7," course general
manager Theresa Rickard said. "Bringing the ravine
in gives it a completely different look."
The two holes that get a lot of attention at Conklin
are the short par-3s on the back nine, 10 and 13. The
10th hole is a shot to an island green. The red tees
are only 75 yards from the middle of the green. The
whites read 100 on the scorecard, but the tee markers
are sometimes moved back closer to the 143-yard blue
position. In front of the green is where the pond causes
the most trouble, but overaggressive shots that carry
through the green can also end up in the water. A path
at the left back that walks you out to the green is
the only area completely clear of water.
The 13th is 128 yards from the white tees and water
has to be carried to reach the front edge of the green.
The other par-3 is simpler, but a 164-yard iron tee
shot on the second hole of the day with sand on each
side can provide an early test of accuracy. (TR)
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Aside from the carries over water on the back nine par-3s, the eighth
hole has the toughest hazard, running laterally along the right side
of the fairway from just in front of the tee all the way to the green
on the 360-yard, par-4. There is plenty of room left of the tee, but
a lone fairway trap on that side near the landing area can cause some
trouble.
The 362-yard 11th hole has an uphill tee shot followed by an approach
to a green that is protected by a small pond on the right. The hole
is less severe because of a bank on the left that will bounce safe
shots back toward the green.
The number-one handicap hole is the 340-yard, 16th. A tee shot,
usually with less than a driver, leaves a nearly blind second shot
straight up to the green. The bank short of the green can leave
a difficult chip, but choosing too much club can leave a shot in
the woods behind the green.
Three of the four par-5s are made easier by playing downhill.
The ninth is the most reachable of the three. Providing the tee
shot avoids a fairway trap and out-of-bounds left without crossing
too far right, 9 can become one of the easiest holes on the course
from a spot out on the fairway looking down at the green.
From the white tees, Conklin Players Club plays 6,128 yards with
a par of 72, course rating of 69.5 and slope of 121. From the 6,772-yard
blue tees, the course rating climbs to 72.5. There are also gold
tees at 5,668 yards. Red tees, playing 4,699 yards, play to a women's
course rating of 67.8 and handicap of 116.
The course is located a mile from the Pennsylvania border, 10
minutes south of Binghamton. It is about 45 miles from Scranton,
Pa. and 70 miles from Syracuse. Nearly half of the course's play
comes from Pennsylvania golfers.
Tee times can be reserved for weekends beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday.
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| Hole No. 15 |
For those traveling from farther away, the course has affiliations
with some Binghamton-area hotels for stay-and-play packages.
Conklin Players Club
1520 Conklin Road
Conklin, N.Y. 13748
Phone: 607-775-3042
Greens Fees
Weekdays (Monday-Thursday) $27 ($14 for nine holes)
Weekday Senior Rate $25 ($13 for nine holes)
Weekends (Friday-Sunday) $36 ($19 for nine holes)
Carts
$10/person for 18 holes
Note: Carts are mandatory until 2 p.m. on weekends |
