Season 2022, Issue 1
Proudly owned and operated by Stroud Township, Glen Brook Golf Club has one of the most active golf communities in the northeastern part of the United States. Founded in 1924, Glen Brook offers a private club experience with municipal course affordability. As we approach our centennial anniversary, our member newsletter -- 'The Brook 1924' -- helps to connect our community of golfers.
We invite you to share your feedback via email.
We invite you to share your feedback via email.
Notes from our pro...
Dustin McCormick, PGA Head Golf Professional
Dustin McCormick, PGA Head Golf Professional
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2022 off to a great start
The golf boom is still going strong at The Brook. The first few months of our 2022 golf season have seen an engaged and active golf community with leagues, member tournaments, public play, and special events. As we enjoy our long days of summer, thanks to all the golfers who have made our facility a true Poconos hotspot! |
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Thanks also to everyone who traveled to Bethlehem for what was an amazing personal experience for me and a great story involving one of our local golf professionals. As many of you know, one of my best friends -- Mike Molino, the head pro at The Country Club of Scranton -- qualified for the USGA Senior Open, a major event on the PGA Champions Tour. Mike asked me to caddy for him, and I was thrilled to walk the fairways of The Old Course at Saucon Valley Country Club with golf legends like Padraig Harrington, Bernard Langer, Davis Love III, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Ernie Els. Mike and I really appreciated the support during the week from so many familiar faces.
From left to right: Dustin, Mike, John Kulhamer (Head Pro at Green Pond Country Club), and Jane (Mike's wife). Thanks to Kyle Monahan (Head Pro at Pocono Farms) for the photo.
Member events at The Brook
We've had three member events so far this year, and each one has benefitted from tremendous participation from our members. I am excited to see so many new and old faces coming together in these tournaments for some friendly competition. In case you missed the events, here are the winners:
Glen Brook Spring Fling -- April 16
Glen Brook Shamble -- May 21
Glen Brook Summer Scramble -- June 4
Remember to check our members page on the Glen Brook website and our members group on Facebook for complete results.
Double aces on July 1
We had a rarity at The Brook on the first day of July. Playing in our weekly Friday skins game, both Declan Coyne (Hole 8) and JJ McHugh (Hole 16) had a hole-in-one. Not only were they in the same game, they were in the same group! Congratulations to Declan and JJ for two memorable shots.
Coming soon
The next couple of months feature some of Glen Brook's most anticipated member events of the season -- including our Club Championships, the 9th annual Ladies Invitational, and the 9th annual Men's Member Guest. Below are some key dates and details:
Glen Brook Red, White & Blue
Glen Brook Club Championships
Glen Brook Ladies Invitational
Glen Brook Men's Member-Guest
If there is any way I can help to improve your membership experience, please stop by or call the Pro Shop at (570) 421-3680.
We've had three member events so far this year, and each one has benefitted from tremendous participation from our members. I am excited to see so many new and old faces coming together in these tournaments for some friendly competition. In case you missed the events, here are the winners:
Glen Brook Spring Fling -- April 16
- Men's Division -- Gross -- Al McCormick / Brian Salmon
- Men's Division -- Net -- Tom Sedorchuk / Darren Deglar
- Mixed Division -- Gross -- Jason Field / Sara Wildrick
- Mixed Division -- Net -- Deb Wheatley / Sue Schreffler
Glen Brook Shamble -- May 21
- Men's Division -- Gross -- Steve Houloose / Maurice Rapp
- Men's Division -- Net -- Mark Hodgson / John Sandy
- Mixed Division -- Gross -- Harry Mungroo / Patty Wiesmeth
- Mixed Division -- Net -- Phil Bettini / Deb Bettini
Glen Brook Summer Scramble -- June 4
- Men's Division -- Gross -- Al McCormick / Steve Houloose
- Men's Division -- Net -- Darren Casey / Paul Stotsenburg
- Mixed Division -- Gross -- Tom Barwick / Sandy Miller
- Mixed Division -- Net -- Joanne Eagleson / Maryanne Moroch
Remember to check our members page on the Glen Brook website and our members group on Facebook for complete results.
Double aces on July 1
We had a rarity at The Brook on the first day of July. Playing in our weekly Friday skins game, both Declan Coyne (Hole 8) and JJ McHugh (Hole 16) had a hole-in-one. Not only were they in the same game, they were in the same group! Congratulations to Declan and JJ for two memorable shots.
Coming soon
The next couple of months feature some of Glen Brook's most anticipated member events of the season -- including our Club Championships, the 9th annual Ladies Invitational, and the 9th annual Men's Member Guest. Below are some key dates and details:
Glen Brook Red, White & Blue
- Saturday, July 9
- 2-person scramble
- Multiple divisions
- Sign-up outside the Pro Shop
Glen Brook Club Championships
- Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31
- 36-hole stroke play
- Multiple divisions: Men Gross/Net, Senior Men Gross/Net, Ladies Gross/Net, Senior Ladies Gross/Net
Glen Brook Ladies Invitational
- Wednesday, August 17
- Flighted better ball of partners with shootout
- Watch for sign-up information in the coming weeks
Glen Brook Men's Member-Guest
- Thursday - Saturday, August 18 - 20
- Flighted better ball of partners with shootout
- Sign-up sheets are now available and must be turned in to the Pro Shop. Click to download a print-able sign-up sheet.
- Spaces are limited with first priority going to teams from last year. Places in this year's event are reserved until July 22 for 2021 teams.
- All payments -- check or cash ONLY -- must be made prior to August 12.
If there is any way I can help to improve your membership experience, please stop by or call the Pro Shop at (570) 421-3680.
Keeping our course beautiful...
Jeff Feick Golf Course Superintendent
Jeff Feick Golf Course Superintendent
Summer is here! The shift from spring to summer finds the course in outstanding condition thanks to ideal climate conditions for growing.
We aerified the greens a few weeks ago. We quickly saw benefits of the deep-tine aeration with improved movement of air and water through the soil profile. Deeper roots and healthier plants will have a better chance to survive the stressful heat of summer.
Aeration relieves the compacted soil. Daily mowing and maintenance compacts the soil and causes a lot of wear and tear. Golfers also inadvertently cause serious damage. A typical foursome takes 300 or more steps on every green. Aeration helps to offset some of the resulting damage.
We aerified the greens a few weeks ago. We quickly saw benefits of the deep-tine aeration with improved movement of air and water through the soil profile. Deeper roots and healthier plants will have a better chance to survive the stressful heat of summer.
Aeration relieves the compacted soil. Daily mowing and maintenance compacts the soil and causes a lot of wear and tear. Golfers also inadvertently cause serious damage. A typical foursome takes 300 or more steps on every green. Aeration helps to offset some of the resulting damage.
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We often receive compliments on our greens, which are populated by two species of grass: annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass. The botanical name for annual bluegrass is Poa annua -- though it is often simply referred to as poa. This species produces seed heads in the spring, even when closely mowed. These are the white tips you see early in the season. Bentgrass does not produce seed heads on the greens, but sometimes transitions out of winter a little slowly. This spring, the bent was quite slow to green-up and start growing. Now in summer, the bent has perked up and the poa is slowing down. The result is greens that look great and roll true.
Nature runs wild at The Brook.
The landscape changes every day. A nice variety of flowering trees add a splash of color in May, followed by flowering perennials throughout the summer. Look for native blue flag iris growing in the drainage swales and along McMichael Creek. There is always something
interesting to see in or along the stream. Kingfishers and rough-winged swallows make their nests in holes in the steep bank just to the right of hole #14, and phoebes build their nests under the cart bridge. Common mergansers are often seen with large groups of ducklings. Watch for summer birds in all of the diverse habitats here at The Brook.
Nature runs wild at The Brook.
The landscape changes every day. A nice variety of flowering trees add a splash of color in May, followed by flowering perennials throughout the summer. Look for native blue flag iris growing in the drainage swales and along McMichael Creek. There is always something
interesting to see in or along the stream. Kingfishers and rough-winged swallows make their nests in holes in the steep bank just to the right of hole #14, and phoebes build their nests under the cart bridge. Common mergansers are often seen with large groups of ducklings. Watch for summer birds in all of the diverse habitats here at The Brook.
Growing our game...
Alex Knoll, PGA Teaching Professional
Alex Knoll, PGA Teaching Professional
Setting goals for the summer
As we enjoy the warmer and drier weather of summer, we are all hoping to find our peak performance for this golf season. Every year, we want to get better, but do we ever know if we really do get better? We might say our handicap is lower, but sometimes that is not a true indication of an improving golf game -- especially when considering how many "gimme" putts we take from three feet or how many foot wedges we use from the trees.
When I ask most of my students how they want to improve, they usually say: "I want to be more consistent." While this is an admirable goal, we have no way of actually determining if are we more consistent or not from season to season unless we track our statistics.
To measure your progress, pick a quantitative goal you can track. For instance, say: "I want to hit 10 out of 14 fairways per round or better" or "I want to have fewer than 36 putts per round" or "I want to chip every ball on the green without duffing or sculling." These are goals you can track to truly see if you are getting better over time. Tracking your statistics is a great way to figure out where you are losing shots. Then, use this information to focus on your weaknesses during your next lesson or practice session.
Video Lesson: Score better by escaping the rough
Many of my students have expressed frustration about the "healthy" (in other words, thick and nasty) rough found on many courses this time of year -- The Brook included. Enjoy the video tip below for hitting better chip shots around the green. Improve on these shots and watch how quickly your score drops!
As we enjoy the warmer and drier weather of summer, we are all hoping to find our peak performance for this golf season. Every year, we want to get better, but do we ever know if we really do get better? We might say our handicap is lower, but sometimes that is not a true indication of an improving golf game -- especially when considering how many "gimme" putts we take from three feet or how many foot wedges we use from the trees.
When I ask most of my students how they want to improve, they usually say: "I want to be more consistent." While this is an admirable goal, we have no way of actually determining if are we more consistent or not from season to season unless we track our statistics.
To measure your progress, pick a quantitative goal you can track. For instance, say: "I want to hit 10 out of 14 fairways per round or better" or "I want to have fewer than 36 putts per round" or "I want to chip every ball on the green without duffing or sculling." These are goals you can track to truly see if you are getting better over time. Tracking your statistics is a great way to figure out where you are losing shots. Then, use this information to focus on your weaknesses during your next lesson or practice session.
Video Lesson: Score better by escaping the rough
Many of my students have expressed frustration about the "healthy" (in other words, thick and nasty) rough found on many courses this time of year -- The Brook included. Enjoy the video tip below for hitting better chip shots around the green. Improve on these shots and watch how quickly your score drops!
As always, reach out to me to schedule a lesson or ask a question: (610) 597-2057 or [email protected].
Connecting our golf community...
Paul Rosetti Director of Communications
Paul Rosetti Director of Communications
First announcement... we have updated our Members Only page on the Glen Brook website. It contains information about this year's events and other important membership details. There also is a feedback form for your comments and suggestions. The page password for this season is brook22.
We have many ways for you to stay connected with the golf community at The Brook. Please share your photos of friends and family, along with your best golf memories... we want to hear more about your favorite experiences as a Glen Brook golfer!
From time to time, we all look for more golf information via the internet and social media. Please send us your recommendations for the best podcasts, YouTube videos, websites, and more. We'll put together a list of our member-recommended content to share in an upcoming message.
Thanks to Darren Casey for posting so many wonderful photos of Glen Brook on Facebook and Instagram. His photos also are featured prominently in this newsletter -- check out the nature slideshow!
Watch our club communications and social media for more details about upcoming events and happenings at The Brook. If there is something you'd like to know more about or if you have new contact information, please send us a message by email.
We have many ways for you to stay connected with the golf community at The Brook. Please share your photos of friends and family, along with your best golf memories... we want to hear more about your favorite experiences as a Glen Brook golfer!
- Connect with members on our public Facebook page (@glenbrookgolf) or our private Facebook group (The Brook Members Only).
- Post your photos to Instagram (@glenbrookgolf) .
- Share your golf accomplishments by email to [email protected].
From time to time, we all look for more golf information via the internet and social media. Please send us your recommendations for the best podcasts, YouTube videos, websites, and more. We'll put together a list of our member-recommended content to share in an upcoming message.
- Click to send an email with your recommendation(s).
Thanks to Darren Casey for posting so many wonderful photos of Glen Brook on Facebook and Instagram. His photos also are featured prominently in this newsletter -- check out the nature slideshow!
Watch our club communications and social media for more details about upcoming events and happenings at The Brook. If there is something you'd like to know more about or if you have new contact information, please send us a message by email.
