Welcome to Hudsonrivergolf.com

 

With over 70 golf courses in the Hudson Valley in lower New York you can play some incredible golf courses. There are courses for the beginner and courses for the best amateurs to play. There are courses designed by local golfers and courses designed by A.W. Tillinghast, Frank Duane, Joe Finger, Stephen Kay, Larry Nelson, Hal Purdy and Dick Wilson to name a few. If you visit all the courses you will be able to see the sky line of New York City and the tops of the Catskill Mountains.  The Hudson Valley has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and the golf courses you find here share that beauty. This web site is dedicated to the golfing public. Here you will find a complete list of all the courses in the Lower Hudson Valley. Some of the courses just list their name and address others have expanded information on them. You can use this information to review the courses and book tee times. We will also list where you can buy equipment or take a lesson. There is a list of resorts in the Hudson Valley not only offer golf but over night accommodations.

Bookmark this site and use it as a reference tool for all your golf needs. If you have comments or suggestions please send them to us so we can make this a better site for you to use.

May 14, 2012     Rules of Golf

The times Herald Record in the Saturday May 12, 2012 wrote about the rules of golf, I am not sure of the intent of the article but it points out that the rules of golf are confusing.  Well any set of rules are confusing to say the least.  Yes golf’s are confusing at times and at other times just plain stupid.  The article says the rules of golf, as established by the United States Golf Association (USGA), are close to 200 pages as though that is a lot of pages.  The rules of golf cover all of golf not just junior golf or high school golf or college golf or amateur golf or professional golf.  They cover all golfers and are the same for every one with rare exception.  Learn the rules of golf as a junior and you will know them for life.

Now take a look at basketball.  High school ball has a rule book about 100 pages, college basketball 147 pages, NBA 65 pages and international basketball 80 pages.  There are rules for every sport and some sports have more than one set of rules as basketball does.  Golf has one set of official rules as established jointly by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient for all levels of play with very few exceptions.  As I said before learn them once and you learn them for life.

As for the confusing part, rules in many sports are confusing, like when is a dribble a palming of the ball or when is it a walk after two three of four steps.  The article tells of a boy who used one bag of clubs and midway through the match switched to another bag.  No confusion there he can play with only 14 clubs by switching to another bag he evidentially had more than 14 clubs in his “bag” when the number of clubs in each bag is added together, seems simple to me.  Unless there were less than a total of 14 clubs in the two bags, then the pro and the coaches better review their rules books.  It doesn’t say you can’t use two bags it only refers to 14 clubs in your bag, so use two three or four bags you just better not have more than 14 clubs when the clubs in each bag is totaled together.    

Another example used was the bell at West Point.  A ball hit a bell and went out of bounds, the bell an object that is part of the course.  Basic rule says rub of the green, the ball went out of bounds therefore it was stroke and distance and you are hitting from where the original shot was played.

Learn the rules and there are times when it will benefit you.  It has for me and it will for you and others.  Below are the original 13 Rules of Golf from1744.  See if you can find the similarities with today’s rules.

1. You must Tee your Ball within a Club’s length of the Hole.
2. Your Tee must be upon the Ground.
3. You are not to change the Ball which you Strike off the Tee.
4. You are not to remove Stones, Bones or any Break Club, for the sake of playing your Ball, Except upon the fair Green within a Club’s length of your Ball.
5. If your Ball comes among water, or any watery filth, you are at liberty to take out your Ball & bringing it behind the hazard and Teeing it, you may play it with any Club and allow your Adversary a Stroke for so getting out your Ball.
6. If your Balls be found any where touching one another, You are to lift the first Ball, till you play the last.
7. At Holing, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and not to play upon your Adversary’s Ball, not lying in your way to.
8. If you should lose your Ball, by its being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the Spot, where you struck last, & drop another Ball, And allow your adversary a Stroke for the misfortune.
9. No man at Holing his Ball, is to be allowed, to mark his way to the Hole with his Club, or anything else.
10. If a Ball be stopp’d by any Person, Horse, Dog or anything else, The Ball so stop’d must be play’d where it lies.
11. If you draw your Club in Order to Strike, & proceed so far in the Stroke as to be bringing down your Club; If then, your Club shall break, in any way, it is to be Accounted a Stroke.
12. He whose Ball lies farthest from the Hole is obliged to play first.
13. Neither Trench, Ditch or Dyke, made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholar’s Holes, or the Soldier’s Lines, Shall be accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out and play’d with any Iron Club.

 

Come Play Osiris Country Club          

Now  Open to the Public

Osiris Country Club is a Semi-Private golf club located in Walden, Orange County, New York 15 minutes from the intersection of Interstate 84 and the New York State Thruway.  Unlike many public golf courses Osiris Country Club is owned by its members and is maintained to their standards. 

The course offers 18 holes of golf, a practice green, a large driving range and a restaurant for your pleasure.  Until this year it was a private club in the northern part of Orange County and was truly a hidden gem with a great membership.  This year it is open for the public to play for the first time since 1958.  

The front nine was built in 1927 by local golfers while Frank Duane a protégé of Robert Trent Jones, Sr. built the back nine which opened in 1966.  Frank Duane was the architect for such courses as Spook Rock, Brae Burn Country Club, Montammy Golf Club and Hampton Hills Golf and Country Club to name just a few of his local courses . 

A short course at only 6,373 yards from the back tees with a combination of poa anna, bent and rye grass it is none the less a challenging course.  The front nine is short and tight with trees and out of bounds on many holes.  The back nine is a beautiful spacious nine holes with several elevation changes and magnificent views of the Shawangunk Ridge. 

The greens are all small pushup greens guarded by bunkers.  The front side greens are relatively flat with few undulations while the back nine greens are very undulating with as many as three tiers.  The course has held many qualifiers for the Metropolitan Golf Association and the New York State Golf Association.  I encourage you to try this wonderful course. 

 

Osiris Country Club

110 North Road
Walden, NY 12586
Pro Shop & Tee Times 845-778-5795
Office 845-778-5309
Club House 845-778-4000
www.osiriscc.com
Email  osiriscc@hvc.rr.com

 

General Information
Pro Shop	Yes
Lessons Given	Yes
Practice Range	Yes
Club House	Yes
Outings Held	Yes
Club Manager
Golf Course Information
Architect	Front None – Unknown Back Nine- Frank Duane
Built/Latest Remodeling	1927/1966
Number of Holes	18
Golf Pro	Jamie McFarland
Tees Par Distance Slope Rating Championship 72 6,373 135 71 Men’s   72       Women’s 72 5,328  120  70.8
Rates *
Weekdays	$48.00
Weekdays After 2:30 PM
Weekends and Holidays	$65.00
Weekends and Holidays After 2:30 PM	$65.00
Carts Extra Per Golfer	Included
Walking Permitted	Not permitted
Golf Discounts	None
Calendar Card	No
Golf Card	No
Hudson Valley Golf Pass	No
Annual Membership Available	Yes (starting at $1,250 for an Intermediate, $2,000 for a Weekday, $2,500 for a Single and $3,750 for a Husband and Wife or Partner.  Contact the club for details 845-778-5309) or email to osiriscc@hvc.rr.com

* Hudsonrivergolf.com has tried to obtain currant and accurate information on all of the golf courses listed on our web site however we do not guarantee the  information quoted.  Please call the golf course for the most current and accurate information. 

March 20, 2012                       Osiris Country Club

Let me start by saying that I am a member of this club and a past president so I am not partial.  Osiris Country Club a s semi-private club located in Walden, Orange County, New York, recently opened for the season and I strongly encourage you to give the course a try.  It is not long 6,373 from the back tees, 6,037 from the white tees and 5,428 from the red tees.  But don’t let that fool you.  The course is not as easy as it sounds, numerous qualifiers for New York State and MGA tournaments have been held there and at no time has the course played easy.  The course has narrow fairways, undulating greens and plenty of out of bounds.  Give the course a chance, play it and then post your comments on this web site.

 

March 12, 2012                         Course Openings

Following is a list of golf courses in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Ulster counties.  For more information go to the Golf Courses tab in our menu, click on the county and scroll down to your favorite course.

 

Dutchess County

Beekman Country Club    
845-226-7700

Casperkill Golf Club        
845-463-0900

Links at Union Vale        
845-223-1000

 
Orange County

Mansion Ridge Golf Club    
845-782-7888

The Lynx at River Bend
845-856-4653

Town of Wallkill Golf Club    
845-361-1022

 

Putnam County

Putnam National Golf Club    
845-628-4200

 
Rockland County

Blue Hill Golf Course
845-735-2094

New York Country Club    
845-362-5800

Patriot Hills Golf Course    
845-947-7085

 

Ulster County

Apple Greens Golf Course    
845-883-5500

New Paltz Golf Course
845-255-8282    

    
The following courses will open:
 
Centennial Golf Club                    
845-225-5700    
March 23rd

Falkirk Estates and CC             
845-928-8022    
April 1st

Osiris Country Club        
845-778-5795    
March 19th

 

February 3, 2012                    My Intro to You

Hudsonrivergolf.com is dedicated to giving golfers anywhere the best information possible on where to play in the Lower Hudson Valley.  Whether you live in the area or are just traveling to this area on business or pleasure, use this website as a way to find information on many of the aspects of golf in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties. The site will eventually list all the public golf courses in the area.  It also will give information on places to get lessons, golf shops, pro shops at clubs, merchandise, equipment, books and links to other golf sites that we think might be of interest.

If you play golf and love the game as I do, just being on the golf course brings a smile to your face. Whether it is a good day or a bad day on the course I enjoy the course, the game and my friends.  So use this site as a focal point to gather information on golf in the Lower Hudson Valley.

What am I doing here?  To begin with I worked in the business finance community for thirty (30) years.  I enjoyed my time there and met many fine people some who became friends and some well we will leave it at that.  I started this blog because I have a passion for golf and I need to earn a living, remember I was in the finance community.  What better combination than that, passion for the game and I need a job.  You are asking “What does he know about the game of golf?”  Truthfully I don’t know but we are going to find out.

I started playing golf when I was 6 years old, 1958, and haven’t stopped since then.  I broke 80 for the first time in 1968 and had a handicap in the mid to low teens at the time.  Playing for my high school team was a great thrill, we won the conference championship three years running, one of my of my friends from the team and the number one golfer Neal Richards passed away recently.  It was a very sad day as I sat and thought about those days many years ago.  I won the Junior Club Championship at my course as a junior in high school.  At college, SUNY Geneseo I played four years and had a great time at a Division III school, would recommend this to anyone who loves the game and wants to have fun and not make it a full time job.

My wife and I returned to my home town after college where we still live.  The year I came back I rejoined the golf course and I have been a member ever since.  Four times I have reached the finals; four times I have walked away the loser but with my head held up each time.  The low teen handicap of my youth got as low as a 4 a couple of years ago but injuries and other troubles now have me carrying a 8 which should be a 10 or 12.

The other trouble I talk about was being on the Board of Directors of the club for five years and the last three years President.  Here is a suggestion don’t become involved unless you are willing to see your handicap rise and your frustration breaking point lowered.  As a member of the Board I had the pleasure of seeing the game of golf enter a recession, become a depression and as President having to deal with it and be responsible for it.  As President I had to steer the club in a direction that it did not want to go but one that I and others felt we had to go in.  We had been a private club for the “Working Man” for over fifty years.  This year we had to become a semi-private club allowing the public to play our beloved course daily for the first time since 1958, the year I joined.  What a horrible feeling watching this change.  But I truly believe that we can come out of this a better place if we use this as an opportunity to learn and make changes for the better for now and the future. 

So over the last fifty years I have played the game for the pure enjoyment of it and have seen the game, equipment and clubs change for the better and the worse.  Periodically I will update this blog and hope that you will comment on what I have said.  From this hopefully we can all learn something, maybe someday I will be as smart as I think I am.  .

In the mean time use this as a resource to find places to play and to find info on other aspects of the game.  Post appropriate comments keeping in mind that if you play an inexpensive course don’t expect Wing Foot and also remember you are talking about someone’s home.  Be honest but don’t be brutal.