Tips For Tournament Golf From Frank Bensel

When Frank Bensel talks about winning golf tournaments, we should all listen, take notes, and study them over and over. The assistant pro at Century Country Club has so many trophies he needs a full-time staff just to polish them. Bensel offered some practical advice at the Met PGA Spring Forum on how to prepare for tournament play.

"Get your body ready for the tournament," he urges "You have to have stamina when walking several days in an event so it is helpful to walk on the course in practice rounds or just at the club carrying your bag." Bensel says he works on his own flexibility far in advance of playing a tournament. "I have to do a series of exercises on my hamstrings, hips, back, and shoulders that I can't stretch the day of a tournament."

Bensel also reminds us to have our clubs and equipment ready. "Make sure you have the correct set makeup for the course you will be playing," he advises. "If you need to add a hybrid or an extra wedge, be sure to have them ready."

When it comes to practice, Bensel says we should prepare specific aspects of our game for particular courses. He cites the need for an accurate driver and long irons for Bethpage Black, for example, or the ability to put on fast, undulating greens when playing Deepdale. "I try to play more prior to a tournament rather than beating balls," he says.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Bensel Captures Third PGA National Assistant Championship

Frank Bensel during the third round. Photo by Kat Griggs/PGA

Frank Bensel, a longtime Met PGA stalwart and assistant pro at Century Country Club, took his third National PGA Assistant Championship title today at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL. Bensel shot out of the gate with an eagle on the first hole in the final round this morning, propelling him to a ten-under finish of 278, six strokes ahead of runner-up Charles Frost of North Carolina.

Bensel won the event in 2010 and 2011. He also topped the field for the Met Open in 2009 and was Met PGA Player of the year in 2005 among many other honors earned in his career.

St. Andrew's assistant Greg Bisconti was in the field for the eighth time, placing T-43 this year. His best finish in the Championship was a share of fifth in 2000.  Other Met Section pros placing in Port St. Lucie included John Guyton, T-19, and Nick Beddow, T-43.

Bensel won a spot in the 47th PGA Professional National Championship, June 22-25, 2014, to be held in Myrtle Beach, SC, at The Dunes Club and the Grande Dunes Resort Course. The Dunes Club will host the final two Championship rounds exclusively after the field is trimmed to the lowest 70 scorers and ties.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Bensel Notches Back-To-Back Wins At PGA Assistant Championship

Century Country Club's Frank Bensel laid down a scorching final round six-under-par 66 to grab the trophy for the 2011 Callaway Golf PGA Assistant Championship this last weekend. Bensel's come-from-behind win also made him only the second player to hoist the trophy two years in a row. The Purchase, NY, assistant pro also won the tournament in 2010.

At the beginning of the final round, Bensel was eight big strokes off the pace in a tie for 24th. Then he poured it on in a round that saw an eagle and five birdies to post a 283 total, a stroke ahead of a group of six players that included Aaron Clark of Springfield, MO, Scott Berliner of Albany, NY, Jamie Broce of Clayton, IN, Tyler Hitchcock of Orlando, FL, Ryan Sikora of Greensburg, PA, and Richard Terga of Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The tournament was played at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL.

Bensel's win earned him a coveted spot in the 45th PGA Professional National Championship at Bayonet and Black Horse in Seaside, CA, next June, and a $9,000 first-place check. It makes him the fourth player in Championship history to win more than one title. He joins Darrell Kestner (1982, '87), Jim Schuman (1996, '97) and Kyle Flinton (2002, '03, '05) in the small group with multiple titles.

In addition to writing about golf, Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Bensel and Labritz Shine In PGA Stroke Play Championship

Century Country Club assistant pro Frank Bensel added another trophy to his groaning shelves yesterday by winning the PGA Stroke Play Championship on the Wanamaker Course at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.  He pulled off a come-from-behind five-stroke victory with a three-under par 69 in windy conditions.

Rob Labritz, Director of Golf at GlenArbor GC was the only other player to match Bensel's 69, giving him a tie for fourth place in the event.

This marked Bensel's fourth victory in the PGA Winter Championships.  He topped the Match Play in 2004 and won the Senior-Junior with Kevin Morris, formerly of Westchester Hills CC, in 2006 and 2008. He was the Met PGA Champion in 2009 and Player of the Year in 2005.

Labritz was the Met Player of the Year for 2008 and the low club pro at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

In addition to writing about golf, Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, hiring, firing, and motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Met Open At Sleepy Hollow

A powerful field of more than 150 golfers will compete in the Met Life Metropolitan Open Championship at Sleepy Hollow Country Club August 23-25. This will be the first Met Open hosted by the Scarborough, NY, club, a major highlight of Sleepy Hollow's centennial year celebration.

Defending champion Bob Rittberger will face challenges from top players like Rob Labritz, winner of the 2011 NY State Open, Andrew Giuliani, 2009 Met Open champion, Kevin Foley, 2011 New Jersey State Open champion, and Frank Bensel, 2011 Connecticut Open champion and a previous Met Open champion. Former champions of the modern era include Darrell Kestner, George Zahringer III, Bobby Heins, Mike Diffley, Johnson Wagner, and Andrew Svoboda. Wagner, who won the Met Open as an amateur in 2001, won the title again in 2002 for his first victory as a professional.

The Met Open was once considered one of golf's "majors" along with the U.S. Open and Western Open. Winners during golf's golden era include Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour, Byron Nelson, Craig Wood, and Claude Harmon.

photo courtesy of Sleepy Hollow CC

Sleepy Hollow Country Club was founded in 1911 by some of the nation's most prominent business leaders at the pinnacle of America's "Gilded Age" including members of the Vanderbilt and Rockefeller families. Charles Blair Macdonald, assisted by Seth Raynor, designed the course, which was later tweaked by A.W. Tillinghast. More recently, Sleepy Hollow Country Club completed a comprehensive restoration bringing back the original designs and concepts of Macdonald. The result is a wonderful classic yet fully up-to-date course world renowned for its 16th hole, with its dramatic green and unparalleled view of the Hudson Valley.

John Cooney, Jr., President of the Sleepy Hollow Country Club, said: "We are honored to have been selected to host the Met Open during our club's centennial year. Competing golfers will enjoy our unique and challenging course that is in keeping with the Met Open standards and tradition."

Over the decades, Sleepy Hollow Country Club has hosted numerous golf tournaments including the Met Amateur Championships in 1944, 1965 and 1983, the Metropolitan Golf Association's 2003 Ike Championship as well as the 1993 French-American Challenge. From 1986 to 1993, Sleepy Hollow hosted the "Legends of Golf" Senior PGA tour event and in 2002 it played host to the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.

Mr. Cooney added, "The strong fields and world-class venues that characterize the Met Open have made it one of the nation's most sought-after regional titles. Sleepy Hollow County Club is proud to join the Met Open's distinguished list of host sites."

In addition to writing about golf, Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, hiring, firing, and motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Labritz Wins Spot In Major Field

Rob Labritz won a spot in the PGA Championship with a never-quit approach to the PGA Professional National Championship in French Lick, Indiana, this week. After a rocky first round of 75, he finished 72, 72, 70, to tie for 15th and secure his slot in the season's last major, the PGA Championship to be played at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. His last nine holes made the difference. After an opening 37 on the Pete Dye Course at French Lick, he carded four birdies on the back to surge into the top twenty.

Labritz, the Director of Golf at Bedford's GlenArbor Golf Club, is one of 20 club pros who will compete against the PGA Tour's top players at Whistling Straits August 9-15. Joining him from my neighborhood will be Danny Balin from Burning Tree in Greenwich, CT. Other players of note from the Met Section who made their mark in the tournament include Greg Bisconti from St. Andrews in Hastings (T-34) and Frank Bensel from Century (T-66). Keith Dicciani and Craig Thomas (both Metropolis), John Guyton (Trump National Briarcliff), and Charles Meola (Mohansic) all competed as well.

Notable among Labritz's tournament wins is the 2008 NY State Open and the 2006 NY State PGA Championship.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Bisconti Caps Memorable Season With Met Player Of The Year

Congratulations to Greg Bisconti for a stellar golf season capped by being named Met PGA Player of the Year. Bisconti, an assistant at St. Andrew's in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, came on strong with wins in two of the last three events of the season to edge out Century's Frank Bensel in the point standings. Bisconti won The Treiber Memorial Tournament of Champions at Wheatley Hills Golf Club and the Assistants Fall Meeting at Round Hill, adding to a win he chalked up in September at the Assistants Tour Championship at Tamarack CC.

Winning the Met Section is quite an honor, but Bisconti performed on the national stage as well. He earned Low Club Professional at the PGA Championship in August at Hazeltine National Golf Club, putting him on the 18th green with winner Y.E. Yang for the award ceremony at the end of the tournament. He says he felt a sense of calm as he stood on the green in front of hundreds of millions of TV viewers around the world to accept his trophy. It was Bisconti's third appearance at the PGA, where he also qualified to play in 2006 and 2007.

Bisconti played the first round at Hazeltine three over, but put together a string of three birdies during the 2nd round to make the cut. Once he came to the 18th hole he had to get up and down out of a bunker from 30 yards in three strokes or less to secure his spot on the weekend at Hazeltine. He parred the hole and says it was a moment he had dreamed of forever.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo

Labritz Grabs Second Major Title of Year

Rob Labritz stepped up with three birdies in a row to win the Metropolitan PGA Professional Championship yesterday at Manhattan Woods. The win came not long after a miraculous hole-out in a playoff at the PGA Professional National Championship that earned him a spot in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill next month and matched his triumph in the POLO GOlf Met PGA Head Professional Championship at the Tuxedo Club in May.

Labritz, the GlenArbor Director of Golf, carded five birdies in eight holes in his final round at Manhattan Woods to post an 8-under 132 for the tournament. His steady, precise play--no bogeys on the card for the second round--gave him a three stroke margin over Rob Corcoran of Poxabogue, who had posted a spectacular 61 earlier in the day. Here's how the top of the field finished:

1	Rob Labritz	GlenArbor Golf Club	67	65	132
T2	Rob Corcoran	Poxabogue	73	61	134
	Joe Gothmann	Ardsley CC	66	68	134
4	Danny Balin	Burning Tree CC	63	72	135
T5	Frank Bensel	Century CC	69	68	137
	Christopher Toulson	Sunningdale CC	67	70	137
T7	Jamie Kilmer	Wheatley Hills	70	70	140
	Mike Gilmore	Winged Foot GC	69	71	140
	Grant Sturgeon	Winged Foot GC	70	70	140
	Anthony Casalino	Willow Ridge	66	74	140
T11	Philip Cardwell	Quaker Ridge GC	71	70	141
	Colin Amaral	Metropolis CC	70

All these players qualified for the PGA Professional National Championship in Myrtle Beach next June. Labritz and Danny Balin were already exempt.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Mount Kisco Hosts MasterCard Westchester PGA

Mount Kisco #16 photo by John Fortunato

Looking for some competitive golf the way it should be played--in matches? Head for Mount Kisco Country Club next week for the MasterCard Westchester PGA Championship, a 64-player match play tournament featuring the best pros in the area going head-to-head over one of the Met PGA Section's most demanding courses.

2013 champion Greg Bisconti will defend his title against Carl Alexander, Frank Bensel, Charlie Meola, Colin Amaral and other top players like Mount Kisco head pro Chris Case.

Monday, April 28, will see first round matches, followed by rounds two and three on Tuesday, Quarters and Semis on Wednesday, and the Final match on Thursday, May 1. First prize is $4,250.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Westchester Doubles Down On Golf Honors

Westchester County is not only home to more great golf courses than anyplace I know, it's also home to some of the best club pros the game has ever seen. Nothing says that more than the two national awards recently announced by The PGA of America.  John Kennedy, Jr., Director of Golf at Westchester Country Club in Harrison, has been given the 2010 Horton Smith Award, which recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to PGA education. Nelson Long, Head Professional at Century Country Club in Purchase, received the 2010 Bill Strausbaugh Award in honor of his long-time mentoring of other PGA professionals and his service to the community. Both men will receive their honors at The PGA of America Awards Ceremony, Jan. 27, 2011, in Orlando, FL.

John Kennedy, Jr.

Kennedy, 59 and a native of Fairfield, CT, has spent 20 years at Westchester Country Club. He graduated from Fairfield University in 1972 and turned professional that year. He was elected to PGA membership in 1976, when he was an assistant professional at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. He is the third member of the Metropolitan PGA Section to be named a recipient of the Horton Smith Award, which honors individuals for outstanding contributions to PGA Education.

In 1980, Kennedy was named PGA director of golf at Cold Spring Country Club in Huntington, N.Y., and served until 1990, before accepting his current position. He is a two-time Metropolitan PGA Merchandiser of the Year award recipient (1983, '91); was the 1997 Section PGA Professional of the Year; the Section 2005 Bill Strausbaugh Award winner; and is a three-time Section Horton Smith Award recipient (1985, '88 and 2009).

Kennedy had a rare link in his work at Westchester to one of the legendary PGA Professionals of all time, Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper, who before his death in 2000 served as an instructor at the club.

A mark of Kennedy's influence on the professional capabilities of his staff is that fifteen of his former assistants have gone on to PGA head professional positions. Among the many education programs he has supported include serving as a consultant to the Bhutan Junior Golf Association, which offers three- and six-month internships for aspiring PGA Professionals to help grow the game in the tiny Himalayan country bordered by India and China.

Introduced to golf through his father, Kennedy first caddied at age 12 at Brooklawn Country Club in Bridgeport, Conn. As a student at Fairfield Prep High School, Kennedy and two close friends practiced and learned the game at Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course, three miles from his home.

Nelson Long

Nelson Long attended Virginia Tech and distinguished his playing career by winning the 1972 Virginia PGA Open as an amateur. He also won the 1973 Virginia State Intercollegiate Championship before turning professional following graduation that year. He is the son of the late PGA Professional, Nelson Long Sr., who spent 40 years at The Homestead's Old Course in Hot Springs, VA.

Long, 59, served his apprenticeship working for his father at The Homestead, and in the spring of 1974 arrived at Century Country Club to serve under PGA Professional Charles Beverage, a two-time Section Horton Smith Award recipient. Following the untimely death of Beverage, Long became the PGA head professional at Century Country Club. He would go on to develop a strong relationship within his club and Section, and earn the nickname, "Uncle Nel," which was fostered by his assistants and former members. He is the second Metropolitan PGA member to receive the national Bill Strausbaugh Award.

Long was the recipient of the Metropolitan PGA 1999 Teacher of the Year Award; 2005 Horton Smith Award; and 2010 Bill Strausbaugh Award.

Long has been an ongoing supporter of the Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund, the Metropolitan PGA Junior Golf Association, Women-at-Risk and the Columbian Presbyterian Hospital program to aid women with breast cancer. At Century Country Club, he guided the formation of a pro-am fundraiser in 1992 that has spread to multiple area clubs, and has raised millions in research funds to benefit the Dystonia and Parkinson Foundations.

For the past 28 winters, Long has also served as golf director at Tryall Club, while teaming with the Jamaican Tourist Board to aid that nation's tourism efforts. In 1988, Long founded the Tryall Golf School, where he attracted many of America's premier teaching professionals.

Long's tenure at Century Country Club has brought another distinction: He is the only PGA Professional to have mentored three assistants who went on to win PGA Professional National Championships – John Gentile, Darrell Kestner and Ron McDougal. A fourth Century Country Club assistant, Gary Ostrega, was national runner-up in 1984. Two of his current assistants, Frank Bensel and CJ Reeves, are potent competitors today.

I can personally attest to Nelson's prowess as a teacher, too.  He's given me many a lesson about keeping my swing on plane and using an aggressive swing for short trouble shots around the green.