Upper Montclair CC - A Championship Club

With so much great golf within minutes of my home in Westchester County, I don't typically venture too far when I'm looking for a round. Yesterday, though, I had the good fortune to visit Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ. I may have to put some extra gas money in the golf budget for future trips to that fine old club.

Upper Montclair is well-known as the site of PGA and LPGA Tour events starting with the Thunderbird Classic in 1962 and ending--at least for the moment--with the Sybase Classic in 2009. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Mason Rudolph, Gene Littler, and Sam Snead are just a few of the greats who played the course in the 60s, while Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley, and Lorena Ochoa (who won the Sybase twice at the club) are among the top women golfers to compete there.

Last year, Upper Montclair underwent an extensive renovation that included updating of the bunker complexes, expansion of several greens, and work on some drainage issues. There's still a little work going on to cart paths and a few amenities, but I found the facility in spectacular condition. By the end of the summer, I would expect the expanded greens on several holes to be perfect. The original designs were by A.W. Tillinghast and Robert Trent Jones.

UMCC has three nines, any two of which combine for a 71.8 rating and 131 slope. Each is about 3,250 yards. From the back tips, any combination reaches about 6,900 yards. I found the mix of long, demanding holes with short shot-maker delights to be ideal for keeping my interest throughout the round. I played the West and South Courses and look forward to a trip back to explore the East before the year is out.

The West course opens with two 320-yard birdie opportunities, although you'll have to work for them with well-managed tee shots and approach shots kept under the pin on the undulating greens. At 507 yards, the first par five on the East (hole #5) can give you a birdie, too, but only if you can control a hard fade off the tee and have the intestinal fortitude to challenge the water in front of the green on your second shot. The ninth hole is a tough, tough par at 420 yards that end with an elevated green. You'll be tempted to try to cut the corner of the dogleg by carrying the bunker on the right with your tee shot, but you'll just end up in thick rough behind a tree if you do. The better play is to the left side of the narrow fairway.

The South course begins with a full-size par four at 410 yards. The highlight comes on the third hole, a perfect combination of picturesque water, colorful landscaping, and a well-placed bunker. It calls for a high draw off the tee which will catch a gentle down-sloping fairway to leave you with a short iron over water to the green. The kidney-shaped green drops steeply from back to front (toward the water, of course) and has a ridge bisecting it as well. Another ten yards or so was added to the back lobe of the green during the renovation, which gives some even more challenging pin positions.

I have to add one final note: the cheeseburger after the round ranked among the greatest anywhere. I particularly liked the intricate club logo perfectly burned into the bun!

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.

Congressional Dissected In U.S. Open Preview

The place to see what the pros will face at Congressional in this week's U.S. Open is NBCSports.MSNBC.com, where Brian Crowell provides hole-by-hole commentary on the course.

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.

Finally! No More Slice!

Like nearly 90% of all golfers, I've spent way too much time in the right rough--or worse. The slice, as you probably know, is the biggest single fault in most golfers' games. But now you can banish your banana ball with the help of my friend Brian Crowell and his new book, Slice-Free Golf In Three Easy Steps.

I had the pleasure of working on this book with Brian, handling the photography and design among other things, and in the process I learned a lot about my golf swing. It was kind of like having a three-month golf lesson with one of the top teaching pros in the country. You can get the same kind of advice I did--and get more control over your game--with the simple lessons Brian teaches and the drills he uses to help you hit the ball straighter and farther.

Slice-Free Golf doesn't have any gimmicks, but there does seem to be a little magic in the way Brian explains his system for the set-up, swing, and follow-through that will lower your scores. He also uses an unconventional approach to somethings most golfers take for granted. When it comes to set-up, for example, Brian doesn't start with the grip, but with alignment. Makes sense, doesn't it? How can you aim the club face until you know for sure where to point it?

Then there is the swing itself. Like all great teachers, Brian has the ability to create images that stay in the pupil's mind. His "eye in your chest" is a fabulous reminder to keep your shoulders slightly closed through impact in order to hit your shot with a little draw spin.

Slice-Free Golf has over 200 images like these that you can mentally call up when you need them. If you need a little tangible reminder, there's a cut-out page you can use at the range--or even on the course--to remind you of the specifics of the slice-free swing. There are also over two dozen drills Brian has developed over the years to help ingrain good swing habits in the thousands of golfers he's taught.

But don't just take my word for it. Here's what all-time-great Gary Player had to say about Slice-Free Golf:

"Don’t let the slice diminish your enjoyment of this great game. If cutting the ball is frustrating you, please read Slice-Free Golf. Your score will improve and you’ll have more fun on the links. My friend Brian Crowell can help you to get the most out of your swing. He is an accomplished PGA instructor who has a very clear and comfortable way of communicating with his students. Slice-Free Golf is proof of both his effectiveness as a teacher and Brian’s hatred of the dreaded slice."

For more information about how you can banish your banana ball, visit www.slicefreegolf.com. You can get your copy of Slice-Free Golf directly from the publisher or your favorite bookseller. It's also available as an ebook for Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and other devices.

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.