The Swan Lake Golf & Country Club Tuesday Night Men's league is divided up into the Birdie Division, the Eagle Division and the Par Division.

The total of 30 teams makes it the largest league in Sullivan County.

The Tuesday Night league was originally started by Bob Menges and Rick Ellison at Tennanah Lake during the first year of Menges being the Golf Professional there in 2002.

Menges noted that the league, “Was started for all my friends that played and it was mostly coaches and referees and umpires from the area and consisted of 10 teams."

“When I moved to Swan Lake the league followed me and gained popularity," Menges noted.

The league has had as many as 32 teams.

Menges said, “I split the league this year into three divisions with the top three teams in each division making the playoffs.”

When the league consisted of 32 teams it was divided into two divisions of 16 and the top four teams in each division made it into the playoffs.

Last year the league champions were Brian Garber and Charlie Hicks.

Team members this year include Keith Torrens and Mark Lagatutta, Tim Merklin and Skeeter Austin, Charlie and Conner Roth, Joe and Rick Franke, Tom Ditmar and Nick Rusin, Homer Kerhley and Joe Rhupert, Dan and Tom Byrne, Jason Sazoff and Scott Ottino, Dave Luczyski and Matt Garigliano, Arthur Torrens and Zack Cody, Charlie Hicks and Brian Garber, Todd Gallo and Tom McCausland, Jo Jo VanKeuren and Todd Nieman, Pat Clifford and Adam Hauser, Jordan Merklin and Owen Trask, Ed O'Malley and Tom Ellison, Kort Wheeler and Scott Hamlin, Mike Williams and Dan Divita, John Rusin and Rick Ellison, Charlie Schadt and Wally Mall, Jim Finn and Jack Russell, Todd and Taylor VanKeuren, Nick Huggler and Matt Murphy, Pat Donovan and Kurt Scheibe, Walter Herzog and Kevin Clifford, Jim Tanous and John Wilhelm, Bill Strong and Pat Umphries, Neil Bell and Mike Freaney, Mike Diehl and Adam Bradley and Phil Fanning and Anthony Marciano.

Ed's Outlook

Yes, every now and then we make a slip up and last week we reversed the league championship winners last year in the photo of the four golfers at the Roscoe Twin Village Tuesday Night Ladies league. Thanks to Sheryl Bowers for catching the mistake. The cut lines for the picture should have read that Sheryl Bowers and Shannon Feeney won the league championship with second place going to Anna May Husson and Becky Ackerly.

Golf Tip

By Bob Menges

To start your downswing you want to feel as though your hands stay at the top of the back swing and your front leg starts the downswing. Of course this won't happen but that's the feeling you should have.

You should also experiment with different parts of your front leg to start your downswing. I recommend using either your front knee or your front hip. So simply swing back as normal and then feel as though your hands do nothing because it should be your front knee or hip that pulls your downswing into action.

A good drill to get this feeling is to swing back as normal but pull your front foot in so it touches your back foot at the top of the back swing. And then to start your downswing simply move your front foot into its normal position and swing through.

This will help to teach you the correct chain of events for the downswing.

Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club, Mt. Hope Road, Swan Lake. He is available when the course opens in mid-May. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached at 845-292-0323, 845-866-5567 or via email at bobmenges22@gmail.com

Putting Tip

By Geoff Walsh

To become a great putter, and any golfer can be that, practice with purpose, develop a routine and trust your technique.

Practice putts from four feet, on as level a spot on a green as possible. Strive to be automatic from four feet and in. Develop a routine that is repeated for all putts, determine the line, feel the distance, set up and stroke with confidence.

The most important factor when putting is to strike the ball with the “sweet spot” on the putter face.

Our brains are hardwired for distance control based on a solid strike. Experiment with hand position, shaft length, and grip size to find and develop a consistent hit on the “sweet spot.”

Geoff Walsh is a Class A PGA Professional at the Tarry Brae Golf Course at 387 Pleasant Valley Road, South Fallsburg. At this time private lessons are not available. If you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by telephone at 845-434-2620.

Ed Townsend is a Public Relations Consultant to the sport of golf and brings over 60-years of sports journalism experience in writing and compiling the information for this column. When leagues and courses are fully in operation send your league or tournament information to Ed at 845-439-8177, email to bghtnews@aol.com or fax to 845-205-4474. View this column and Ed's photos at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.

Golf scores 7/24

Twin Village

Monday Mens

1. Green & Glantzis 94.5

2. Husson & Husson 91.5

3. Trask/Mooney/Huggins 89.5

4. Harris & Spalding 80.5

5. Wilcox & Gray 79.5

6. Brock & Brock 76.5

7. Templin & Lee 68.0

8. Madera & Madera 65.5

9. Haas & France 65.0

10. Thomas & Hendrickson 63.0

11. Ryder & Ryder 62.5

12. Tallman & Ackerly 62.0

12. Rampe & Hill 62.0

14. Tucker & Smith 59.5

15. Darbee & France 58.5

16. Rowan & Bennett 58.0

17. Jester & Winters 57.5

18. Murphy/Murphy/Gilmour 47.5

Tuesday Ladies

1. L. Kuehn & E. Kuehn 72.0

2. A. Bury & S. Clark 70.5

3. C. Bowers & S. Feeney 68.5

4. E. Casey & E. Carlson 66.5

5. A. Husson & B. Ackerly 65.5

6. Y. Rowan & D. Mantzouratos 58.5

7. L. Hendrickson & D. Greenthal 51.0

8. Bye, Team 51.0

9. S. Ferber & J. Husson 40.0

10. K. Harris & S. Green 31.5

Tarry Brae

Tuesday mens

1. Delacruz & Garcia 97.5

2. Sauchuk & Martin 95.0

3. Yaun & Gilmore 92.5

4. Collette & Iqbal 92.0

5. Aymes & Schneider 90.0

6. Pollock & Carey 87.5

7. Bonsick & Cassaveh 86.0

8. Simpson & Wolcott 85.5

9. Johnson & Johnson 81.0

10. Kawauchi & Altbach 79.0

11. Flores & Kukas 78.0

12. Stoddard & Kurshetsky 75.5

13. Mullen & Rohrback 73.0

SWAN LAKE

Tuesday Night Birdie Division

1. J. Sazoff & S. Ottino 103.5

2. C. Roth & C. Roth 96.5

3. H. Kerhley & J. Rhupert 88.0

4. A. Torrens & Z. Cody 87.5

5. D. Byrne & T. Byrne 81.5

5. J. Franke & R. Franke 81.5

6. D. Luczyski & M. Garigliano 73.0

7. T. Merklin & S. Austin 72.0

8. K. Torrens & M. Lagatutta 69.0

9. T. Ditmar & N. Rusin 66.5

Tuesday Night Eagle Division

1. N. Bell & M. Freaney 103.0

2. J. Tanous & J. Wilhelm 89.0

3. Todd & Taylor VanKeuren 88.5

4. P. Donovan & K. Scheibe 88.0

5. N. Huggler & M. Murphy 85.0

5. P. Fanning & A. Marciano 85.0

6. W. Herzog & K. Clifford 81.5

7. M. Diehl & A. Bradley 81.0

8. J. Finn & J. Russell 79.5

9. B. Strong & P. Umphries 59.0

Tuesday Night Par Division

1. J. Van Keuren & T. Nieman 101.5

2. C. Hicks & B. Garber 100.5

3. K. Wheeler & S. Hamlin 94.5

4. J. Rusin & R. Ellison 89.0

5. T. Gallo & T. McCausland 87.0

6. P. Clifford & A. Hauser 80.0

7. E. O'Malley & T. Ellison 79.5

8. M. Williams & D. Divita 79.0

9. C. Schadt & W. Mall 66.5

10. J. Merklin & O. Trask 62.5

Wednesday Night League

1. F. Barrett & D. Hendrickson 65.0

2. M. Brand & E. Stratton 60.5

3. J. Hinkley & P. Alden 58.0

4. R. Schmidt & H. Russell 57.0

5. B. Orr & D. Tanous 56.0

6. J. Fink & J. Graham 55.0

7. D. Immoor & H. Tighe 52.0

8. F. Stabbert & T. Krantz 50.5

9. D. Kuebler & R. O'Mara 49.5

10. L. McAllister & R. Lennon 47.0

11. D. Hoskings & R. Esposito 40.0

12. M. Kovsh & C. Rodriguez 13.5

Tennanah Lake

Thursday mens palmer div

1. Stock & Wolcott 94.5

2. McGreevy & Estabrook 93.0

3. Calkin & Schumacker 90.5

4. Tallman & Roseo 89.0

5. Reimer & Reimer 89.0

6. Cassevah & Johnston 89.0

7. Bowers & Edwards 84.0

8. Walsh & Simpson 81.5

9. Seibert & Bury 80.5

10. Haas & Tucker 79.5

11. Giordano & Nogin 78.0

12. Mershon & Devantier 77.5

13. Parucki & Buddenhagen 75.5

14. Green & Bowers 74.5

Thursday Travel League

1. Thomas & Husson 101.0

2. Bacigalupo & Mitchell 100.0

2. Gilmore & Bernstein 100.0

4. Martinez & Sherman 99.0

5. Schmidt & Ackerly 92.5

6. Collura & Fisher 91.0

7. Stevens & Snihura 89.5

8. Winters & Winters 89.0

9. Lubniewski & Martin 78.5

10. Coney & Mace 78.0

11. Jardine & Stanley 76.0

12. Hutchins & Mack 68.0

13. Cawley & Todora 63.5

14. Benzenberg & Benzenberg 60.5

15. Heavey & Magill 46.5

16. Poli & Cunningham 46.0