Instructional Programs:

Golf Lessons

Golf lessons are provided by a variety of PGA Professionals who utilize our facilities. Instruction is provided at the Town of Colonie Golf Course in a variety of settings including the multi-use practice range, a large practice green with a variety of slopes, a practice bunker for sand training and a beautiful 36 hole championship golf course which can be utilized for playing lessons. Information and appointments can be obtained by contacting the instructors directly. A few PGA instructors who are regulars on our range include:

Kay McMahon, PGA- 2009 NENYPGA Teacher of the Year: Kay@edukaytiongolf.com

Matt Bogdanowicz, PGA 2005 Methodist University PGA/PGM Graduate: mattbogs@msn.net

Noel Gebauer, PGA- 2009 NENYPGA Golf Professional of the Year, 2003 NENYPGA Teacher of the Year: ngebauer@pga.com

The Golf Shop at the Town of Colonie Golf Course:

The Golf Shop at the Town of Colonie Golf Course is a full service golf shop providing many golf products and services to men and women of all ages and handicap levels. Over forty brands of golf merchandise are offered at a wide range of prices to fit every golfer’s needs. Product lines represented in the Golf Shop include:

Clubs & Golf Balls
AMF	Mizuno	Titleist
Callaway	Nike	US Kids
Cleveland	Precept	Wishon
Cobra	Srixon
Clothes, Outerwear & Shoes
Antigua	Foot Joy	Sport Haley
Ashworth	Gear	Sun Ice
Ecco	Greg Norman	Sun Mountain
Fairway & Greene	Nike	Underarmor

Golfers are encouraged to be “fit” before purchasing any golf clubs. Club fittings are performed by our PGA Professional staff. Our professionals are armed with the latest in technical knowledge about the brands sold in the Shop. Fittings vary in price depending on which clubs are being fit for and how many clubs the golfer is looking to be fit for. All fitting charges are deducted from the purchase price of the club(s) if they are purchased at the Golf Shop.

Golf Shop Services:

USGA Handicapping

Any golfer may sign up to have their official USGA Handicap kept at the Golf Shop. A computer terminal in the shop gives golfers the ability to post their scores to the internationally recognized USGA GHIN system. By signing up at the Golf Shop, a golfer will receive a USGA GHIN number which will allow them to post scores directly from any golf shop which is connected to the system. Handicaps are updated every two weeks by the USGA, and cards may be printed out in the Golf Shop. Players’ handicaps can also be accessed through ghin.com. The 2007 fee for annual membership is $18 per player.

Club Repair Services

A club repair service is offered through the Golf Shop. Services range from re-gripping clubs on site, to re-shafting clubs through a unique partnership with Oak Ridge Golf Clubs of Schenectady. A wide variety of the latest styles in grips are available to be installed on your clubs. Give us a day or two with your sticks and we will give them the “new club feeling” with grips available from Golf Pride, Winn, Lamkin and others. If new shafts are what you need, let us fit you into the best graphite or steel shafts in the industry, from companies such as Aldila, True Temper, Graphalloy and many others. Once the correct shaft length and flex is determined, your new shafts will be matched to the exact flex by using “Flexmaster” technology. This will flex the shafts to the exact poundage of deflection pressure and assure you that all the shafts in your set match perfectly. Prices on grips and shafts vary depending upon the types requested. Call and speak with one of our PGA professionals to get a quote for the repair work you would like done.

Staff Bios:

Noel Gebauer- PGA Head Professional

Noel Gebauer has returned to the Town of Colonie Golf Course in 2007 after thirteen years serving Capital Region golfers at three different area clubs. Following Noel's three years as Assistant Professional at the Town of Colonie Golf Course , he served as Assistant Professional at Western Turnpike Golf Course is Guilderland and Schulyer Meadows Club in Loudonville before being named the Head Professional at Normanside Country Club in Delmar in 2004. Many regulars at the Town of Colonie Golf Course may remember Noel as a shop attendant at the course during the years he was finishing up at Colonie High School (Class of '88) and attending the School of Business at the University at Albany (Class of '93).

Noel gained Class A membership in the PGA of America in 1996. He followed that up with a few Section Awards, being named the Northeastern New York PGA Teacher of the Year in 2003 and winning the NENYPGA's Horton Smith Award in both 2004 and 2005. Noel was also named one of America 's Top Teachers in 2005 by Golf Magazine and most recently was selected as the 2009 NENYPGA Golf Professional of the Year by his peers. Noel has also found time to serve on the NENYPGA Board of Directors since 2001 and was elected President of the Section in 2006. He is married to wife Betty and has three children; Max, Emma, and Haley.

 

Noel’s Tip of the Month _______________________________________________________ August The Wedge Story In the golf shop at Colonie Town Golf Course we spend a lot of time answering questions regarding wedges. How many should a golfer have? Which lofts are best? Does lie angle matter? What is bounce and what bounce is correct? These are just a few of the questions golfers have about wedges. Getting the correct answers to these questions and the correct wedges in a golfers' bag can have a very positive effect on their scoring ability. Let's start with how many. A golfer needs to determine where yardage gaps may be and try to fill those gaps as best they can. For example, if a player has a pitching wedge which flies 100 yards and a 56 degree sand wedge which flies 60 yards, that 40 yard gap should be filled with a wedge, probably a 52 degree wedge which would fly about 80 yards and fill a gap, hence the term “gap wedge”. If a player finds that they have a need for many high soft shots around the greens at the course they play most often, a 60 degree wedge would be a good fit. Many players who utilize a 60 degree wedge, often referred to as the lob wedge, will leave out the 52 degree gap wedge and use a 54 degree sand wedge, thereby having a 6 degree loft difference between his/her wedges (48/pitching wedge, 54/sand wedge, and 60/lob wedge). The end goal is to not have a large loft gap between wedges. Lie angle has a greater effect on a golf shot's direction the more lofted the club is that is being used. Given that wedges are the most lofted clubs in our bag, it is crucial that the lie angle is fit properly to a player. Bounce angle is the amount the trailing edge of the sole of a club is below the leading edge. This angle helps a club slide through the grass and especially the sand. A player should consider the texture of the sand on the course they play most when fitting for bounce. The more firm the sand, the less bounce is required. Also the more naturally upright a players' swing, the more bounce is required to help that player not dig as deep when hitting shots from the fairway. Finally, if a player plays a course which is usually soft, a wedge with more bounce would be helpful. When the turf is firm, a player can choose a wedge with less bounce. It is important to remember that if you decide to change an existing wedge's loft, you will change the bounce angle as well. These are just a few items to consider when deciding which wedges should occupy your golf bag. There are many choices, however having these scoring clubs properly fit for your game will have a very positive effect on your handicap.