Conference 7.286::golf

    Of the 90 some odd courses I've played Crumpin-Fox is number 1 on
    my list. What a great challenge.  Played it from the blacks this past
    Oct.. You don't have to be long but boy do you have to hit a great
    iron shot into every green. I can't wait till next fall when all
    18 are open. I'm pretty stright off the tee's but my brother-in
    -law must have lost a dozen balls. The 7th hole from the back tees
    and into the wind is almost impossible. That is my favorite hole
    on the course, although 9 is a great great finishing hole. I think
    the thing that makes it a shorter course is that most of the tees
    are elevated.
    
    Peter (who_loves_a_challenge)

    How do you get there? Is it still open for play?

    Re: 463.1 - You gotta be long on holes # 1,4,7, and 9 if you're
    playing from the tips, or what you have into the green will not
    be what the hole is designed to take (do you really wanna hit a
    4 iron into #9 ?).
     The back 9 will be longer, and I've walked it and played 5 holes
    (in the dirt) and it will be a lot !! harder. The course will be
    7000 yards, and that's long enough for me !
     To get there, take rte2 west to erving and go right on church street
    (at the big white "town of Erving" building. Go over the mountain
    about 8 miles and you'll come to a "T" where the road dead ends
    on rte 62. Go right, and take a right at the next intersection on
    to rte 10 towards Bernardston. You'll go over the Conn. river, past
    a big Agway plant on your right, and from the Agway plant it's about
    a mile to Parmenter Rd and the C&F sign. Go right there (Brown house
    on the corner at the sign) and follow the signs to "the Fox".
     The new 9 will only be open to members next fall, but will open
    Spring 1990 for the rest of you masochists. The course is CLOSED
    until Spring, and if you want to play then, call 413 648-9101 for
    a time. NO COOLERS, NO TANK TOPS NO T_SHIRTS, NO BOZOS. We have
    a real friendly place with great atmosphere, and we want to keep
    it a place everyone wants to come back to. Great range with target
    greens and new balls, and a very nice "Pub" with excellent and
    reasonable food. I know you'll all like it, and there will be golf
    schools, lessons etc. in full swing next year, since our Pro, Ron
    Beck, has already logged 3500+ teaching hours at Innisbrook and
    Skokie in his career. He's committed to make it a first rate learning
    establishment.
    
    --The Skoal Bandit

    I GOOFED!! On my previous note I should have said GO LEFT AT THE
    "T" WHERE THE ERVING MOUNTAIN RD. HITS RTE 62. All other directions
    are o.k. Mea Culpa!

    I played Crumpin-Fox in numerous occaisions from 1983 to 1986 when
    I attended Northfiled Mt. Hermon School in nearby Northfield.  I
    played in the school's varsity golf team for three years and managed to play
    the course at least 15 times each season.
    I agree with previous comments that it is a tough course but it
    is not as bad as people think when they play the course for the
    first time.  It is a typical Robert Trent Jones layout with a
    relatively wide tee-shot landing areas and large elevated greens.
    You have to play target golf here rather than bump-and-run golf.  The
    greens are not that fast and ball will hold (except No. 7 where
    the green slopes away from the tee. I heard that the original plan
    called for the green sloping toward the tee but construction crews
    made a mistake).
    I think par-4 No. 9 is one of better holes I have ever played in my
    life.   You have to be long and straight off the tee (at least 230
    yards)  to have a decent second shot to a narrow and water-guarded 
    green.  If you are short, you will get wet and if you are long, you
    will  probably not find your ball. Believe me, you don't want to hit
    anything more than 8 iron to the green.  Par-4 No. 8 is another great hole.
    It is a dogleg right and slightly up hill toward the green.  There is
    a  huge pond between the tee area and fairway.  The green is small and 
    well bunkered and surrounded by trees. The catch is that if you don't 
    drive at least 220 yards off the white tee, you won't be able see the green
    for your second shot and the hole will become a par-5 hole.
    The advise I can give someone who is going to play the course for
    the first time is:
    	1)Don't be intimidated by the course.  The fairways look narrow
    	(due to trees on both sides of fairways), but they are pretty wide.
        2)Don't try to play bump-and-run golf.  Go for  flags.  Greens
    	will hold. 
    	3)Practice sand shots before playing the course.
    	4)Don't try to be Superman just because of its length.  Keep
    	the ball in play. 
    	5)Don't get too upset if you get one of the worst scores of
    	you golfing career. It is a real championship golf course
    	especially from the back tees.
    
    This is a type of golf course in which scores will improve as you learned
    to play the course.  The first time I played, I shot 54 for nine
    holes from the regular tees.  By my senior year, I was shooting
    high 30's even though my handcap had improved by only 5 strokes.
    I highly recommend the course to anyone who is truley interested
    in playing a championship caliber golf course.
                                          

     I enjoyed 463.5, and decided to further embellish on how to play
    "the Fox" from the tips. Please note that this is a "don't do what
    I do, do what I say" note. If I could do this stuff, I wouldn't
    be a 10 there. Distances are approximate, as I try to avoid the
    "tips", if possible.
    #1, 408 yards - hit it to the left of the hump on the rt. center
    of the fairway. Don't knock it over, right or left. If you've got
    a long second shot, make sure you clear the brook in front.
    #2, 160-65 yards (new tee) - Don't be short (ravine/brook), don't
    be long (clumpy downslope), don't be right or left (rocks/forest).
    #3, 375 yards - drive left of the rockpile to right center of fairway.
    Use a 3 wood or long iron. Don't be right (forest), left (pond)
    or long (gone!!).
    #4 400 yards - drive center to right center (left kicks into woods,
    right blocks you out). Don't be short (pond). trap in back, grassy
    hill on right, garbage on left.
    #5, 510 yards (new tee) - Drive between fairway traps and brook;
    left center if you want to reach, right center to lay up (pond with
    steep bank in front of green). Don't go for the green unless you
    are past the left hand fairway trap. Trap to right of green (easy
    shot), trap along back of green (nightmare), 2 tiered green.
    #6, 170 yds - Don't be short (pond/steep bank), right (forest, jail)
    or just over (steep grassy bank). They just re-pitched this green
    back to front. It used to be an abortion.
    #7, 446 yards (dog leg right, elevated island-traps-green). Hit
    it as hard as yoy can toward the right edge of the stand of pines
    on the left center of the fairway; otherwise, you're blocked out
    of a second shot. Leaves you a fairway wood or long iron to a green
    designed for about a 6 iron max. Don't be left (rocks/trees). If
    you miss it right, hit it in the trap. Best shot is in the rough,
    short of the green going up the hill, if you lay up.
    #8, 560 yards - Drive it right center (if you think you can reach)
    or left center. Second shot left of the hump by the lone tree. Then
    pw over the row of traps to the green. Don't miss this left (trees,
    hardpan), or far right (pitch to a narrow green going away from
    you). If you go for this in 2, and your second shot is within 60
    yards of the green, you'll have the worst long bunker shot you've
    ever seen (unless you've played Royal Portrush, or Prestwick).
    #9, 385 yards - drive it right center only (tee faces left). Green
    goes diagonally away from you and is narrow. Pond/bank/traps all
    along the front, jail left, and an enormous waste bunker behind
    it with large trees growing in the bunker. If you miss this one,
    be short of the right front (but the landing area is on a hump,
    so be accurate...).
     I once had 3 birds on the front, and shot 40... As I said previously,
    the new 9 will be so hard, you won't be able to wait to get to this
    one...
    
    --The Skoal Bandit  
    
    

     I Goofed Again!! On the eighth hole, what I meant to say was "hit
    your second shot TO THE RIGHT of the hump with the lone tree. Makes
    for a difficult 3rd shot, but that's the best you're gonna do on
    this hole.
    
    --The Skoal Bandit

I've decided to take the collective advice in this notes file and make the 
long trek from Maynard to check out this course.  Can anyone tell 
me what the reservation policy is for the Fox?  I'm hoping to play the 
course on Saturday, Oct 3.  Can I reserve a tee time in advance?  

Any info would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,
-phil

    Phil, you can reserve two days in advance (413-648-9101) - but forget
    about weekends for awhile. The place is almost booked solid. Your best
    bet is to take the Golf & Dinner Package, which gets you golf, a cart,
    range balls and a $15 dinner credit at Phases Restaurant (nearby. Great
    view, very good food). Prices are per person. With the "package," you
    can call as far in advance for times as you wish.
    
     As a long standing member, I like to see folks get a chance to
    experience "The Fox," but it is no longer a secret, so it's difficult
    to find an open time. Well worth the effort, though. Give me a call if
    you need more info (DTN 264-1866)...
    
    --Jack 

Hi Jack,

Thanks for the info.  The Fox has gained quite an impressive reputation in 
the area.  I just called the Pro Shop and their booked solid for the next
several weekends.  Too bad,  I was going to meet a couple of my college buddies 
who I haven't seen in a long time and show them a nice course.  Oh well, 
that's what I get for not planning far enough in advance.  Stow Acres, here 
I come....


Thanks again,
-Phil

BTW, the Golf & Dinner Package is a great deal.  For $65, you get 18 holes,
cart, range balls, and $15 credit towards dinner at a nice restaurant.  Not
a bad deal.    

    Just thought you'd like to know.......
    
    
    I went to Crumpin Fox a while back via the Dinner Package.  I would
    play the course again in a heartbeat......but you could not FORCE me to
    go back to Phases for dinner.  For starters, there was NOTHING on the
    menu for $15.00 or under......ALL dinners were severely over-priced!!!
    Thus, instead of getting a good deal on dinner after a day of play, we
    each ended up in for an additional $20-$25!!!  On top of that, the food
    was TERRIBLE!!!!  I got the smallest, toughest, chewiest steak I have
    ever seen............the crackers we got were the highlight of the
    meal!!!
    
    
    I do think that the $65 for greens fees and cart is worth every penny
    to play this course!!!  Just be advised that the $15.00 towards dinner
    is simply a trick to get someone/ANYONE to eat at this out-of-the-way,
    over-priced, empty-but-for-the-dinner-package-golfers restaraunt.
    
    Be happy with the $65.00 to get long-range tee times to play an
    outstanding course.....but minimze your cash output by tearing up your
    Phases gift certificate!!!!
    
    
    HTH,
    
    Nelly
    
    
    It's worth th 

    I'd be interested to hear how long ago you "dined" at Phases. Recently
    they acquired a new manager, and reports on the food AND prices have
    been great. Sorry to hear about your bad experience (a few years ago I
    had a few bogus meals there myself, but recently I've been pleased...),
    but if you can furnish details, I'll make sure the right folks hear
    about it.
    
     Truthfully, my interests run solely to golf, but if folks come to The
    Fox and have any kind of bad experience, I'd like to try to help fix
    things.
    
    --Jack 

    Jack,
    
    It was in the Spring of '91 that I was there.  Hopefully, they have
    improved Phases since then.
    
    To reiterate......the course is OUTSTANDING!!!  I don't know why they
    need the dinner gimmick.
    
    
    
    Thanks for your response......
    
    
    Nelly

    Our owner, Bill Sandri, owns the restaurant. He figured it would be a
    good way to get business, plus make a good golf package. Right around
    the time you played, I wrote my first (and only) letter bitching about
    Phases management, because they also managed the grill room at The Fox.
    The old mgr. is gone, all the folks he fired are back, and everything's
    good ! You were right on !!
    
    __Jack