Greg Yeomans

Bay Club at Mattapoisett Head Golf Professional Greg Yeomans was recently interviewed by Liza Churchill, author of Goldie Bounce Golf blog and radio host of Goldie Bounce on WATD-FM95.9.

During the interview, Liza and Greg discuss his current position as Head Golf Pro at the Bay Club at Mattapoisett, his experience as a member of the UCONN Men’s Basketball Team, and his recent victory in the Cape Cod Chapter of the New England PGA’s Wessner Player of the Year for 2009.  Listen to the full Greg Yeomans Interview.

The Bay Club at Mattapoisett is a country club with an eighteen hole championship level golf course and residential property located in Southeastern MA.   To arrange a private tour please contact Dave Andrews via email or phone, 508-758-9543.

The Bay Club at Mattapoisett has opened its Winter Golf Center.  This indoor practice facility allows members to continue to improve upon their games during the off season.

Of course this facility is valuable to all Bay Club golfers, but especially fun for the techno geek hidden in most of us!  The P3Pro Swing Desktop Simulator measures swing speed, ball speed, face angle at impact, club path and angle of attack.  Now I am not quite sure what I will do with all of that information, but I can continue to work on my game in one of the three independent hitting stations which are 25 feet away from the wall, a 40 x 20 putting carpet and multiple swing training aids.  There is even a complete set up of SNAG Golf for junior use.

For those of us who just can’t get enough golf, this is a perfect playland for a cold winters day.

The Bay Club at Mattapoisett is a country club with an eighteen hole championship level golf course and residential property located in Southeastern MA.   To arrange a private tour please contact Dave Andrews via email or phone, 508-758-9543.

This past August the Bay Club had a guest who documented his round of golf for his blog,   “Defining Golf As Somewhere between a Religion and A Disease For Over 20 Years“.   The mystery blogger uses the nom de plume, Redanman.  We encourage you to read the account of his round Bay Club Mattapoisett, for an objective opinion of the course and how it plays.

Thank you for visiting Redanman, and thank you for your blog post, we hope that you will join us for another round in the spring to update your followers on the course improvements.

The Bay Club at Mattapoisett is a full service country club and living community featuring an 18-hole championship level golf course on the south coast of Massachusetts.

The Bay Club at Mattapoisett Head Golf Professional Greg Yeomans demonstrates his tip  How to Correct A Slice during The Golf Channel’s “The Golf Fix”.

Click here to view Yeomans on The Golf Fix.

Bay Club at Mattapoisett Head Golf Professional, Greg Yeomans captured the Cape Cod Chapter of the New England PGA’s Wessner Player of the Year Award for 2009.  Yeomans earned points for his performance in Cape Cod Chapter events played throughout the year. In the end, he bested second place finisher Rusty Gunnerson of Rochester Golf Club by 24 points.

Yeomans played in 10 of the 15 events scheduled and had four first place finishes, including one of the Chapter’s two major events, the Match Play Championship.  Greg finished third in the second major event, the Chapter Stroke Play Championship and also recorded two second place finishes.

With 8 of the 10 events played being Pro Am and Pro Junior events, Greg was able to invite some Bay Club members to test their game for a fun day of team competition against clubs from around the Cape Cod Chapter. The Pro Ams were an opportunity for Greg to compete against his fellow professionals for individual low pro honors.

For the complete 2009 standings, of the Cape Cod Chapter of the New England PGA’s Wessner Player of the Year please click here.

Congratulations Greg on a great year on the links!

In keeping with the Golf Course Operations Committee Charter with regards to the course, “to develop and maintain a Continuous Improvement Plan“, a number of off-season golf course projects are currently underway.  Included on the 2009/2010 projects list: the continued reduction of our formal turfgrass footprint, drainage improvements and collar reduction, and the re-design of hole #10.

Construction has already begun on hole #10, a beautiful hole that runs along the Bay Club Pond and recently mentioned as one of GolfCourseHome’s Great Water Holes.   First, the fairway and rough will be moved 25-30 yards to the left from what currently exists and then a total of three bunkers will be eliminated allowing golfers to challenge the left side.

These changes will modify the strategies players employ when approaching the tee box.  First, an option will still exist for players to play safer out to the right, but a ball played too far right could find fescue that will border the rough along the entire right side.  Your approach will be slightly more difficult as the water could come into to play if you are short or left.  Also, with the green running away from you, stopping the ball close to a front or left pin will add a putting challenge.  The hole will effectively play shorter but will require some strategy; do you “go for it” or lay back and have a longer shot into the green, your call.

There are several areas that have been identified for fescue conversion.  Those browned out areas around tee boxes, edges of the rough, and on the tops of bunkers will not only add further definition to our holes, but also significantly reduce our bluegrass acreage.

Drainage work will be completed on holes #3, #6 and #17.  Holes #3 and #17, long par 4’s, were designed to be firm in the approach area, allowing a player to run their ball onto the green. Once completed, the drainage work will provide a firmer landing area and ultimately allow the holes to play as they were intended.

In the past few months the Bay Club has been gradually reducing our collar widths and subsequently enlarging the greens.  This process will reduce green turf wear, offer more challenging pin placements and make your chip shot just off the green slightly more delicate.

As always the Bay Club is committed to the continuous improvement of the golf course.  These modifications will continue to challenge your game and either increase your frustration or add to the thrill of your round!

Head Golf Professional Greg Yeomans

Head Bay Club Golf Professional Greg Yeomans currently sits in 1st place in the year long Cape Cod PGA Wessner Player of the Year race.  He is leading the way, ahead of Rochester Golf Club’s Head Professional Rusty Gunnarson, by 23 points with only three events remaining.  Points are earned for performances in all chapter events, including Pro-Ams.  All of the major events have been completed, just a few Pro-Am events remain.  Check the website to track his performance.  We wish Greg the best of luck down the stretch.

Although seldom considered, the golf course in and of itself is any country clubs largest asset.  The balance of art and science that is required to achieve and maintain a championship level of play at The Bay Club at Mattapoisett is the responsibility of Course Superintendent Jon O’Connor.   The club aerates a minimum of twice each year, which is necessary for strong grass rooting, smooth healthy greens and overall course performance.  Regardless of geography, soil type dictates the aeration process; however for a course located in the Northeast, minutes away from the ocean, specific considerations are taken by O’Connor to ensure a successful evolution of the course’s maturation process.

The course conditions were especially complimented this past September when the Bay Club at Mattapoisett was host to the MGA Senior Four Ball tournament.  The lightning fast greens were the topic of much positive response from players and MGA officials.  Consistent attention to details by O’Connor and the regular aeration program contribute towards the goal of a championship level golf course.

Jon O’Connor holds a BS in Turfgrass Management from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University, he has worked as a course superintendent in the Midwest and on the East Coast for over twenty years.

Question: You inadvertently move your ball while clearing a plug that has been produced through the aeration process, do you receive a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2b?

Answer: Under USGA Rule 23-1, a player incurs no penalty if a ball on the putting green moves while he/she is in the process of removing a loose impediment.  Rule 23-1 overrides Rule 18-2b in this case.

This past July the Bay Club at Mattapoisett completed a 1 ¼ acre Short Game Practice Area.  Watching the  Booth and Faxon designed course mature over the past five years has given Head Golf Professional Greg Yeomans a strong understanding of the course’s particular challenges and it’s impact on the players games.  With this knowledge, Yeomans and a group of Bay Club members approached Faxon and Booth to create a short game practice area that addressed the Bay Club’s specific needs.  The vision became a 7000 square foot practice area with a two tiered green, three practice bunkers, 70 yards of fairway along with ample rough grasses so players can practice every conceivable shot.

“Players will lower their handicap without ever having to make another full swing on the range by only utilizing this area,” says Yeomans.  “A player can now practice a 70 yard pitch shot, a greenside bunker shot, a chip shot, a flop shot and their putting all in one session and all from a variety of locations.  It has made short game lessons much more productive, as we can truly replicate any situation a player may face on the course.”

Club member Jeannie Smith recently stated, “The new short game practice facility has made a terrific difference in my confidence as I approach the green. Within a small amount of time it allows me to practice a seemingly infinite variety of shots.  I am certain that soon the time I spend practicing at this new location will show up in my handicap!”

The new short game practice area is the latest upgrade to the Bay Club’s golf facility with its 18 hole championship course, driving range, practice putting green, and indoor practice area.

The Bay Club Mattapoisett Golf House Restaurant was full of exuberance this past weekend where members gathered to watch member Peter Uihlein, in the 42^nd Walker Cup Match played at famed Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA. Peter, a 20-year-old-sophomore at Oklahoma State and a captain’s pick for the Walker Cup, proved himself invaluable to Team USA, posting a perfect 4-0 record for the weekend and registering the decisive point in the USA’s third consecutive victory (16 ½ -9 ½ ) over Great Britain and Ireland.

Head Bay Club Golf Professional Greg Yeomans, along with a group of fellow Bay Club members, made the short trip to Philadelphia in support of Team USA and the Club’s most celebrated member, Peter Uihlein. Unlike in professional golf, spectators at the amateur level are allowed to walk the course alongside the players, thus giving Yeomans an up close and personal vantage point. “Being present at the 2009 Walker Cup was one of the more rewarding golf experiences I have had in my life. Having had the opportunity to play with Peter several times this summer I began to see a different player and a different person, both in good ways. For only 20 years old, I am amazed at how he carries himself, he possesses a presence with every move he makes. He played well this summer, highlighted by the Quarter-final run at the US Amateur, but what I saw the last two days at the Walker Cup was more impressive than anything I have ever seen. He was confident, he was resilient and you could tell he was so proud and excited to be part of Team USA. Who knows what will happen in the coming years, but one thing is for sure, what Peter accomplished, along with the rest of his teammates at the 2009 Walker Cup will forever be remembered for some truly great golf. Thanks for making us so proud Peter!”

Watch Peter’s 18-foot putt on No. 18 at Merion, which gave Team USA a 3-1 lead heading into the Saturday afternoon singles session.