Sunday, April 20, 2008
More than 1,000 aces have been scored over the years at the famous No. 16 hole.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HUBBARD — The No. 16 hole at Pine Lakes Golf Club has been known forever as the “Saucer Hole” because its green is shaped like a bowl and balls roll to the middle of the green — where the hole is usually placed — which magnifies the chances of getting a hole in one.
J.V. Ferrara, the owner of Pine Lakes (formerly Hubbard), said there have been over 1,000 aces scored at the famous hole, but, like everything else, changes are needed, and in a couple of months the “Saucer Hole” will be no more.
Last August, Ferrara began construction for a new No. 16 hole and he, along with famed golf course designer Brian Huntley, have come up with a beautiful idea.
The old No. 16 usually played around 120 yards, but the green was elevated and well bunkered with huge pine tress lining both sides of the small green. If you hit it straight, par was a sure score, birdie more than reasonable and that chance for an ace was always there.
The new hole has a lake that covers the right side from tee to green. There are three huge sand bunkers, one in front and one on each side of the huge green. The old green measured just over 3,000 square feet. The new green is just over 10,000 square feet with many undulations and slopes from back to front.
“We just seeded the fairway in October and it has really come along nicely,” Ferrara said. “We wanted to make this hole challenging, yet we wanted it to be beautiful and I think we accomplished both.”
The new hole will have three huge tee areas, with each tee box measuring nearly 10,000 square feet.
“We can start with the ladies tees at about 107 yards, the senior tees at 132 yards and the white tees at 156 yards back to the championship tees at 168 yards,” he said. “You stand at that back tee and it looks a lot farther than it really is.”
Ferrara said they dug out 9,000 cubic yards of dirt to make the lake, which is lined all the way around with stones. “We took that dirt and built the fairway with it,” he said.
The new green is 40 yards deep and almost as wide.
“We’re hoping to have the new hole ready by the time summer officially arrives,” he added. “When we do we will have a special day, a ‘farewell to the Saucer Hole’ day. We’ll invite back anyone who has ever made a hole-in-one on the hole and let them take their final shots at the hole. We’ll have prizes and all sorts of activities going on that day for all the golfers.”
Still a lot of people will be disappointed to see the “Saucer Hole” eliminated, but unfortunately it sits right in the middle of the new Pine Lakes Housing Development, which Ferrara said will get underway sometime this July and hopes to have model homes ready this summer.
Ferrara has also built two new tees for the newly remodeled No. 17 hole, which opened last season. He also hopes to have those new tees ready in a month or two.
For information about the golf course or the development complex log onto golfpinelakes.com.
mollica@vindy.com