Reports Of The Great Red Spot's Death May Be Greatly Exaggerated

The Great Red Spot isn't as big as it used to be. Naturally, the conclusions many scientists (and me) came to is that the famed storm was dying. But according to new research, Jupiter may not be getting rid of the Great Red Spot any time soon.

We can only see the top of the storm. Duh. We haven't installed a weather station in the middle of the Great Red Spot. But because we can only get a visual assessment, when the Great Red Spot shrinks, it sure looks like its dissipating. But when scientists took a closer look at its behavior, it turns out that whatever is driving the storm is still going strong. In that regard, nothing has changed, and so long as the Great Red Spot's driving forces still exist, it isn't going anywhere.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Atom Smasher

Brewed by: Two Brothers Brewing Company, Warrenville, Illinois

Description (from the website): "Named with our atom-colliding scientific neighbor in mind, this Oktoberfest-style lager is oak-aged, providing added layers of depth to the signature flavors of roasted malt, caramel and toffee found in marzen style beers. But a beer this exceptional shouldn’t be limited to just Oktoberfest. Raise a glass, stein or boot to Augustfest, Septemberfest and beyond!"

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I think I would. Aging beer in barrels is a fairly common practice, but I've never seen this particular type of beer aged. The flavor is definitely different, being more mellow yet deeper. Definitely a beer to enjoy, not one to chug down.

Review: Copake Country Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Copake Country Club, go here if you haven't seen the front.

When you get to the tenth hole, you may feel a mild case of deja vu. The tenth is pretty much the same length as the first hole, is dead straight to the first hole, goes down then back up in a similar manner to the first hole, and also runs parallel to the first hole. But there are enough differences between the two so that it doesn't feel like you're playing exactly the same hole. For one thing, this is the most heavily bunkered hole at Copake, with two bunkers on the left side of the fairway and five in the general vicinity of the green. The green is small and very well guarded, but it is more receptive than some of the others on the course. It almost feels strange to have a green sloped so much from back to front.

The tenth hole. Like I said, it looks pretty similar to the first hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is slightly shorter than the previous hole at 350 yards, but since it's uphill the whole way, it plays a little longer. There are no bunkers, so as long as you don't slice one off into the trees right, the approach should be pretty open. But there is a false front on this elevated green, and there's not a whole lot of green to start off with. So you'll need a very precise wedge to give yourself a decent birdie chance.

The eleventh hole.

The uphill approach on 11.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is definitely one of the most memorable par 3s I've ever played. You'll notice that, much like the second, this hole features a pair of bunkers about 20 yards short of the green. By this point, you'll have realized that those are not just for show. Also like the second, the green falls away. In addition, you'll notice that the green seems to be perched on the edge of a cliff. Long is very bad here. And so, the best course of action is to try and land a shot just over those crossbunkers and run the tee shot onto the green. And if you do get on in regulation, you'd better hope you're close, because there's plenty of contour and break within the green, so two putting is not a guarantee. This is a tough 170 yard hole, and there's no water anywhere. Other courses should take notes.

The twelfth hole is somewhat reminiscent of the second.

Another green that slopes away from the tee.

The thirteenth hole is the third and final sub-300 yard par 4 that Copake has to offer. This hole plays significantly downhill, which makes going for the green all the more tempting. There are no bunkers either, and the green is one of the tamest on the course. However, a stream does encroach from the right, narrowing the hole the closer you get to the green. Not enough to make the green inaccessible from the tee, but enough to give you pause. This is still a good birdie opportunity though.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth possesses one of the few flat fairways at Copake.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is just as much uphill as the previous one was downhill. Seriously, it goes straight up, making the hole play a lot more than the 370 on the scorecard suggests. The tee shot is pretty straightforward, but the green is best approached from the left. No front to back tilt on this green, this is back to front, and significantly so. The green is very shallow too, so once again, you'll need to be precise with your wedge or short iron.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green presents a shallow target.

We've had downhill, we've had uphill, and now, the fifteenth presents the golfer with the relatively rare sidehill hole. Hopefully you're comfortable with having the ball above your feet (or below, if you're a lefty), because once you've hit your tee shot, that will be your reality until you reach the green. The fifteenth is a short (486 yards) par 5, and as such is definitely reachable in two. If you can hit a fade, your drive may stay in the fairway, if not, it'll probably run off into the rough. If you're going for the green in two, your best bet is to aim a bit right of the green and let the ball release down. The green is small and slopes along with the hill.

Good luck finding a level stance on the fifteenth hole.

You'll probably be hitting a draw into the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is the longest par 4 on the back nine at 390 yards. It plays slightly uphill, and the left side of the fairway is sloped, meaning that a low fade will take the slope and run for quite a while. The hole is bunkerless, but there is a false front on the shallow green, and shots missed short right will face a very tricky recovery.

The sixteenth hole.

Leaving the second shot short will leave a tough chip.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a semiblind par 3, playing 190 yards. The green is sloped from left to right, which means a fade hit to the left side will funnel down toward the hole. There's a bunker front right and two small ones left. This hole is relatively tame, though, compared with the other par 3s Copake has to offer. Not bad, just not quite as interesting.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is definitely an interesting proposition. It's just under 500 yards, but it's an adventure. While the fifteenth was banked right to left, this hole is sloped left to right. Drives have to thread between a group of fairway bunkers left, a native area past that, and a cluster of trees right. If you hit a fade, you have to be careful, as a shot that drifts too far right will be blocked out. If you pulled that off, you're in for a fun second shot. My suggestion is to land your long iron or fairway wood on the left edge of the fairway, about 20 yards short of the green. My brother landed one there, and it literally bounced onto the left edge of the green and curled its way most of the way around. There is some severe tilt there, which is only appropriate for Copake's finishing hole.

Oddly enough, the eighteenth green sits several hundred yards away from the clubhouse, which gives you plenty of time to reflect on how you manage to snatch a 90 out of the jaws of a more reasonable 82. Trust me on that.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

I'm not sure I have enough good things to say about Copake Country Club. It is an incredibly fun golf course at an incredibly reasonable price. Conditions were absolutely perfect; golf balls would release and roll on both fairways and greens. In many cases, a run-up shot was absolutely the best play. But even if Copake had been playing soft, it would still be a very good and interesting golf course. Clearly, it's not the most demanding course; after all, Copake is only 6,200 yards from the back tees. There's one par 4 over 400 yards, one par 5 over 500, and three par 4s under 300 yards. It doesn't emphasize the driver, but the approach and short game. If you're not good around the greens, you will struggle at Copake. I know, because that's exactly what happened to me. On the front nine, I hit six greens in regulation with one birdie, but I walked off with a 44 because I made a quadruple, triple, and double bogey on the holes where I missed the green.

The length of the course, or lack thereof, really is to Copake's benefit in this case. Yes, the green complexes are difficult, and it is very easy to let a poor approach spiral into a disaster. But you're not approaching the greens with mid irons, you're approaching them with wedges. You always feel like you should be in control, that you should be able to score. And when you can't, it feels like it's your fault. One of my brothers managed to make four birdies in a row (6-9), so clearly Copake will allow scoring. You just have to earn those birdies.

I haven't gotten to the best part of this course: the value. Okay, on a Saturday or Sunday morning, it's $49, which is good but not great. Don't play then. At any other time, the most you'll pay is $30. Now, I've played Shennecossett and Keney Park, two golf courses that are well known for being excellent value for money. In my opinion, Copake is just as good a golf course as either of them, and you can play it for even cheaper. So how come it's not better known? For one thing, it's really not close to anything. Keney Park is in Hartford, and while Shennecossett isn't in a big city, it's just off of Interstate 95, plus it's got ocean views. Copake is very much in the middle of nowhere. Also working against Copake is the relative obscurity of its original architect. If this was a Donald Ross or Alister Mackenzie, people would be eating it up. But only real golf enthusiasts know Devereux Emmet. And so Copake Country Club slips under the radar. Which is too bad, on the one hand, but on the other, it means Copake stays a very low-key, under-the-radar sort of place, which I'm sure suits the regulars just fine. But if you do read this and you happen to find yourself in the vicinity, Copake is a great place to play, and I'd strongly recommend going to see it.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Hershey's Chocolate Porter

Brewed by: Yuengling Brewery, Pottsville, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "Yuengling, America’s Oldest Brewery, and Hershey, America’s most iconic chocolate, are collaborating, for the first time in their history, to provide a once in a lifetime creation for their loyal fans to enjoy. America loves beer and America loves chocolate, so Yuengling and Hershey joined forces to bring the best of both worlds to their fans with a limited-edition Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter.  This collaboration gives consumers the opportunity to savor and indulge in the unique beer from America’s Oldest Brewery and America’s most beloved chocolate brand. Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter is a fresh take on Yuengling’s 200-year-old Dark Brewed Porter.  Don’t miss your chance to enjoy, for a limited time only, America’s #1 craft brewery, Yuengling, come together with America’s most iconic chocolate brand, Hershey’s, for their first-ever collaboration — Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter."

Would I buy it again?: A collaboration between two titans of Pennsylvania industry. A beer made by Yuengling and Hershey. I don't think I can understate the amount of anticipation and excitement this beer created. It's a limited release, available in only a few states, and where it has been available, it's sold out fast. But I've been lucky enough to get my hands on it a few times, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. It's just the right amount of chocolate and porter. They compliment each other so well, it makes you wonder why this collaboration didn't happen earlier. It's worth every penny, and I absolutely plan on getting it again if I can.

Review: Copake Country Club (Part 1)

I do a fair amount of research while planning out these golf vacations. Sure, there are often obvious choices, golf courses that are popular for one reason or another. But often the popular choice is the expensive choice. Sure, those popular golf courses may be in immaculate condition and provide excellent amenities, but I'm in it for the golf, and for me, wall-to-wall green is no match for quirk and strategy. The lesser-known courses, the ones off the beaten path, those are usually the ones worth playing. They're usually cheaper and often far more interesting.

The seventh green, overlooking Copake Lake.

That brings us nicely to Copake Country Club, a course so far off the beaten path that no one's entirely sure who built it. Even after original plans were found in the mid 2000s allowing for a full restoration of the golf course, the architects responsible for the restoration were only about 90% certain that Copake was designed by Devereux Emmet. We'll just go ahead and give Mr. Emmet that 10% and say that he's responsible.

Astute readers of my golf course reviews will note that, despite his relative obscurity, this is not the first Devereux Emmet course I've played. And there are some definite similarities between Copake and Keney Park -- both languished in the standard malaise many Golden Age courses suffer from, and both have been refreshed in the modern era. However, while Keney Park was renovated into something resembling a Macdonald/Raynor course, Copake was restored back to its original form. The result is quite possibly the most difficult (but in a fun way) 6,200 yard golf course I've ever played.

The first hole kicks things off in a fairly mild fashion. It's a 370 yard par 4, and you'd better get a good look at the hole while you're on the tee, because you probably won't be able to see the green from the fairway, not unless you're a very long hitter. And in that case, you'll have to be cautious of the cross bunker eating into the fairway. But overall, it's a pretty open drive, and a pretty open green. There are bunkers on each side of the green, but the gap between them is pretty big, so there's plenty of room to run up the second shot. Copake's greens are extremely firm and fast, so you'll probably be playing run-up shots on a regular occasion.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is the one and only par 4 over 400 yards at Copake, weighing in at 440 yards, and is absolutely the toughest hole on the course. It starts off simply enough, the fairway is wide open, but the second shot is where things get complicated. First off, the mid iron approach is completely blind. The second obstacle: a pair of bunkers about 20 yards short of the green. On most courses, run-up bunkers like this would be only for show, but not here. As I said, the course runs fast, and to make matters even harder, the green slopes dramatically from front to back. This is something that occurs multiple times at Copake, but this one is by far the most pronounced. That all means that the ideal second shot is one that just clears those run-up bunkers and then tumbles down onto the green. And remember, you're trying to do all that blind. The only criticism I have is that this is a lot to do on the second hole, especially since Copake has no driving range. It doesn't make the hole any less good, but making par becomes that much more difficult when you've barely warmed up. At least there's no hazards or any place to lose a golf ball. No, if you make a quadruple bogey here, it's absolutely your own fault. Maybe you should acquire a short game at some point. Definitely speaking hypothetically here. Definitely didn't make an 8 here because I needed to chip four times.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green slopes significantly from front to back.

The second green from the ninth tee.

The third hole is the second longest par 4 on the course, measuring just under 400 yards. Of course, this hole actually plays much shorter than that, considering just how dramatically downhill it is. If you can, being on the left side of the fairway is preferable, as the greenside bunker is quite nasty. The green is slightly elevated and features a lot of slope from left to right. Okay, so approaches from the left aren't easy either, but it's better than having to hit over the bunker.

The third hole.

That bunker is not a great place to be.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the first par 5 Copake has to offer, but it's not exactly a backbreaker. At most, it's 480 yards, but practically it plays a lot shorter than that, since the dogleg right can be cut quite easily. The fairway is routed through a little valley, so all tee shots will funnel toward the center. If you're going for the green in two (and you probably will be if you can hit your driver any sort of distance), the second shot is up the hill to a semiblind green that slopes significantly from left to right. Missing left means an incredibly delicate chip to a green that runs away. There are no bunkers, and the hole is really short, but the hole does not give away birdies.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green has a pretty severe slope from left to right.

If there's a hole at Copake that can compete with the second for the title of toughest hole on the course, it's this one. The fifth is a 230 yard par 3 that plays over basically level ground to a horizon green that is also slightly domed and slopes from front to back. There are two small bunkers front left and front right just to make things that much trickier, but honestly, the hole doesn't need them. The slightly elevated green and the contours provide plenty of defense. Much like the second, this is an example of a difficult hole not needing hazards to make things tough.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the first of three sub-300 yard par 4s at Copake. If you were curious why the course is so short, that's as good a reason as any. One hole of that length is unusual enough, but three? Anyway, while the hole is definitely drivable, simply smashing away with a driver is a poor choice at best. The green is small and shrugs shots away that are short or right. Any sort of wayward drive will probably find a bunker, or require a pitch shot hit over a bunker to a narrow green. The best play is probably a long iron to the left side of the fairway. This gives you a fairly open look, and more importantly, it gives you a deeper target.

The sixth green.

Not a great place to approach the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is also a sub-300 yard par 4, but this one features a blind tee shot and absolutely no bunkers. Easy hole then, right? Hit it anyway, pitch it on, hopefully one putt, walk off with a birdie. But I imagine this hole gives up fewer birdies than you might think. Remember, the greens are firm, and the right side is slightly elevated. Shot from over there are tricky, and shots from the left are hit to a green that subtly falls away. Not to mention the view on the green can be quite distracting, as all scenic overlooks can be. Copake Lake looks very good.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

There's quite a view on the seventh green.

The eighth hole is the last leg of the sub-300 yard hole stretch, measuring 150 up the hill to a semiblind green. A single bunker protects the right side, and the green itself is slightly domed and once again, is lower at the back than at the front. The shortest hole at Copake isn't difficult, but it isn't a walk in the park either.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is easily the longest hole at Copake at 530 yards, the only hole tipping over the half-century mark. Of course, it doesn't play that long. In fact, as long as your tee shot gets close to the top of the plateau, you can easily go for the green in two with as little as a long iron. Once you reach a certain point, the hole drops steadily, and any decent running shot will motor on down the hill, eventually reaching the green. That's how I got to the green in two with a 4 iron despite hitting a driver that went, at best, 270 yards. Just watch out for a bunker to the right of the green. Not a huge obstacle, but it's something to think about.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green. Golf balls will run a long way down the hill.

That's it for now, go here to see the back nine..