Beer of the Week

The beer: Honey Porter

The brewery: Cape May Brewing Company, Cape May, New Jersey

Description (from the website): "With a sweet hint of honey, Honey Porter goes down smooth thanks to its balanced, robust, and light-bodied finish. This award-winning brown porter is brewed with Jersey Fresh certified honey and a firm malt presence, making it extremely approachable, no matter the season."

Would I buy it again? An important thing to note with this beer: Deceptively easy to drink does not necessarily mean actually easy to drink. It's pretty light for a porter, but it is still a porter. That said, this is a good one, with a nice dash of honey thrown in. I'd buy it again.

Review: South Mountain Golf Course

I can tell you right off the bat that this won't be the most exciting course review I've ever done. South Mountain Golf Course, located in the woods of southern Pennsylvania, isn't the sort of golf course that lends itself to particularly insightful criticism. It is, essentially, a glorified field with some flags stuck in it.

But there are bigger issues at play, namely the existential threat hanging over the course's head. South Mountain resides in Michaux State Forest, and the land is rented from Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The DCNR however wants to build an upgraded headquarters on the site, and has decided to end the lease with the golf course on Dec. 31, 2026. I'll reserve my thoughts on this for the end of the review, though, and stick to talking about the golf course itself for now.

While South Mountain is thoroughly unassuming, it's actually a pretty old golf course, with golf first being played on the site in 1921. Doctors working at the South Mountain Sanatorium – a place with its own sordid history – laid out three holes as a recreation site for patients, with six more holes appearing in the early 1930s. The course existed like that for 30 years until 1964, when the state bought the land and converted the entire area into a park. South Mountain Golf Course went unmaintained and wild for three years before a local group of golfers leased the land and brought the golf course back from the dead. And while some holes have been changed, the status quo at South Mountain has remained pretty much the same since.

The first hole is a slightly awkward 360-yard par 4 that doglegs slightly left through a narrow gap between trees; any drive that doesn't flirt with the left tree line and goes further than, say, 225 yards will have a group of pine trees between them and the hole. Provided you've managed to keep the tee shot in line, the second shot is a wedge to a small green with sand on both sides. This is one of the holes that's been changed in the past 50 years; the second half of this hole is actually new. The hole used to be curve off to the right, being noticeable longer as it played to what is now the second green. While this hole is a little weird as is, I think the change was beneficial to the course overall, as we'll eventually see.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole, a 160-yard par 3, is of course not an original part of the design, being the second half of the former first hole. That said, it's not a particularly interesting hole. Other than trees right and long, there's no hazards, and the green itself isn't anything to write home about. This hole just kind of exists, if we're being honest.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is 340 yards and does at least present a bit of a challenge. While the fairway is wide, trees eat into it from the left, and with a line of trees very close to the right, if you want to hit driver here, you either need to stick close to that right tree line or hit a fade around it. A pulled drive will quickly run out of space and end up in jail. Since the hole is quite short, you really don't lose too much by playing safely; even a long iron off the tee will leave just a wedge. The green here is actually best approached from further back as well, as it's got two bunkers closely guarding the front, and with a small but noticeable falloff behind, you don't want to miss the green long.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is just 285 yards, but while you can certainly reach the green with the tee shot, there are some complicating factors. In particular, the back tee is quite often placed off to the right, which places a cluster of trees about 75 yards out directly between you and the green. These trees can be cleared with a big, high drive (or a giant fade), but that's not a shot a lot of people can hit ... well, not without it actually going somewhere. And while you can bail out left, if you go too far, you'll have a very awkward pitch shot over a bunker to a small, firm green. The smart decision is the lay-up, leaving a full wedge into the green. 

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is about the same length as the fourth, and on the surface it appears like an absolute green light. No trees blocking the way, just a wide-open fairway. And while all that is true, this green very small, elevated on all sides, and is protected by a bunker left and a tree short-right. Being roughly green high but missing on either side will present a tough chip shot. Of course, laying up on the tee shot presents its own issues, particularly if you find the right side and have to go over that tree. Obviously, this isn't a tough hole, but it isn't quite as simple as it looks.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a very short, downhill par 5 that bends hard left around dense trees. The fairway is wide open, inviting you to cut off as much of the dogleg as you can. But don't cut off too much; you don't want to find the left side of the fairway. That's because there are a few large trees in between the landing area and the green, doing a very thorough job of guarding the green. If you want to go for the green in two, you need to find the far side of the fairway. That will leave anything from a wood to a short iron into a slightly elevated, bunkerless green. As long as you stay right, this is an excellent birdie or even eagle opportunity.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a thoroughly modest 130 yards, making it the shortest hole on the course, but this short little par 3 is definitely no picnic. The green is very small and has two bunkers in front, and with a falloff behind into forest, long is a very bad miss. It's not an easy approach, but since the hole is so short, it works. And if you do manage to hit a solid tee shot, odds are you'll walk away with a birdie. Or, if you're my younger brother ten or so years ago, a hole in one. I've only witnessed a single ace being made (other than my own, of course), and it was right here. You don't often lose two shots to someone after making a par, but that's what happened to me.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is the longest hole on the course, though at 485 yards it's hardly a back-breaker. However, while the length is modest, the drive is fairly tight, with dense forest lurking down the left side the entire way. However, the more immediate and obvious hazard is the single pine tree smack-dab in the middle of the fairway, about 250 yards out. It isn't exactly the most strategic hazard in the world, but it certainly grabs your attention.

Provided you can skirt by that central tree, the green is reachable in two; however, it's tucked behind a bunker and is elevated, making it extremely difficult to hit with a long iron or fairway wood. Aiming just right, leaving a pretty simple chip, is the best course of action on the second.

Fun fact, as you're walking off the tee here, you'll notice a green off to the left, sort of on its own, looking very incongruous. That's actually the original seventh green; the current eighth was once a par 3 and a par 4, combined into one hole. While the old first hole looked fun, I think avoiding two short par 3s in a row works to South Mountain's benefit. The unused green doesn't look very interesting, and I don't think a short par 4 eighth would be as interesting as the par 5 eighth is.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is about 400 yards, and the tee shot is pretty easy, save for a fairway bunker left of the fairway about 250 yards out. Hit a good drive and you'll have just a wedge or short iron into the green, which is open in front but has a bunker and a hedgerow (not a usual golf hazard) behind. So basically, don't miss long and you're fine. 

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

As I said at the start, South Mountain is not a particularly interesting golf course. Obviously, no golf course is completely devoid of strategic interest, but South Mountain is, by and large, just a nice, friendly place to play golf for a modest price. You can play nine for as little as $10, and in a day and age where everything feels ridiculously expensive, South Mountain's cheap walking rate is a breath of fresh air. Not to mention how inviting it is for literally everyone to play. There's no need for tee times or dressing up, you can literally just show up and play. And it would be a terrible shame to lose a course like this. Golf needs more of this, not less.

To no one's surprise, I am not in favor of the DCNR closing the entire golf course just to build a single building that not many people will even use. Certainly fewer people will visit the property than do now. Michaux State Forest covers 85,000 acres of forest, there must be another place within its borders that could do as a suitable site for their new HQ building. Or, you know, they could just upgrade the building they've got at Caledonia. That building is right off U.S. Route 30, which has to be easier for employees to get to than this course, which isn't close to any sort of major road or town of significance.

One could make the argument that golf courses aren't great for the environment, but there are two major problems with that theory. First off, South Mountain is as basic as it comes; only the greens see any real management. In the summer, nearly the entire course is allowed to dry out, becoming brown and insanely firm. No pesticides or unnecessary watering going on here. Also, Caledonia State Park, home of the current DCNR building, has a golf course of its own. One that belongs to the park and the DCNR itself. I even did a review of it way back in 2014. 

Quite simply, the idea that the DCNR needs South Mountain Golf Course in particular just feels so wrong to me. There are so many other options, and virtually every local leader has spoken in favor of the golf course. I know my voice probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but consider me on South Mountain Golf Course's side as well. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Over

Brewed by: Pittsburgh Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in collaboration with The Alchemist Brewery, Stowe, Vermont

Description (from the can): "Brewed using the finest European barley and hops, this pilsner combines Old World tradition and New World innovation. Enjoy this modern-day classic with a distinct Alchemist twist, and thank you for supporting the good work of [the Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh]."

Would I buy it again? Buying this again is a moot point, since this was a limited collaboration, but yes, I would. It's an incredibly solid and tasty pilsner, striking the right balance between flavor and drinkability. If I had to nitpick, I'd say it was maybe ever so slightly too hoppy, but overall it's an excellent beer.

Review: Schenectady Municipal Golf Course (Front Nine)

I could explain the whole sordid story as to why my brothers and I only played the front nine at Schenectady Municipal, but basically it came down to weather uncertainty and a late-afternoon league keeping us from playing the whole course. But new golf is new golf, even if it isn't the entire course. It's better than making the long journey to New York and reviewing no golf at all. 

And as it turns out, Schenectady Muni has a neat little bit of history behind it. Dating back to the 1930s, it was designed by Jim Thompson (the then-professional at Mohawk Golf Club, which is incidentally less than a mile from Schenectady Muni) and Arthur Knight. If you're read my review of Mohawk, then Arthur Knight's name should be familiar. But if not, he was the engineer who invented the infamous Schenectady putter, used by Walter Travis to such effect during the 1904 British Amateur that the R&A banned it.

Schenectady Muni is also noteworthy in that it's a Depression-era municipal golf course in the Northeast that wasn't designed by Donald Ross. It did happen on occasion.

The first hole is an unremarkable if quietly pleasant shortish par 4, playing 360 to a narrow, gently rolling fairway threaded between scattered clumps of large trees. That said, there's more room than it looks from the tee, so if you swing confidently with driver, you should be fine. A solid drive will leave just a little wedge into the green, which is sloped pretty significantly from back to front and has a single bunker right.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is a 500-yard par 5 bending right around a group of dense trees. Naturally, the presence of those trees so close to the direct line of play will draw you out left, but bailing out will likely put the green out of range in two. Also, there's more room out to the right than it looks. The green is partially tucked behind a hillside covered in tall grass, which, once again, you'll be tempted to steer clear of. Playing safe is fine, so long as you commit to the lay-up, but be aware that there is a pond left of the fairway that can absolutely catch out shots that try to split the difference between a true lay-up and going for the green in two. The green here is bunkerless, small, and tilted from back right to front left.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a modest par 3 at just 150 yards, playing gently uphill to a green tilted severely from back to front. There's a single bunker left, which gives you something extra to think about on the tee shot. Mostly though, you just want to be below the hole here. Miss the green long, and par will be a struggle.

The third hole.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 4 – though it's the longest on the front nine by almost 50 yards – that plays dramatically downhill to an ever-narrowing fairway far below. It's always hard to resist hitting driver on holes like this, but you really don't need to. A 3 wood is more than enough, and it gives you more fairway to work with. That will leave a wedge or short iron back uphill to a wide semiblind green. There's a single bunker front right, and it is not a place you want to be. You're quite far below the level of the green there, which is never fun. 

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a short par 4 of the drive-and-pitch variety, playing 345 yards. The fairway is initially quite wide, but about 200-225 yards out, the hole bends right and squeezes between a dense treeline left and a cluster of large, less densely packed trees right. The tree right in the corner is especially big and wide; it certainly had a magnetic attraction for the golf balls of my brothers and I. Thankfully, it's not a pine tree, so it is possible to play underneath it. The smart play is a long iron out to the center of the fairway, leaving a full wedge into the green, which is perched partway up a hillside. While the green is bunkerless, there is another large tree front right, which does an excellent job of acting as an aerial bunker. Still, leave your tee shot in the right place and the second shot is quite simple.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a 180-yard par 3 where the strategy is simple: don't miss left. If you're lucky, you'll catch the front-left bunker. If not ... well, good luck. Naturally, with left being dead, the temptation is to bail out right. Now, if you're confident in your bunker play, being in that right-hand bunker is no problem at all. But for the average muni golfer who's apt to skulling greenside bunker shots 50 yards long, that simple bunker shot is a lot more intimidating. At the very least, the green's quite receptive, even to lower shots that are bounced on.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is kind of a shorter version of the fourth; it plays similarly downhill to a fairway that narrows the further along you go. But at 340 yards, the prospect of leaving just a little pitch into the green makes it much harder to ignore the driver. With tall grass on both sides, though, you need to be quite accurate with the driver to make it work. The smart choice, as painful as it is, is a long iron tee shot, which should leave a full wedge second shot. The green here is elevated, with a single bunker front right.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a 365-yard par 4 that plays downhill to a rolling fairway. The best place to leave your drive is at the top of the plateau, about 225-275 yards out from the tee. That should give you both a level stance and a clear view of the green. Driver is both unnecessary and unwise, as the hole is short and dense forest creeps in from the right; hitting driver reduces the margin for error way more than it's worth. A solid drive leaves a wedge second into a green, sloped sharply from back to front, that's tucked into a corner of a hill, with a single bunker left. Of the nine holes at Schenectady Muni I saw, I think this is my favorite.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a short par 5 at just under 500 yards and is a great birdie or even eagle opportunity. The fairway is flat and pretty wide, so long as you don't go left. The green is bunkerless as well, though with forest left and long it's not quite as inviting a target. It's also sloped pretty heavily from back to front, so if you leave your second shot just short, it's not difficult at all to get up and down for birdie.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

Before the round, Schenectady Muni was described to me as being "maybe a bit above average." And I think that's a pretty fair way to describe the nine I played. Definitely solid golf with some interesting land movement. Also, the course was in excellent shape for a municipal course. We played Mohawk the day before this, and dare I say it, the conditions at Schenectady Muni were no worse than the private course. Different, obviously, as the greens were much slower here, but overall, I think Schenectady Muni had more thorough grass coverage, particularly in the rough. I was surprised. And the price is reasonable here as well.

Overall, while I'm not in a hurry to see the other nine holes, I definitely wouldn't mind playing the full course the next time I'm in Albany. It's a solid addition to the Albany golf scene and I'd happily play there again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Black Chocolate Stout

The brewery: Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, New York

Description (from the website): "Originally our Brewmaster Garrett Oliver’s resume beer, Black Chocolate Stout is now a wintertime favorite among beer fans worldwide. Rich roasted malts come together to create an unmistakable dark chocolate flavor perfect for special occasions and late nights by the fire."

Would I buy it again? Not to question their description, but as a beer fan who lives a lot closer to Brooklyn than the average person and as someone who's spent a fair amount of time actually in Brooklyn, I'm not sure how legitimate their claim of this being "a wintertime favorite" for beer fans worldwide. I've never heard of it before buying it this year. Which is a shame, because this is a very good beer. Rich, chocolately but not overly sweet, well balanced, it's an excellent winter beer. I would definitely buy this again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Paw Paw's Pils

Brewed by: Rough Edges Brewing, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Description (from Untappd): "Indulge in the refreshing and exotic taste of locally grown Paw Paws that we infused into our crispy Pilsner. As tropical as they are rare, these fruits ripen quickly and have the tropical flavors of banana and mango."

Would I buy it again? Fun fact, there's a very real possibility that I was the first non–Rough Edges employee to taste this beer. They released it on October 30, the first day they were open that week, and when I showed up a few minutes after they opened, there were no customers yet inside. 

So, why the hurry to drink a pilsner? Well, for the paw paws, of course. Explaining the big deal about this particular fruit would take a while, so here's a nice rundown of the paw paw and why it's such an infamous delicacy in the eastern US. Basically, it's a very tasty fruit that belongs to a tropical fruit family but grows in temperate climates, and once picked, it has a shelf life of about 10 minutes. You have to be quick with paw paws, which is why they're not commercially viable.

Anyway, the beer: It was very good. Sweet and also tart, tasty but also very easy to drink. Perfect for a unnaturally warm fall afternoon. I think making this a pilsner was an interesting choice, as when I think beer styles that go well with fruit, that isn't the first one that comes to mind. Personally, I would have gone with a wheat beer. But that's not what they did, and it's not like there's anything wrong with it. Hopefully the beer will last longer than the fruit and you can get one for yourself, should you be in the Waynesboro metropolitan region in the next week or two.