By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
It’s no secret that the game of golf has welcomed many new golfers since the pandemic, more than a million of whom are women. This renaissance in golf has been fueled by energetic and motivated PGA of America Golf Professionals like Reed Lansinger, the PGA of America Director of Golf at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, New Jersey, and the Vice President of the New Jersey PGA Section. Now nine years into his tenure at the 36-hole facility, Lansinger’s efforts to reimagine the club’s practice facilities are coming to fruition.
Almost fully completed, as I saw with my own eyes recently, the driving range at Canoe Brook now has a two-story structure with 23 hitting bays – six on the ground level and 17 more upstairs. Eleven bays are covered and have heaters. They are also equipped with Trackman Range ball tracking technology and have monitors adjacent to the hitting space. The other six hitting bays are in the open air and are equipped with Trackman Range mobile technology.
As I walked the space with Lansinger, I saw the logoed range ball crates, a classy blue-gray color way with the excellent Canoe Brook logo donning the front. To prevent tees – broken or intact – from accumulating on the mats and flying off the upper level to down below, Lansinger installed two tee sizes that are tethered to the crates with a cord.
What really catches your eye upon arriving at the practice area is the super stellar synthetic putting green with no less than a half dozen holes dispersed throughout the putting surface to challenge golfers and provide an effective practice session with every visit.
Inside, among that new building smell, is a members’ lounge being built that will have tables and chairs, a TV monitor and WiFi so members can get those last-minute emails or work assignments completed before hitting the links for what is surely a great golf experience.
In addition, the building is equipped with two indoor hitting bays that open up to the range. Both will be used for teaching with Trackman technology, and one of them will be fully loaded with technology and a wide assortment of golf club components to enable Lansinger and his team to provide a Tour-level custom club fitting. In front of the indoor bays is an outdoor space that can support an additional five golfers before outings or big member events. There will be room for a satellite bar, and demo days are already scheduled for this summer.
On the fairway-cut body of the range will be five target flags at various distances, six wine barrel targets and two round custom logoed range targets that will be on wheels so Lansinger and his team can move them around as needed.
“Our members like to practice,” Lansinger says. “They also like to learn and take lessons.”
In addition to Lansinger, there are five other PGA of America Members – Christine Reuss, Garrett Carpenter, Dave Vazquez, Jack Parker and Beau Goble – and one PGA Associate in Joe Brady, who you’ll see on the lesson tee, as well as J.T. Harper, the men’s golf coach at Seton Hall University.
As I look forward to returning to Canoe Brook to see the final product, I was already impressed with the facilities, the course and Lansinger and his team. Lansinger says his members are excited about the new practice facility and all the new experiences and opportunities that will come with it. As the golf shop owner, Lansinger once told me that it’s the “wow factor” that is a catalyst for sales in his golf shop. This new practice facility goes beyond “wow!”
Happy anniversary to Canoe Brook Country Club, which celebrates its 125th anniversary next year!
