Make your tee times now for the Fourth of July. Pine Valley will be taking tee times from 7 am – 4 pm.

Special 18 Holes w/Cart for $30 and 9 Holes w/Cart for $19.50.

Tee Times can be made on our website or call us at 330-335-3375

Come on out and play 9 or 18 today.

Temperatures are supposed to be great and sun this afternoon

Book your tee time online or call us at the clubhouse 330-335-3375

We are looking for someone who could work the desk and snack bar counter. The person would need to be 21 years and older and be able to work 2-8 or 9 pm on Tuesdays and Sundays. Need someone with a good personality and customer service skills and work with a sense of urgency. If you know someone have them call Steve at 330-335-3375

Still openings for a couple of teams.

Contact Eddie Reynolds for a last minute deal for your team.

July 8th

9:00 am Check In and 10:00 am Shotgun Start

$220 a team – 4 Person Scramble

Lunch and Dinner served

Hole Prizes, Raffles and 50/50 Raffle

Contact: Eddie Reynolds 330-604-2809

During Saturday’s coverage of the Travelers Championship, cameras caught Bryson DeChambeau employing a compass during his walk around TPC River Highlands. Depending on where you reside on the DeChambeau Continuum—which sounds like something that will one day win him the Nobel Prize—the moment was either an amusing anecdote or an indictment on his analytical approach to the game. Apparently the PGA Tour had a different take: It might be against the rules.

At least, that’s according to DeChambeau, who told reporters following his final round in Cromwell that the tour is concerned about the instrument’s use.

“They said we just want to let you know we’re investigating this device and seeing if it’s allowable or not,” DeChambeau said following a two-under 68 on Sunday. “It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened.”

DeChambeau stated he uses the compass to determine “true pin locations,” noting that they are off every so often. The 24-year-old remarked he’s been using the tool in tour events since 2016.

“It’s been used for a long, long time,” DeChambeau said. “People are saying it’s an unusual device, that’s at least what the tour’s saying.

“It’s funny people take notice when you start playing well.”

Which raises a question: What rule is DeChambeau possibly breaking?

The law ostensibly in play is Rule 14-3, which bans the use of any artificial device or unusual equipment for the purpose of gauging or measuring distance or conditions that might affect his play. This prohibits players from using items like rangefinders that have activated a feature that calculates the affect of slope on distance. Also, outlined in Appendix IV, under Rule 14-3, an artificial device is not allowed if it provides “recommendations that might assist the player in making a stroke or in his play [e.g., club selection, type of shot to be played, green reading or any other advice related matter].” Fickle things, those golf rules.

In that regard, DeChambeau is in violation, right? Not necessarily.

The Rules of Golf specifically addresses compass use—God bless the lawyer with the foresight to scribe that down in the book. Believe it or not, the guidelines allow their use:

14-3/4 Use of Compass During Round

Q. A player uses a compass during a stipulated round to help determine the direction of the wind or the direction of the grain in the greens. Is the player in breach of Rule 14-3?

A. No. A compass only provides directional information and does not gauge or measure variable conditions or assist the player in his play.

However, that covers the navigational instrument and not the geometry device. A call to the USGA didn’t provide much clarity, as the tournament didn’t fall under its jurisdiction and thus did not want to comment on the matter.

But a veteran rules official, on the condition of anonymity, told Golf Digest that DeChambeau doesn’t appear to be breaking any rules.

“Read 14-3. It’s not helping him choose a club or do anything that is against the rules,” the official said. “He is trying to find the exact spot in the book the hole is located. That would not be a breach of 14–3.

“I can’t see that he’s getting any sort of information that isn’t publicly available.”

So why the interest in DeChambeau’s compass? Perhaps it has to do with the heightened focus on green-reading materials. Last May, the USGA and R&A released a joint statement that the entities would be investigating the legality of such materials. Though a change was not reflected in the revised Rules of Golf set to go into effect in 2019, it remains an issue the bodies want to address. DeChambeau simply could have fallen into this crossfire.

UPDATE: The tour sent the following regarding its investigation in DeChambeau:

“Bryson DeChambeau’s use of a compass to make notations on exact hole location in his greens book came to light during Saturday’s round at the Travelers Championship, and PGA Tour Rules Officials met with Bryson after the round. After consulting with the USGA, there is no clear precedent on the use of a compass in this manner and it is not currently prohibited under the Rules of Golf. The USGA is reviewing the matter, with our feedback, and is expected to make a ruling on its conformity with the Rules soon.”

Rain has been falling since 6 am this morning. Forecast are not looking good for the rest of the day.

Give us a call before you come out to see if are letting golfers out. 330-335-3375

Weather for the rest of the week and weekend looks great so book a tee time online or give us a call.

Etiquette is an integral part of the game, defining golf’s core values . It describes the manner in which the game of golf should be played to ensure all players gain maximum enjoyment.

In short, it’s about “respect”:

  • Respect for the course – leave the course as you would like to find it by repairing pitch-marks, replacing divots and raking bunkers
  • Respect for your fellow players – be sportsmanlike and polite, stay by the green to watch them hole out, and avoid distracting them
  • Respect for the game – by knowing the Rules and etiquette of golf

Looking ahead there are some beautiful days for golf this week.

Today looks like partly cloudy but dry High of 71. A great day to play.

Tuesday will be partly cloudy and 81 and don’t forget 18 holes w/cart for $21 all day and 9 w/cart is only $15.

Wednesday looks like a really good chance for rain so get a early tee time and beat the rain.

Thursday there may be some morning rain but the afternoon looks good and only 78 for a high.

Friday is looking partly cloudy and warm at 87 but with our Friday Weekday Special in effect all day, it’s a great day for golf.

Saturday and Sunday look beautiful but warm. Come out and enjoy 9 or 18 holes before the holiday.

Tee Times can be booked online or give us a call at 330-335-3375

We look forward to seeing you.

CROMWELL, Conn. — Bubba Watson says TPC River Highlands feels like home. It certainly was a comfortable place again this week.

Watson overcame a six-stroke deficit Sunday to win his third Travelers Championship title, shooting a 7-under 63 for a three-stroke victory.

The left-hander became the first three-time winner on the PGA Tour this season and pulled within one of Billy Casper’s tournament record of four victories.

Watson finished at 17-under 263. Third-round leader Paul Casey, Stewart Cink, Beau Hossler and J.B. Holmes tied for second. Casey shot 72, Cink 62, Hossler 66 and Holmes 67.

Watson also came from six back to win the 2010 event for his first tour title and beat Casey in a playoff in 2015.

“I feel like this is my home course,” Watson said. “As soon as they put the schedule up, I sign up for this. I want to come back here. This means so much, not only from the golf side of it, but from the family side. My dad, it was the only time he got to see me win (in 2010). He got to see me qualify for the Ryder Cup at this event. So all these things just mean so much to my family.”

During the victory ceremony, Watson’s adopted children — 6-year-old son Caleb and 3-year-old daughter Dakota — received small trophies of their own.

Watson shot a 33 on the front nine but really got it going on the back with five birdies. He tied Casey at 16-under par by getting up and down from the bunker for a birdie on the course’s signature 15th hole.

Still tied on the par-4 18th, Watson hit his tee shot 366 yards, then pitched inside 3 feet, giving caddie Ted Scott a big high-five before taking the lead with the putt.

“Hitting some of those shots, especially the shot on 18, downwind, it was very difficult, but somehow pulling it off’,” Watson said. “And that’s what we all try to do on Sundays is pull off the amazing shot.’

A golfer’s market? New American tax laws might influence your golf course real estate purchase



In an otherwise turbulent and controversial presidency so far, Donald Trump’s biggest domestic policy accomplishment has been the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Passed on December 22, the measure constituted what accounting and financial services giant PricewaterhouseCoopers called, “the most significant overhaul of the US tax code in more than 30 years.”

This bill has some implications for the real estate market, which means it has some implications for golfers, especially those in the market for condos, townhomes and houses on or near golf courses in the future.

If you’re considering a move – either part-time or permanent – to a golf hotbed, here are some factors to consider:

Property tax and mortgage interest deductions

Under the new tax scheme, homeowners can only deduct $10,000 worth of “SALT” (state and local) property taxes they pay. In some places, like Jersey City, New Jersey, this is causing property tax burdens to spike dramatically.

Before the passage of the bill, homeowners could deduct interest paid on mortgages of up to $1 million. The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act lowered that threshold to $750,000. Golf being a broadly affluent sport, there are probably plenty of residents of houses in the $750,000 to $1 million range who have seen their tax obligations increase because of this change to the law.

Still, it could have been worse. Early drafts of the Tax Cuts And Jobs Act proposed to disable multiple homeowners from deducting the property taxes on any residences beyond their primary ones. Backlash against this prompted an adjustment to the bill, such that now, if you have two mortgages totaling $750,000 or less, you’ll still be able to deduct that property tax. But in order to take that deduction, you will have to itemize your next tax return.

Varied though their impact may be, increases on property tax burdens make the prospect of living in states with lower property taxes an attractive one. It just so happens that golf-hotbed states like Hawaii, Alabama and South Carolina are among the least property-tax-burdensome in the country. If you want to escape high property taxes in the Northeast, Midwest or California, you’ll find plenty of golf communities with properties that will provide some relief.

Rent or buy?

Many people drawn south and west by the prospect of warm year-round weather and lower property taxes are not inclined to jump in fully. Instead, they’ll dip a toe in the water by renting a place for the fall and winter months, living as traditional “snowbirds.” By doubling the standard tax deduction, the Tax Cuts And Jobs Act makes renting – even longer-term than a few months – a more attractive proposition than it had been. Per an article from Time.com:

“One recent study by the Urban Institute found that under the new tax law, so-called “breakeven” rents — the monthly amount above which renters are better off becoming homeowners — jumped significantly for upper-middle class and wealthy taxpayers. For instance, under the old rule, for a typical three-person family earning $75,000 owning became more financially advantageous once the family’s monthly rent exceeded $893. Under the new law that number climbs 14% to $1,017.

For wealthy families the difference can be even more dramatic. For one family making $300,000, the breakeven rent jumps 32% from $2,757 a month to $3,631.”

So, depending on your circumstances, if you were leaning “buy” before, run the numbers again and you might end up leaning “rent,” at least in the near future.

Take cues from the experts

Golf Life Navigators, based in Naples, Fla., is an up-and-coming firm that aims to pair golfers looking to purchase real estate and their “best-matched” communities and clubs in the Sunbelt; the company has recently expanded beyond Florida to Arizona and the Carolinas as well.

According to PGA Professional Jason Becker, Golf Life Navigators CEO and co-founder, the new tax legislation has helped prod golfers into action.

“We have seen a sizable increase in consumers reaching out to us this first quarter” says Becker. “There are many factors including weather, a lifestyle change, etc. But, we believe that the new tax reform laws are playing a role in consumers expediting their plans to relocate south into a tax-friendly state such as Florida.”

Golf Life Navigators recently developed the ProGuide3, a free, 10-minute online survey that is helping real estate- and club membership-seeking golfers make sense of the hundreds-deep fields of options in the Sunbelt.

On the rent vs. buy issue, Becker says it’s not cutting into ProGuide Inquiries. “In the first quarter we actually saw a 3% increase in consumers who would like to purchase real estate alongside their golf membership,” he says. “This tells us that folks are beginning to think about selling up north and relocating south. If that number had decreased we would have assumed that consumers are looking to rent as opposed to buying.”

The biggest change for golfers?

Perhaps the most consequential-to-golf effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has nothing to do with real estate, but with an aspect of many golfers’ on-course time, regardless of where their rounds are taking place. The legislation stripped taxpayers of the ability to deduct half of expenses incurred in the name of client entertainment on their tax returns.

This means that if you are one of the many businesspeople who have long regarded golf as a way to build and strengthen relationships with prospective and entrenched customers, this legislation may cause you to play less golf. Deducting portions of green fees paid during golf with a business angle used to help many golfers justify not just the odd Friday-afternoon round, but their entire private club membership. It’s too early to tell just how much of an effect this lost deduction will have on the golf industry, but it nevertheless worth considering in the wake of the Tax Cuts And Jobs Act’s passage.

Do you foresee the recent American tax overhaul affecting your golf habits or future real estate considerations? Leave a comment to share your perspective with your fellow Golf Advisor readers!

(Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly conflated the Tax Cuts And Jobs Act’s changes to property tax and mortgage interest deductions. This mistake has been rectified above.)