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Tee time is a family affair
By Colleen Lent
Of course, New England seasons aren’t partial to just one sport. While snow and rain may create ideal conditions for skiing or indoor racquet games, inclement weather and golf aren’t good partners.
However, the Langdons saw this obstacle as an opportunity. Their mental blueprint of covered and heated driving bays became a brick-and-mortar reality four years ago, as they started clearing five acres of land from a 93-acre tree farm on Route 125.
Using a bio-harvest method of selectively yanking entire trees with a machine, using all parts and eliminating telltale debris, the father and son created a spot for 15 stations, six being all-season. Two massive pines decided they didn’t want to be harvested and used for lumber and wood chips. The twin trees remain firmly planted in the center of the range, providing golfers with a fairway challenge and the course with a name.
The junior Langdon, a contractor, built a structure resembling an oversized, enclosed gazebo, allowing the family to sell buckets of balls to Twin Pines customers.
"One thing led to another," the senior Langdon says.
Before the duo knew it, they were hiring a builder to construct a 1,700-square-foot structure to accommodate a first-floor pro shop and second-floor workshop for making and repairing clubs.
"It’s a niche in that we do everything," Gerry Langdon says, standing next to a practice net as well as a loft and lie machine in his son’s workshop.
Gerry Langdon says the Twin Pines driving range also attracts men and women, and a host of generations. On one Tuesday afternoon, there was a steady stream of middle-aged men buying buckets of balls and poking around in the pro shop. Yet, Langdon says women are also frequent visitors, practicing on their own, rather than tagging along with a spouse or male friend.
"I think they’ve been interested for a long time," Langdon says.
He dispels the common public misconception, reinforced by Annika Sorenstam’s recent PGA participation, that female success in golf is a new thing.
"They’re practicing because it’s their game," Langdon says.
His son echoes his sentiment by verbally listing Granite State women amateur champions of the past and present.
Both the senior Langdon and Lundquist offer golf lessons and agree that regardless of a person’s age or gender, hitting the golf ball with precision requires the mastery of four skills - grip, posture, ball alignment and ball position.
Bill Langdon, a certified clubmaker through the Golf Clubmakers Association of Austin, Texas, and member of The Professional Clubmaker’s Society, says a beginner needs to practice with entry-level clubs before even glancing at custom-made clubs.
He explains that the swing of a novice will evolve as he/she learns the basics. With repetition and instruction, the beginner may opt for a heavier club, gain swing speed, change stance, etc.
"Always start with a lesson," Langdon says. "It’s cheaper."
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