337
edits
Changes
→Taconic and Williams: m
== Taconic and Williams ==
[[Image:Taconic_foursome.jpg|right|thumbnail|A "typical student group," after their first shot, fall 2003. Photo taken by Rick Pohle, Head Professional, who sped down to the foursome after their first shot and said, "I have to have a picture of you." Two years later, the polaroid still hangs in the clubhouse.]]
Taconic Golf Club is a great resource for Williams College, and the students, faculty, and staff seem to treasure their opportunity. The course is very popular with students, who pay just $165 a semester for unlimited golf and club storage – compare this to Yale University which has a similarly excellent golf course and charges students $725 a semester. The unique opportunity of students playing with their professors is reinforced by the current college president, [[Morty Schapiro]], who hosts a scramble tournament each spring and fall pairing staff, faculty, and students together. In recent history, teams including Kevin Kellert ’07 have been particularly successful.
The varsity men's team competes yearly against the best members of Taconic in the Shultz Cup, a match play competition named after Williams alumnus George Shultz. After losing for decades, the college kids claimed victory against the savvy members in the [[Fall 2002|Fall of 2002]] for the first time, and have not lost since. The Taconic experience is completed by Cathy and Rick Pohle’s welcoming environment in the clubhouse for all, and Kent Lemme and Matt Berger and the grounds crew’s work keeping the course in pristine condition.
The golf at Taconic Golf Club and the academics at Williams College are both among the best the United States has to offer. There is nothing better than a Saturday afternoon spent golfing on Taconic with the crisp air, changing leaves, and the roar of Williams College [[football]] reverberating across the entire course. Every student should make it a point to play a round at Taconic sometime during their four years here.