Golf

Bulldogs hand Eldred first league loss

Sullivan West’s Melanie Kleiner continues to adjust to the rigors of the boys game

By RICHARD A. ROSS

CALLICOON, NY - Across the spectrum of spring sports, the mantra has been the same: the weather put a damper on getting things off to a good start. While it probably had the least impact on track athletes, who run in any kind of weather, its deleterious effects on baseball and softball teams has been far more noticeable.

Practicing in a gym is no substitute for live game action.

The weather has had an adverse effect on golfers, since the greens have not been as playable as they will be once the weather dries out and the gusty turbulent winds die down.

Poor weather cancelled some practice sessions, and teams are trying to keep up with the busy match schedule.

This year’s boys team at Sullivan West has fared well despite the adversity. Coming into its match against Eldred on May 1, the team had run up six straight wins against no defeats. Eldred, which had posted an overall mark of 4-1, also sported an unblemished league mark of 3-0.

In terms of numbers, Class D Eldred’s team is much smaller than its Class B league counterpart. The Yellowjackets brought five golfers to the Villa Roma, including Jon Geiger, Jason Jennings, Justin Derry, Stan Smith and Keith Hallock.

Sullivan West countered with its current leader Justin Armstrong, along with Ben Kleiner, Artie Norden, Kenny Correa and Melanie Kleiner.

Did he say Melanie?

Yes, the standout sophomore lady golfer joined forces with the boys team this year to ready herself for the next level of competition by reckoning with the longer yardage that the boys encounter from their tee-off points to the holes on the course. In all, the difference constitutes about an additional 800 yards over nine holes with the same par.

For example, on the first hole at the Villa Roma, the distance from the tee to the hole is 365 yards for boys, while it is only 245 yards for girls. That requires the use of an eight or nine iron, instead of a wedge, following the opening drive.

In short, learning to drive the ball further and altering which clubs are used become part and parcel of the adjustment from the girls’ game to the boys’ game.

The rest of the boys team, including her brother Ben Kleiner, have not had to make such a transition, but they are working hard to improve their strokes with a mind toward continuing the recent history of success turned in by Sullivan West’s golf teams.

Both Mel and Ben have benefited greatly from having their dad Matt, who is the Villa’s golf pro and head of the golf operations, serve as their ongoing teacher and mentor.

On April 30, Matt took an opportunity to go out with his two protégés to work on their swings and it wasn’t long before first Ben and then Matt noticed something awry in Mel’s back swing that needed attention.

“Her back swing was low and long,” noted her dad.

The work on Mel’s mechanics paid off in the match against Eldred, as Melanie shot a season-best 41. She had shot as low as 43 during April, but that number had been on the rise of late. By comparison, last year Kleiner set a Section 9 mark at the Villa with an even-par 35 as a member of the girls’ team.

In order to make the county meet, which will be held at Swan Lake on May 18, a member of the boys team would probably need to average about 44 or 45 according to the elder statesman of the Kleiner golfing family.

The top 30 golfers from the county meet will advance to the Section 9 tournament. Last year, Melanie finished sixth at that tournament. This year, it is possible she won’t be in it, a sacrifice to the far greater goal of improving her game to make her a viable competitor in college.

Kleiner, who is a three-sport athlete, is currently juggling AAU basketball and golf. In the fall, she played soccer, something that she may relinquish this autumn as she seeks to hone her golfing skills.

The Villa Roma will host the opening round of this year’s sectionals and the final round will be played at Wiltwyck Country Club in Kingston.

A match at Wiltwyck Golf Course on May 2 against Kingston proved to be challenging as Sullivan West garnered its first loss of the season. The greens, as predicted by Matt, were extremely fast.

Melanie, who played with Section Nine’s leading girl golfers Ashley Zambito of Newburgh Free Academy and Kaitlyn Sabbagh of Goshen in last year’s junior PGA championship, is slated to hook up with the talented duo again at Cooperstown on May 12 and 13. All three young women have promising futures in playing golf in college.

In the match against Eldred, Sullivan West put forth its best outing of the season. Led by Armstrong’s two-under 33 on the par 35 front nine, the Dawgs also got a one-over 36 from Ben Kleiner, a 40 from Norden, a 41 from Correa to go along with Melanie’s 41 to equal an impressive 191.

Jennings (44), Smith (47), Derry (50), Geiger (50) and Hallock (64) paced Eldred for a total of 255. Sullivan West improved to 7-0 (7-0 OCIAA) after its match with the Yellowjackets. That mark was 9-1 (8-1 OCIAA) following the loss to Kingston and a win over Fallsburg. Eldred fell to 4-2 (3-1 OCIAA). Eldred is coached by Robert Bliefernich and Sullivan West is coached by Bob Fife.

Other Sullivan West golfers who did not participate in this match include Noah Barker, Kyle Barrett, Ross Bern-hardt, Michael Bingay, Jamie Davis, Michael Hahn, Cody Keesler, Jason Leewe, Brandon Peters, Bret Reimer, Bryan Schmidt, Mike Schmidt and James Spruill.

Eldred will take on Roscoe, The Family School twice, Liberty and Tri-Valley in the coming week. Sullivan West will go up against, Goshen, Liberty and Cornwall before its rematch with Eldred on May 11.