COLUMN BY KEN RUGGIERO — This past week, I had the pleasure to meet with three top executives of the soon-to-be-opened Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Club located on Creek Road in Lewiston. There have been numerous rumors swirling around locally about the course so I resolved to set the record straight. Here’s what I observed and heard.

I met with Fran Roach, the general manager and PGA head professional of the facility. The affable Roach has spent much of his 40-something years in New York’s Southern tier but has also traveled extensively in his pro career, including stints at five-star golf resorts in Florida, Portugal, Egypt, and Russia. Clearly, he has established an enthusiastic affection for his new home.

I met with Jon Blumhagen, the director of sales and marketing, whose responsibilities include getting the word out that the Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course is active and geared up to open for business. I met with Gerry Doolittle, the course superintendent, whose grass-roots work will set the standard for course maintenance. All serious players know that their best friends ultimately are these three men in the trenches.

My first question to Blumhagen was why would the Seneca nation build a golf course. After all, courses locally have struggled recently, what with a failing economy and an increase in regional competition. His response was quick and to the point. He stated firstly that the Seneca nation wanted to tie together the casino operation with corresponding activities that provide a complete experience to its visitors. He stated additionally that he expects the golf course will increase the number of travelers coming to our Niagara region. Lastly, he felt that the casino’s linkage to a first-class golf facility would serve as a “give-back” to key Seneca executives across the country.

Blumhagen went on to tell me that his goal was to provide “a top of the line, total experience, which is necessary to compete with nearby casinos on the other side of the border. He called 2010 a “preview play season.”

The golf course will open for public play on July 2. Fees will be $65 during the week and $85 on weekends and holidays. Golf carts and unlimited driving range access are included in the fees. There are no plans to offer season tickets to area residents at this time but management is considering season passes for 2011. There will be provisions provided to Lewiston-area residents for markdowns, according to Blumhagen.

I was treated to a golf cart ride around the entire layout with Roach and Blumhagen, beginning at the first hole. The experience was impressive. It was reminiscent of my travels to the Robert Trent Jones Jr. Golf Trail, 468 holes on 11 sites stretching the length of Alabama. Each golf hole at Hickory Stick is a separate and unique experience. There are wonderful views of the escarpment on several holes. Seldom will you see players on adjacent holes as each test is etched independently from the vast woodlands that were available.

There are exceptions. For example, the first and the ninth fairways are shared, giving players on both holes an immense target to hit off the tee. Don’t be fooled though, as enormous greens and wide-mouthed bunkers more than make up for an uncomplicated drive. Each hole has its own unique character.

If you have ever traveled to our Akron area and had the opportunity to play at Links at Ivy Ridge or Arrowhead, you will have some notion of the Hickory Stick design. The course is aptly named due to the tremendous amount of long, tall, skinny hickories that overpower the landscape.

Head Pro Roach was genuinely absorbed in his golf course. He pointed out to me that most holes have “collection areas,” a kind of fairway funnel alongside each green that capture errant approach shots. The course, he said, is a par-72 and plays anywhere from 7,100 yards from the blue tees to 5,800 yards from the front tees. He was especially proud that the course provides five tee boxes on each hole, allowing for players of all abilities to test their skills with equity.

Roach tells me that the course’s “construction mode” is complete and that Superintendent Doolittle’s staff is now in the “fine-tune” mode, concentrating on turf quality and getting the speed of the fairways and greens to the swift level they desire.

And what struck me the most about the design? I would have to say that architect Jones Jr. well-utilized the surroundings and what they offered him, without compromising the native backdrop. Streams and ponds are strategically integrated to provide an additional test to ambitious players. The sand traps are mammoth. Bordering each bunker, like a castle’s moat, are tall fescue grasses, causing off-line players to hope that their golf ball made it to the sand.

Jones Jr. himself describes Hickory Stick as “open and accessible to all levels of players.” His course blueprint includes an unusual double-green that will sit as theater to an adjacent clubhouse, which is still in construction and due to open in mid-August. The double-green is “hour-glass” shaped and allows for the club to flip each nine holes without disturbance.

The 18th hole is a par-three over a pond. While it is uncommon to have a par-three as the last hole on any course, in this case, I feel it works well. Players who have already completed their round can view others as they play the 18th.

Think of it. You are standing on the 18th tee, carefully calculating the yardage to the other side of the pond, taking into account the placement of the pin and the direction of the breeze. Your eyes glimpse the site of the clubhouse, to the veranda, where 50 or more previous players imbibe away their own round.

Suddenly, you’re the focus. All eyes are upon you. You select your club, stand over your shot and begin your backswing. Only one question is left to be answered. Will there be applause or laughter? I suspect this is exactly what Jones Jr. had in mind.

In all, Hickory Stick is a must-play golf course for the serious golfer, although the price tag might limit you to only once or twice a season.

Until next week, keep it in the fairway.

Ken Ruggiero is a local golf instructor and has been writing this column for the past 24 seasons. He can be reached at radiomaniac1949@yahoo.com.