McGrellis said his course superintendent Vinny Passalacqua keeps the course in tremendous shape. McGrellis said the course doesn’t particularly have a signature hole, but his favorite is No. It’s an additional 389 yards longer from the blue tees. The course comes in at 6,067 yards from the white tees. “But if you want to play the back tees, go right ahead.” “What we try to do is let people get out there and have some fun,” McGrellis said. “Some of these courses are geared toward that longer and faster greens, longer holes.” “10% of the people that play are really competitive,” McGrellis explained. You could lose a half of a dozen golf balls and shoot 120.” You go to some of these places now, and the greens will be fast. “Most guys have trouble breaking 100,” McGrellis said. McGrellis said the course is a playable course, meaning he keeps it enjoyable for players of all skill levels. But it really all depends on the weather.” “There’s been good years and bad years,” McGrellis said. “He (Cupp) asked my brother and myself if we were interested (in buying Hidden Valley) and we said yes,” McGrellis said.Īt that time, Kevin was living in Rochester, working for 3M, so he moved back to the valley with his family. Hidden Valley and at Rome Country Club and then Cupp said that he didn’t want to have both courses. Kevin said his brother was helping Cupp out up at “I liked that part of it, mowing the greens and that stuff, and I always wanted to own my own business.” “I worked there until I was out of college,” McGrellis said.
Maplecrest when he was 15 and that’s what got him into the golf business. Growing up in Ilion, McGrellis said he started working at They sold it to Ted Cupp, who owned Rome Country Club, and then my brother and I bought it from Ted in 1981,” McGrellis said. Kevin McGrellis and his wife, Judi, own the club now. The back side of the golf course opened first in 1960 and the front side opened in 1963. WHITESTOWN - The Rome Sentinel Golf Tour made the short trip to Whitestown this week to visit Hidden Valley Golf Club.