The new TOMCARS arrived last night and our staff is excited to train today and tomorrow and have them ready for guests by the weekend. If you are coming to Nemacolin this weekend, you HAVE to try the new TOMCAR adventures through the mountains of the Laurel Highlands and on the man made obstacles along the Off Road Driving Academy.
Unique. Unmatched. Extraordinary. TOMCAR has all these qualities and many more. From its origins as a fast, tough, off road military vehicle, TOMCAR has evolved into an ultra-functional, durable and versatile machine fit for commercial and private use in the most demanding conditions.
Unlike mass-market ATVs and UTVs, TOMCAR is designed and built to a professional grade standard, with a design that uses the highest quality materials and components. From its immensely strong, fully-welded steel tube chassis to its heavy duty four-wheel independent suspension, the USA-built TOMCAR is designed to be safe, rugged and extremely dependable.
Powered by a choice of efficient, reliable gasoline or diesel engines, TOMCAR brings together the core values of an all terrain vehicle that is unmatched in the market. With its low center of gravity, long suspension travel, low vehicle weight and high ground clearance, TOMCAR is fast, maneuverable and drives like no other off-road vehicle. TOMCAR truly can go ANYWHERE AND BACK™.
Check out this TOMCAR video and book your trip today by clicking here! See you this weekend!
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Activities
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Activities
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Woke up this morning to a “Blue Bird” day at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa. The only thing to do was saddle up on my bike and hit the gnarly single track at the Adventure Center.
The “Yellow Loop” as they call it was a very technical 1.7-mile joy ride through the hardwood forests of the Laurel Highlands. The trail starts out by the resort's Greenhouse and continues on a paved road towards the Maples Townhomes. Once you enter the woods you encounter wickedly awesome rock gardens that send vibrations up and down your body as you traverse the rock covered grounds. An expert? Test your balance skills on our “Fun Box” at the top. After a few attempts, I continued to cruise my way through the grassy meadows of the ski slopes. In my opinion, the views from this section of the trail are by far among the best. I would recommend allowing yourself a moment here to catch a breather and relax while taking in the views.
The final .9 miles is back in the hardwoods for single-track action. There are numerous log crossings and rock gardens to conquer. Heed the warning, the last .5 miles is a steady uphill climb that will keep your lungs bumping and calves burning.
Needless to say the ride had everything to offer from majestic views to a challenging single-track. Definitely a must ride when you go to Nemacolin!
Blood, Sweat, and Gears to all……….
Matt Grobe
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
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Activities
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Another Day in the Life at Nemacolin!
Monday afternoon, one of Nemacolin's resident Black Bears thought the weather was just too nice to stay home. Beardinine managed to pull and claw her way out of her enclosure into the holding pen area and seemed to be going for more! In the end, she decided to stay home with a little coaxing and some bribes from Nemacolin's talented Animal Program Team.
They are notoriously curious animals and if you have ever witnessed the Black Bears at Nemacolin playing in their pool, you would understand.
Mandy Burnsworth, Nemacolin's Animal Curator, said "Last week it was catching baby bison and finding out our female lion will be giving birth soon, this week it is a fugitive black bear. I really love my job!"
You really never know what could be around the next corner at Nemacolin.
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General
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But none the less, it was a great trip and we needed to get back to take care of all our fantastic guests on a sold out 4th of July Weekend!
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Gourmet
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Welcome to summer! The perfect time to relax and partake in the simple joys of life, family and friends. As a 12 year trainee in hospitality, I have taken a particular fondness to the world of "libations." A fondness I want to share with you.
There is a very simple way to stock your home bar: buy fresh and go for quality over quantity. Please remember, of course, that your friends and family are all individuals and your palate preference should not be forced upon them.
As for the alcohol, the must have spirits that should be found in your summer time bar include, but are not limited to, a wheat beer, a sauvignon blanc, vodka, rum and gin. The brand names of these products are up to you, but remember, go for quality over quantity.
For each cocktail you will need a certain on hand inventory of mixer's. The must have mixer's that should be found in your summer time bar include, tonic water, soda water, fresh limes, fresh lemons, fresh oranges, Bloody Mary mix, orange juice and cranberry juice.
If you are like me and you want to be able to enjoy the company of others over libations use these recipes to keep your friends coming.
BEER: Go with a wheat beer. Bavarian hefe weisse is the ultimate way to go when looking for that summer time brew. In German, hefe means “yeast” and weisse means “wheat,” and
Bavarian Hefe-Weizen beers are exactly that, unfiltered, yeasty wheat ales. Brewer’s yeast is the active culture that produces alcohol in beer and is usually filtered out when spent. Keeping the yeast in the brew gives Hefe-Weizen beers their distinctive haze and their incredible flavor.
WINE: Acidity is your friend. Sauvignon blanc, especially from South Africa is the savior of summer time oenophiles. The secret is in the balance, Sauvignon Blanc is light to medium body with grassy and citrus flavors, usually lower alcohol, but it also has fairly high acids. Sauvignon blanc from South Africa, New Zealand or Graves are all very smart choices for the patio barbecue.
VODKA: As neutral as vodka is, sparing the summer friendly flavored vodkas, you can get away with anything. So let's think sunshine and add vodka to it!
'Sage Lady'
- 1 1/2 oz Vodka
- 1/2 oz Mango Juice
- 2 or 3 fresh sage leaves
- 3 cucumber slices
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 1/2 oz triple sec
- Dash bitters
Muddle cucumber, simple syrup and sage. Add vodka and mango juice. Shake with ice and fine strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a spanked sage leaf and a cucumber wheel.
RUM: The signal of summertime. Let's go straight forward with making a cocktail using many of the same ingredients above.
'Cucumber Mojito'
- 1 1/2 oz Silver Rum
- 8 mint leaves
- 2 slices of cucumber
- 1 tbsp Simple Syrup
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 oz soda water
Place mint leaves and cucumbers in bottom of glass with simple syrup. Add crushed ice, silver rum, and lime juice to blender and muddle. Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves.
GIN: This one is simple. Everyone thinks they hate gin. But it is delicious and has so many flavors to offer.
'East-Side Cocktail'
- 1 1/2 oz gin
- 8 mint leaves
- 1 tbsp Simple Syrup
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 oz soda water
Place mint leaves in bottom of glass with simple syrup and lime juice. Muddle together to extract as much mint as possible. Shake vigorously with all parts except soda water. Strain into cocktail glass and add soda.
There it is, the swill of summertime! Remember when using fresh ingredients and quality products you can have fun on your own creating punches, sangria, daiquiri's and colada's. ALL perfect for the patio dweller in you.
Adam Greiner
Assistant Director of Food & Beverage
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
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Golf
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I always enjoy going to the range and watching new players. They get a golf club, a bucket of balls and head to the tee. After some minutes of trying to fathom how to hold this alien object, and stand in such a way that there seems to be at least a fighting chance of reaching the ball, they are ready to hit the ball.
The first few swings are always predictable. They miss the ball, dig up turf, hit ground balls, shanks, you name it. But suddenly and without warning, they hit the ball and it goes in the air somewhere in the direction of the target! WOW, and at that very moment something very powerful happens in their sporting life... they become a golfer!
They were not golfers when they were missing the ball or hitting it on the ground, but now they have joined the fold. Now I’m not sure anyone would sponsor them on the PGA Tour at this point, but by definition of the game, they are officially golfers! Unfortunately, this is a bittersweet moment. The positive reinforcement that we all get from the golf ball behaving as it should, might be the curse of every single one of us. The new player is convinced that the series of motions they just went through HAD to be correct, because the golf ball behaved.
Motor skill learning is highly dependent on reinforcement, so the golfer repeats what were essentially a series of errors. The golfer who raises a foot above the ball in their backswing for example and drops down exactly a foot in the downswing will run into the ball... ON THAT SWING! Unfortunately, their chances of repeating that swing are poor at best. How compelling are those early efforts? Well after 30 years of teaching the game, I believe that at least some of them stay with us for the rest of our golfing life, even if we become expert players!
That is why golfers need guidance and professional instruction. The game, the actual act of hitting a golf ball is so counter intuitive that I know of few people who can teach themselves to do it well. It is the professional’s responsibility to let you know that although the result of a particular swing was successful, the process of achieving it may not have been. It is paradoxical, often confounding, and I see far too many people who give it up before they try to learn it the right way. Once the reinforcement kicks in and the old bad habits are entrenched in the swing it is difficult, if not impossible, to get rid of them completely.
Is this a doomsday forecast? Not really. The professional instructor can work with what you have and help you hit the ball better. This is what I refer to as a compensation lesson and I do them all the time. We are essentially trying to “balance your personal equation." But there is no substitute for learning the game the right way from the beginning.
Dennis Clark
PGA Master Professional
Director of Golf
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
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Golf
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One of the truly great myths perpetrated about the game of golf is “keep your head down." This single tip has ruined more golf swings than any advice ever given! Not only does it wreck your swing, it hurts your neck. By the time I see people for a lesson, I’m not sure if they’re trying to smell the ball or hit it! I usually ask my students to stand up straighter because I’m worried that all the blood will rush to their head and they will faint even before the lesson begins!
The worst of all, of course, is when you top the ball all the way down the 9th hole. You stop for a hot dog at the turn, and the attendant says something like: “Hey, Mr. Clark, I saw you struggling to get the ball in the air there on 9; maybe you should try keeping your head down”! It is truly embarrassing when the hot dog vendor has to give you tips!
Keeping eye contact with the golf ball is important but don’t misinterpret that to mean “keep your head down." It ruins your posture, and limits your ability to turn your shoulders in the backswing. Keep your chin off your chest while looking at the ball during address. This will enable you to be more athletic and free up your body to pivot properly. It also helps your balance; obsessing on keeping your head down will make you “top heavy” and you will lose balance.
Have fun, relax and enjoy this wonderful game. And for good golf’s sake…KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!
Dennis Clark
PGA Master Professional
Director of Golf
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
