Hours (weather permitting)
· Thurs - Sat, 4:00PM until darkness
 

To schedule times or to use the golf center or for special group rates (over 10 people), call or contact the front desk (609) 291-0200.

 

For more details or information about golf memberships,  instruction or other questions contact Alan Martin (609) 448-2114, or AJM.ME@ThumbsDownMethod.com.

· Visit the website often for updates: www.alstarzsportspub.com

 

Alstarz Golf Center:
Practice, practice
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
BY BILL KENNEDY, The Times Golf Page

BORDENTOWN — Hitting balls on a practice range during lunch hour is something a few golfers do occasionally. In the process, most of them probably skip lunch.

But now the opportunity to do both during spring, summer and fall is available at the Alstarz Sports Pub Golf Center on Route 130 south in Bordentown.

Alstarz Sports Pub opened Nov. 19 with 24 TV screens, features an outdoor patio and excellent cuisine. Like most business of its kind, Alstarz runs all kinds of sports promotions, and the latest is the creation of a golf center, which features some very unique equipment.

“We want to attract the type of people who play golf,” said Michael Mastoris of Upper Freehold Township, a 61-year-old retired chiropractor who owns the pub. So he hired one of his former patients, Alan Martin of East Windsor, as the center’s director of golf, which is located adjacent to the patio.

Foremost among the interesting equipment at Alstarz is The Net Return, which is a light sports net that can be used for numerous sports and easily could sit in a backyard, and possibly on a porch or deck of a golfer’s home. The Net Return knocks down the hardest shots a human can hit, and is used in football, soccer, baseball, softball and lacrosse, among other sports.

Also available at the golf center are: the Hillshot Golf Trainer and Birdie Ball, which enables a golfer to practice hitting off uphill, downhill and sidehill lies; the Perfect Putting Machine, a training device to groove a putting stroke, and the Perfect Release, which enables a golfer to standardize a smooth swing. Then there is an artificial putting green and a chip shot mat.

“We are thinking about creating memberships,” said Martin, a past Springdale Golf Club President’s Cup champion, who is the originator of the “Thumbs Down Method” of golf which is outlined on his website www.thumbsdownmethod.com
 

 Alstarz Sports Pub: drinks, food, TV
 … and golf
Sunday, June 22, 2008
BY JEFF OFFORD - Burlington County Times
 

Alstarz Sports Pub in Bordentown not only has a place to practice your putting and your driving, it also has a director of golf on hand to help with your game.

Alstarz, located on Route 130, opened last November and is owned an operated by Michael Mastoris — yes, he’s part of the famous Mastoris family which owns the diner right next door. As you might expect the bar has plenty of TVs — 24 to be exact — and the menu is quite extensive. But one of the things that really sets the place apart is what happens outside.

Alan Martin, who has been interested in golf since he first saw Arnold Palmer on television, has helped his good friend Mastoris offer golfers a unique experience. Just outside the doors at Alstarz is an area that holds some of the best and most interesting golf training equipment on the market right now.

There’s training equipment that helps golfers hit from uphill, downhill and sidehill lies. There’s another piece of training equipment that helps golfers incorporate a good putting stroke and another that helps players develop a more consistent swing. There are also nets where golfers can swing away, hitting balls with their full swing. All of the equipment really is a must-see. And it’s fun to use. “When the bar was first built there was a piece of property that we didn’t know what to do with,” Martin said.   

“What we wanted to do was put some of the game’s top inventions there. It would be a very unique area.” Not only can you practice the game at Alstarz but you can also learn how to play better. Martin is at the club pretty much every day. One of the things he loves to do is teach his tried and true methods toward curing a bad slice. Called “Thumbs Down,” it’s not very complicated and has produced positive results. 

“One day years ago I started experimenting with my chipping and all of a sudden the ball started jumping off my club, so I thought, “What am I doing differently?’ ” Martin said. “It was the perfect hit and all I saw was that everything was turning down toward the ball (at impact). So I felt like I was making a thumbs down at the ball. Now it’s a swing thought.”

Martin isn’t a PGA professional or a full-fledged teaching instructor. He’s just an avid golfer who loves the game and enjoys playing it well. He also enjoys bringing the game to you, even when you’re not expecting it. “The theory behind the idea of the bar and golf is that people will come during their lunch hour or after work just like they would go to a driving range,” Martin said. “Even if you don’t have your clubs with you, we have them, both righty and left. We’re just trying to do the most we can.”