Author: Administrator

The Golf of Maine News for May 5, 2017

May 5, 2017

Midcoast Maine’s Premier Amateur Golf Championship — Since every decent drive seems to plug in this wet season, I’ll plug  an event that will take place in better weather…

Husson women’s golf to join Empire 8 — “Husson University women’s golf program will be one of the eight women’s golf programs who will be joining the Empire 8 Conference as an affiliate member starting with the 2017-2018 season.

Thurlow’s view: My introduction to golf — “While I was still in high school and working at Cherry Hill Nursery, they had a landscape job at the Kennebunkport, Maine, golf course. … I got about 150 feet and down I went: 15,000 pounds of iron down for the count, sunk into the fairway and 100 miles from home.”

Why It’s Important to Work to Change Perceptions — In Town Meetings across the country, water and golf is on the agenda. In Maine, there is no shortage of water on the courses, with much more scheduled to fall in the coming days.

Rules of golf: Rakes in bunkers — It’s complicated… We enthusiastically disagree with the ‘feelings’ of the Rules of Golf on this, thinking that once in a bunker, one is already in a hazard, so a brush with a rake is incidental. Ultimately, it is a matter for the committee to decide where it wishes rakes to be placed.

Golf is hard. You gotta problem with that? — “Every spring, when we Northern golfers joyfully pick up sticks, we rediscover that this sport is hard. It is complex, unnatural, and often punitive. And that’s just the rules.”

Mowing Patterns: Aesthetic vs. Function — “Can you imagine watching a professional sporting event that’s played on grass and not seeing some type of mowing pattern visible?” We prefer patterns that lead directly toward the hole.

Friday Flashback, The 1925 Open Championship at Prestwick

The Golf of Maine News for May 4, 2017

May 4, 2017
War Drums Drown Golf Claps in Korea

Bangor Municipal Golf Course offering PGA Sports Academy/Junior League — Bangor Municipal Golf Course is switching its youth programs this season, replacing the First Tee of Maine program with the PGA Sports Academy and the PGA Junior League, according to Bangor Muni head pro Rob Jarvis.

Maine Ranked Most Fun State in New England — For Mainers, the best part is the subhead: “Massachusetts lags behind at the back of the pack.”

Speaking of Fun, Golf and Maine — “Realizing that the moose wasn’t likely to move, my buddy and I each teed off, hitting our shots over the moose and landing our drives safely on the distant fairway. The moose was not that impressed.”

LePage plan would bar local pesticide rules — A Washington lobbyist, golf course managers, pesticide company owners and environmentalists walked into a bar… no, wait, we meant… crowded into a legislative hearing room Monday to debate a proposal that would strip municipalities of their ability to regulate pesticides. Maine is one of only seven states that allows local regulations of pesticides.

Rockland Women’s Golf Association tees off with scramble, luncheon, meeting — RWGA has been in existence for decades at RGC.

37 things all golfers should and actually can do before they die —  We think this list can be pared down to 30 or so.  As it stands. we’ve done seven of them… Long way to go!

The 10% Rule — Philosophy for golf, and for life: Keep your head down, and give thanks to your Superintendent.

Installing Fake Bunkers? It’s Time To Get Real — In our humble opinion, the Disneyfication of golf courses must stop.

Your favorite games to play on the golf course — What’s it gonna be today? Bingo-Bango-Bongo? Sixes? Nassau?

In South Korea, a former golf course is now an unlikely bulwark against North Korean attack — Our favorite scene in the classic film, M*A*S*H, is the golf scene…

Avid golfer Corey Lanerie (‘I work to play golf’) riding Lookin At Lee in Kentucky Derby — We’ll be putting our money on Lookin’ At Lee in solidarity with the golfin’ caddie…

Rocky River golf course goes to the goats for mowing help — And no hassles with HB-1 Visas…

Would You Try This on Your Home Course?

Golf News for April 30, 2017

April 30, 2017

Op Ed: Should Denver Turn Its Golf Courses Into Public Parks? — The relentless assault on muni’s is high on Denver’s list. “Might not the interests of the majority of people in Denver be better served by a new park that could be open year-round?”

Why pro golf’s rule changes aren’t quite so leisurely this time — “The fact the main bodies are making changes quickly certainly indicates they are deeply concerned about the levels of public reaction and concerns about unfairness in shaping outcomes.”

Hey, PGA Tour, not so fast — “Did the Tour really pick the first round of alternate shot – a format unfamiliar to at least half of the participants – in the first team event since 1981 to dole out its first penalty in 22 years?”

Handling golf traffic — When The Tour comes to your sleepy little town…

The pros are loving the new format of the Zurich Classic — We were going to play this afternoon, but may stay home to watch the final round…

Airport says golf course flag pole is out of bounds — We fondly remember playing the former BNAS course and pausing on our backswing to watch the P-3’s do touchdown-take-off drills… ““The planes do come in pretty low and actually we kind of joke all the time as the planes come in that actually there’s a possibility that the planes could be hit by golf balls, no question about it.”

Golf Joke Of The Day — This could be the 18th Tee at our Bath Golf Club… A golfer hits a huge slice off the 18th tee…

We were behind these guys yesterday…

Golf News for April 29, 2017

April 29, 2017
Got Golf on The Brain? Good for you!

MSGA celebrating centennial year —A meeting of a select group of golf courses assembled at Portland Country Club in 1917 to form the MSGA, which today serves as an association of member clubs that span the state. Visit www.mesga.org.

Playing regular golf is ‘good for your brain’ — Keep this one in your bag for the next time you hear, “You’re playing golf AGAIN?!”

Eight Reasons Why Putting Greens Play Differently In The Afternoon — We almost always play afternoon golf, and now have additional excuses for our putting.

13 most shocking findings from GOLF’s Survey of the American Golfer — Regarding #2, see our earlier piece on how to speed up your pace of play without hurrying. The PGA handed out the first Slow Play penalty in decades yesterday. While we’re young…

Why Are Carts Occasionally Restricted To Cart Paths? — With all the rain we’ve had, this seems obvious. When they say “cart path only”, please adhere. Better still, walk!

The definitive ranking of John Daly’s 51 greatest, gaudiest and grisliest moments — Happy Birthday, Long John! Daly arrived on the scene at the same time we took up the game. We have our own story about the time we followed John during a Master’s practice round. His caddie was kept busy picking up cigarette butts.

Portland to Pebble: Two friends, 800 miles, one hell of a golf trip — The other Portland… One of these days we’re going to golf the entire Appalachian Trail.

How Much Would You Pay To Play Golf Alongside Jason Day And Michael Phelps? — Charitybuzz is back with its second annual Golf Auction, a veritable bucket list of opportunities to play alongside pros and celebrities. Read the fine print, though. “Play” means a 5-minute meet & greet, and you have to get yourself there.

Golf News for April 28, 2017

April 28, 2017
Hickory and Perimmon
Hickory and Persimmon, Persimmon and Hickory

Returning to Hickory Golf Out of Love for the Game — Our friend Deal Hudson waxes rhapsodically about a purer form of golf. The more things change, the more we prefer the way they were… “Over the past five years, I’ve never looked back, my steel clubs rarely leave my trunk. I’ve rediscovered the game I learned to love as a teenager, embraced again the joy of playing the game rather than making my enjoyment depend on reaching a certain number.”

Congaree: A First Look At The Golf Club Built By Billionaires On A Model Of Philanthropy — “Golf and giving have always gone hand-in-hand. But at Congaree, a new golf club steeped in history in South Carolina’s low country, philanthropy is the ethos of an entirely new membership model.” Adding this course to our list of “must play” tracks…

10 common sense rules for amateurs — We would add our favorite, “The Faldo”, wherein an admiring fan kicks your errant drive back into the fairway before you arrive…

What Your Golf Game Reveals About Your Personality — “Any trait you see in a person repeatedly on the golf course is probably part of their personality and carries over into other aspects of their lives.”

Who Can Forget That Time Harpo Marx Played Sam Snead…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWpN5YZF-QA

Golf News for April 27, 2017

April 27, 2017
Please, Swami, Make me One with The Hole

Why is Spieth with Palmer? He lost to his caddie — “Edmondson made a wager with Spieth: If I beat you today, you have to partner with Ryan at the Zurich.”

National Golf Day showcases how the industry is taking an active role promoting legislation to help the game — Everything eventually becomes political… “Where once its purpose was primarily as an educational endeavor aimed at breaking down negative stereotypes about the sport, it is now used to provide an active voice in directing legislation to help the game.”

Book Review – Golf’s Iron Horse — “From 1910 to 1953, pencil salesman Ralph Kennedy put together one of the most astonishing records in the history of sports: playing 3,165 unique golf courses. Even more astonishing: he saved a card from every one of those courses, with a signature to attest that he had indeed completed the round.”

One-of-a-Kind Social Golf Experience Opening its Doors in Santa Ana — This sort of business might help to extend the golf season in Maine beyond its usual 3-months…

Penalties in golf start with the player, not the TV viewer — While golf is a solitary, unique game, we try to imagine what would happen if baseball allowed viewers to call in balls and strikes.

How A Set Of Golf Clubs Captured Some Of Call of Duty: WWII’s Best Sounds — How the game of golf made a lasting contribution to the gamer world… “…I went out to the third hole and played it all day long – it was right at the end of the runway. So when a bomber took off, I got amazing bomber flybys and recordings, I did that all day.”

Golf for Workgroups — Speaking of gamers, since the weather isn’t cooperating, here’s one in which up to four players navigate a biped around a height field texture mapped to look like a golf hole.

So a Hindu, a Muslim and a Jew are playing golf together in Dubai — “The simplicity of it makes everyone attempt it, but the subtlety of it makes almost everybody get frustrated with it…”

And Now… Throwback Thursday