Category: 19th Hole

The Golf of Maine News for May 8, 2017

May 8, 2017
No, Make it Stop!

Will Kannegieser, Minot Native, Leads Williams College to NCAA Championship — “He is really strong in the mind. He went into this (past) weekend believing it was his time to win and he did it.”

Related: Plenty to see as Golf Channel to air more than 100 hours of NCAA Championship-related coverage — Golf Channel will show more than 100 hours of news and competition from the back-to-back championships, the women playing May 19-24 and the men following May 26-31.

GCSAA launches ‘Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Week’ — Running from 8-14 May, the initiative aims to celebrate the work superintendents do to keep courses in great condition and enhance their sustainability.

Brian Harman birdies final two holes to win Wells Fargo Championship — Harman’s only other victory was the John Deere Classic in 2014 that sent him to the British Open. This victory gets him back to the Masters, which he has played only one time, along with other perks of winning.

PGA chief: Trump is good for golf — We’re officially registered in the Golf Party, so, it’s all good from our view.

Speedy GolfSixes tournament not afraid to make changes — We’re afraid that, like the singing of “YMCA” at Sea Dogs games, this is not going to go away quietly… “The longest drive hole? Introduce NFL-style yardage lines across the fairway next time. The lull that followed the introduction of the players through smoke onto the first tee? Maintain the momentum with more music, more noise, lots of it.”

John Daly Wins First Tournament In 13 Years — We’re happy for Long John. Great way to finish up his birthday celebration week!

The laid-back, but competitive, world of college club golf — “Depending on what school you’re talking about, there is little glamour in college golf. No matter what school you’re talking about, there is no glamour in college club golf.”

Be Careful, It’s Dangerous Out There on the Course — United Hook and Ladder along with EMS 54 responded to Bridges Golf Course for a person reported trapped under a golf cart on hole number 15.

In Honor of “Thank a Super” Week, Your Mower Ballet for The Day:

The Golf of Maine News for May 7, 2017

May 7, 2017
Thank a Golf Course Superintendent if your course is appealing to the eye.

The European Tour is experimenting with a shot clock and pyrotechnics this week — We admit to being a wee bit old-fashioned, but, please, PGA, no, don’t do this here. We hope The Wall is built before this tries to invade the U.S. Tour.

How to play golf with a hangover — We love the stoic honesty of The Brits. “Now, the most obvious way to prevent a hangover is to not drink so much the night before. Clearly this is unrealistic.”

Rakes in or out – golf’s great debate — We are currently grappling with whether we prefer rakes to be placed at rest in or out of the bunkers. We’ve always believed that, already being a hazard, why not leave them in the bunker, as it is ALREADY a hazard. However, this brief video has changed our minds, and the voices in our head have begun the debate anew…

5 Tips to Reduce Your Spring Maintenance — The GCSSA has declared this week “Thank Your Super” week. We will feature more news for Superintendents in recognition of the tireless efforts of these hard-working members of our golfing community.

Golf Facilities: Focusing on What Matters Most — Limiting course accessories and expanding native areas allows maintenance staffs to spend more time on primary playing areas.

Rocky River golf course goes to the goats for mowing help — For “Thank Your Super” week, we’re linking to this innovative method of keeping your rough trimmed without having to leave the maintenance shed.

Why Golf is Poised for Growth, Finally — “The industry owes superintendents some recognition and gratitude for doing more with less. Golf’s demise could have been worse without the ingenuity of superintendents.”

Hickory golf finding a home at Country Club of Greenfield — Today is National Hickory Golf Day, so here a couple of stories about the resurgence of the old game.

Hickory Friends & Facilities Participating in National Hickory Golf Day — Nothing in Maine yet, but we’ll get cracking on it soon!

Make Sunday Your Funday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOVilrGGaZQ

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