The Golf of Maine News for February 8, 2018

Aerial view of beautiful new clubhouse at BBHCC, recently recognized by Golf Inc Magazine as one of the best designed, new clubhouses in the world

President George Herbert Walker Bush to receive ASGCA Donald Ross Award — This award, given annually since 1976, is presented to a person who has made a significant contribution to the game of golf and the profession of golf course architecture. It will be presented to Bush in April as part of the 2018 ASGCA Annual Meeting in Houston.

Sale of Ocean Gate Resort signals confidence in Boothbay economy — Our hunch is that Paul Coulombe’s huge investment in the Boothbay Harbor Country Club provided the confidence required for Thad Paul to make the purchase.

Sunday River golf course appeals tax case to state — Newry Holdings purchased the Sunday River Country Club golf course last year, although original owner Harris Golf has contested the sale.

Golf Lessons — Seacoast United Maine is proud to now offer golf lessons throughout the year inside the Topsham Indoor Arena.

Injury forces Husson’s Mazurek to hang up baseball cleats, dust off his golf clubs — Unlike many, Mazurek had options, and quickly turned a negative into a positive, trading in his cleats and dusting off his golf bag in an attempt to resurrect his college athletic career.

Assistant Superintendent, Augusta Country Club  An 18 hole private facility with 2 Har-Tru tennis courts and a beach facility located in Manchester, Maine. This is a possible year round position for the right candidate. There is a seasonal apartment/housing available if needed from April-November. Apply at link.

Head Golf Coach (Fall Season) Southern Maine Community College — SMCC Athletics is looking for a head golf coach.  This is a part time stipend position. Apply at link.

Youth camp proposed for Livermore golf course — Sadly, we’ve removed the 9-hole Maple Lane Golf Course from our Course Directory.

The Golf Industry Show — The biggest trade show for those who make the course playable is this week. Get regular updates via posts from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Facebook page by clicking link.

Profile Ken Raynor, Former Cape Arundel Golf Pro  — Ken recently co-authored a book titled, “I Call Him ‘Mr. President’ – Stories of Golf, Fishing, and Life with My Friend George H.W. Bush.”  He teamed up with morning radio show host Michael Patrick Shiels and published the book in 2017. He said he felt like writing the book was second nature to him because of the nearly 40 years the families have known each other.

Players to mic-up during Perth’s World Super 6 — A better headline might be, Golf Attempts to Get Louder than Crickets.

The eight absolute worst things about playing golf solo — From date-crashing to having no witnesses, golf provides many reasons to avoid heading to the course by one’s self.

Man sues after claiming angry neighbor whacked him with a golf club — The perils of inner city golf…

The 10 best golf scenes in non-golf films — As we’re all still hibernating for a few more weeks, at least, we offer this diversion…

Meanwhile, we pretend the golf ball is Punxsutawney Phil’s head…

The Golf of Maine News for May 30, 2017

Weekend golf results — As reported to the BDN.

Johnston among U.S. Open qualifiers in England — Another side of Beef at this year’s US Open

Why Humic Acids are Becoming a Multipurpose Tool — Back in 2013, Superintendent magazine dug into the scientific side of humic acids, explaining their complex formulations and how companies are promoting their use. This time, we asked superintendents who are using them for a real-world report on how humics are working for them.

When the Creek Rises — The story of last year’s tragic flooding of southern West Virginia and The Greenbrier and its inspirational recovery told by those who endured it.

One round of golf per week may be key to good health, study says — If this is true, then two, or even three rounds of golf per week must be even better!

The Memorial Winners and History — The Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide is a restricted field event, with only the first 75 players on the previous year’s money list guaranteed invites. Nicklaus apparently has a hand in selecting the remaining players.

Tiger Woods Attributes Medication Reaction For DUI Charge In Florida — “All I can do is take it day by day. There’s no hurry,” Woods wrote last week. “But, I want to say unequivocally, I want to play professional golf again.” But first, a few medication cocktails.

RELATED: SportsCenter feels the need to photoshop Tiger’s mug shot.

When Bret Baier Provides Proof That the Dalai Lama is Not of This World (otherwise, he most certainly would have seen Caddyshack)

The Golf of Maine News for May 24, 2017

Lightning Strikes 13th Green – “Looks like God got a hole in one on 13!” [Click image for story]

Spector among 10 MPA Hall of Excellence inductees — Abby Spector broke new ground for women’s golf in Maine, winning the first of her seven state amateur championships at age 15, and now is the teaching pro at Riverside Golf Course in Portland.

5 Cultural Controls of Golf Course Maintenance — The author’s explanation of cultural controls is rather simple: manipulation of the growing environment. Or, more specifically, manipulating the growing environment using a variety of management techniques.

ASU’s Monica Vaughn rallies to win NCAA women’s golf title — We caught the tail-end of this very exciting match. “In a stunning turnaround at Rich Harvest Farms, Vaughn made up a four-shot deficit with four holes to play with two birdies and a lot of help from Wake Forest sophomore Jennifer Kupcho, who led the entire final round until a triple bogey on the 17th hole.”

15-year-old golfer advances through US Open local qualifier — Akshay Bhatia is like a lot of 15-year-olds. He’s growing taller, growing into his body. He has braces. He fiddles with his phone. But Bhatia isn’t a typical 15-year-old on the golf course.

U.S. Open Qualifying Three Weeks Out — Here’s a comprehensive look at the Exemptions List.

Web.com Tour completes first test of range finders — The first of four test events allowing players to use distance-measuring devices during competition on the Web.com Tour was held last week with largely positive, albeit incomplete, feedback from players and fans.

DEAN & DELUCA INVITATIONAL Jordan Spieth, the defending champion at Colonial, has missed three of his last four cuts. The exception was a tie for 11th in the Masters.

Our playing partner remarked yesterday that Jordan Spieth seems to never have recovered from his debacle on the 12th Hole at the 2016 Masters. This caused us to go back and watch it again. Golf is a mental game…

The Golf of Maine News for May 16, 2017

Get on the Links ya Dinks and then come laugh with Uncle Bobby!

The Bath Golf Club and Boothbay Harbor Country Club are proud to host the 2017 Midcoast Amateur Championship Golf Tournament. This 2-day, 36-hole individual stroke play championship features two of Maine’s premier 18-hole facilities. Bring your game to midcoast Maine on June 3rd and 4th to compete in this great annual event. Due to a limited field, This tournament will SELL OUT! don’t hesitate, sign up today! As a bonus, Maine comedian Bob Marley will perform at The Bath Golf Club on Friday, June 3rd, and this show will sell out!

Golf Instructors and Counselors for Maine Summer Camp, Belgrade — New England Golf and Tennis Camp, a top-rated children’s residential summer camp located in the beautiful Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, seeks talented persons with exceptional skills in golf instruction. Looking for pros, college level players and camp counselors.

5 Questions with Jennifer E. Poth, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation Support Military Golf (OSMG) — Often, overseas golf courses are our service members’ only safe and cost efficient means of outdoor recreation and relaxation from work stress and separation from their families. As of 2011, stateside military golf courses are provided zero government funding to operate and overseas courses receive minimal funding. They are required to be entirely self-sufficient. OSMG was founded to help fill this “non-essential” items void.

Rules Throwback: One Size Didn’t Always Fit All — “However, there was still one significant difference between the USGA and The R&A Rules coming out of the 1952 code: the size of the golf ball. Over the years, various sizes and weights of golf balls were used around the world.”

Why Golf Is The Best Form Of Exercise — Often, because it’s the only form of exercise for some.

The Benefits Of Eliminating Intermediate Rough — Intermediate cuts of rough may save the occasional stroke on a player’s card, but eliminating it can save time and resources, improve playing conditions and enhance overall aesthetics.

Five major takeaways from the TaylorMade sale — “The golf business has been looking for good news after 2016’s annis horribilis with Golfsmith’s and Sports Authority’s bankruptcies (and the loss of more than 500 places that sell golf equipment), declining overall sales and unimpressive rounds played and participation numbers. But that trend started to shift with positive news from the NGF, a newly invigorated retailer on the scene in Golftec and now the presence of Wall Street endorsing golf.”

Trump’s firm says it paid cash for Lake Norman golf club, denies Russia investor claim — We hope the FBI finds out who taught Mikhail Gorbachev to play golf.

TUESDAY’S TOOLBOX: Ben Hogan practicing his medium, long and short game for the Pan American Open in Mexico in May 1953. This year Mr. Hogan won this tournament, the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open. Notice how still he keeps his cigarette holder!

The Golf of Maine News for May 15, 2017

10 No-Brainer Tips for Playing Golf in the Rain — We include this link today in hope that by so-doing, the weather will finally break…

The ABC’s of Golf — This FREE book is written for the absolute beginning golfer, that person who knows nothing (or less) about the game of golf.

REMINDER: Plenty to see as Golf Channel to air more than 100 hours of NCAA Championship-related coverage — Golf Channel’s coverage begins on Thursday at 11 a.m. when they air the NCAA D-I Women’s Regional selection show that will name the 72 schools and 24 individuals competing in four locations. The NCAA D-I Men’s Regional selection show takes place the following Thursday.

Rules of Golf: Rakes in Bunkers — Read this brief analysis of the age-old question before participating in our current poll, located in the upper righthand corner of this page.

2017 PRODUCT FOCUS: Biologicals and Organics — Superintendents, looking for biological and organic products for use on your golf course? Look no further! Check out these 12 products.

Spring Dead Spot — It’s not the name of a horror film, unless you’re a Superintendent in the Northeast. A severe outbreak of spring dead spot can significantly impact playing conditions.

Why Golfers Overestimate Their Ability — As one commenter weighed in, we now hit the 9-iron where we used to hit a wedge.

Gimmes in golf – should they be allowed in any form of the game? — We let situational ethics preside. In general, make your partner sink the 2-footer for Par and they’ll thank you later… unless they miss!

How the ‘Mulligan’ got its name — We can argue the origin all day long. The real question is whether or not you allow the ‘Gilligan’ if the Mulligan fails.

A Hush Over Punishments on the PGA Tour Leads Only to Whispers — We didn’t realize the New York Times was so concerned about transparency in the golf industry.

Haven’t Had Enough of The TPC 17th?

Revisit Fred Couple’s 1999 Hole-in-Three

The Golf of Maine News for May 11, 2017

‪Open the office: ✔️‬
‪Greens mowed: ✔️‬
‪Sprinklers on: ✔️‬
‪Put schedule together: ✔️‬
‪Eat breakfast: ✔️‬
#ThankASuper

The First Tee Links of Maine kicks off new season at RGC — The cost of the program for students is only $60 for the six-week program. Scholarships are available. For more information, to register a child, or volunteer, call Rockland Golf Club at 594-9322 or Jim Povec at 704-280-7595.

Sugarloaf Golf Club named Maine’s best by Golfweek — The ranking marks the first time in more than a decade that Sugarloaf has landed atop the Golfweek rankings. Belgrade Lakes, Sunday River, Kebo Valley, and Ledges rounded out the top five in this year’s rankings.

Making a Difference: Gary’s House gets ready for Celebrity Golf Tourney — On Tuesday, June 20th, you’ll park at the driving range at 8:30AM and ride the trolley to the course where the day begins with a chef’s breakfast, celebrity meet and greet, and Trish Koch’s famous Bloody Mary Bar. Tee time is 10AM.

Card for One Round of Golf at Houlton Community Golf Club — Valid for one round of 18-hole golf without cart; cart rental required to redeem card. $11. Valid Mon-Sun; call ahead for tee time, 207-532-2662.

Golf broadcaster hits back at ‘vulgar’ online critic with impassioned defense of new tournament — We think Golf Sixes should be filed under “We have to kill the patient in order to save the patient.” Your thoughts?

Adidas gets out of golf equipment, selling businesses for $425 million — Busy week… Sign Rory, sell the clubs.

Why Golf is My Safe Haven — “MainLine Today” Editor Jim Finnegan waxes philosophically on how he escapes everyday stresses by heading for the green.

The Golf of Maine News for 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.

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: