Category: Events

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 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

Golf News for April 26, 2017

April 26, 2017
Fly the Hostile Skies of United

Clubhouse Attendant at the South Portland Municipal Golf Course — Temporary for the Golf Season (14-20 hours/week). Part Time, Flexible and Various. Early mornings, days, evenings and weekends. $10/hr – includes 2017 course membership. Application Deadline – May 5th

PGA Junior League Golf registration opens — “PGA Junior League Golf is a fun, social and inclusive opportunity for boys and girls ages 13 and under to learn and enjoy the game of golf.”

Immediate Rules Change Limits Video Review — “Yesterday, with what only can be called lightning speed, the USGA and R&A changed the Rules of Golf by enacting a decision intended to limit the use of video review and, the game’s governing bodies hope, stem the tide of rulings prompted by viewers calling in infractions.” We give a hearty golf clap! But we want stronger language that completely excludes ANY viewer participation on rulings.

Why Do Golf Courses Aerate So Much? — “Aeration holes filled with sand topdressing will allow excess water from the soil to evaporate, promote root development and improve drainage.” And, we like to limit our putts to two when the greens are freshly punched!

New USGA and R&A Video Rules Missed the Elephant in the Room — “What’s completely missing from the new rules is the way that rules infractions are discovered, reported, and the timing in which these notifications happen.”

Pro finds his clubs destroyed after United Airlines flight — “I was going to complain but I must admit I’m a little intimidated by United.” Fly the thuggish skies…

Ping buys Nike golf patents — “Federal patent records released Tuesday answered one of the lingering questions about Nike’s exit from the golf equipment business: What will happen to Nike’s sizable portfolio of golf equipment patents?”

Please participate in our weekly poll found in the upper-right corner: “What is the estimated impact of golf on the Maine economy?” We need to break the tie! Results next week. In the meantime…

Your Humpday Golf Lesson

Golf News for April 25, 2017

April 25, 2017
Former Greely golfer Sarah Hansen now Centennial Conference Player of the Year and All-Centennial Conference First Team

Maine Mid Coast Amateur Championship Set for Bath and Boothbay Harbor June 3-4 — Includes Stay & Play rates at local hotels.

Reese McFarlane, Cape Elizabeth, and Sarah Hansen, Greely, Two Former Maine H.S. Golfers Make Marks in College Play — Former MSGA competitors are tearing it up at their respective colleges!

Tater Recall: This is how golf balls could’ve ended up in those recalled hash browns — Yesterday, we linked to this story, and here is how it happened, apparently. Aren’t there driving ranges next to potato fields in Northern Maine?

Tomorrow is National Golf Day — Too early for Maine? No TopGolf facilities here… Let’s all take a moment of silence to observe our playing partner’s backswing.

TODAY: R&A and USGA set for announcement on Lexi Thompson incident — We will be watching, and will phone or text in any grammatical errors we see.

How it works: Zurich Classic team format — The new 72-hole stroke play format: Players from the PGA TOUR Priority Rankings who commit to the tournament will choose his partner. Foursomes (alternate shot) during the first and third rounds and Four-Ball (best ball) during the second and fourth rounds. We like Beef and Reifers…

A Journey Through Time – The Rules of Golf — An on-line museum of the history of the Rules of Golf, beginning with the Thirteen Articles of 1744, up through and including 2019.

Bill Murray and His Brothers Venture Into Golf Wear — We linked to Murray’s announcement back in February. NYT’s catches up.

R-Motion simulator fits in your hand, lets you play 100s of virtual courses — The March up the Fairway for Science.

And Now, Your Morning Take-Away