Category: Players & Pros

Golf News for April 17, 2017

April 18, 2017
New rules require someone to watch very closely as you drop your ball (just kidding!)

Operator of Sunday River Golf Club will refund memberships bought before property dispute — Bath-based Harris Golf Inc., the developer of Sunday River Golf Club in Newry, said it will provide refunds to the roughly 30 golfers who purchased memberships before a property dispute raised questions about the award-winning golf venue’s ownership.

Lydia Ko and her newest caddie split after just nine events — In a little more than three years, Ko has gone through nine caddies. Former coach David Leadbetter said Ko’s parents are heavily involved in her career. “They tell her when to go to bed, what to eat, what to wear, when to practice and what to practice,” he said. “And they expect her to win every tournament. They are good people, who love their daughter and want the very best for her … but they are naive about golf.”

Poulter comes up short of regaining card at Heritage — The feisty Brit needs to win $31,000 next weekend in Texas, or it’s back to Q-School!

New documentary highlights how golf can help autistic children — A new documentary, “Voices from the Outside,” highlights how golf can help kids with autism. The documentary profiles three families who are part of the Brooklyn Junior Autistic Golfers Academy, which provides interactive golf lessons for children on the autism spectrum. “Through the experiences that these autistic children had at the BJAGA, they are able to take their perceptions and inner conversations and reshape them.”

As golf world looks forward to simplified rules, a look at some of the 30 proposed changes — Golf rules are complicated for somewhat the same reason the U.S. tax code is complicated. People tend to look for ways to gain an advantage. In fact, the USGA annually puts out a separate book titled “Decisions on the Rules of Golf” that explains difficult situations. It’s generally 500 pages long, because, you know, stuff happens.

We wonder if local rules apply if one’s ball come to rest in the pouch of a kanga?

Golf News for April 15, 2017

April 18, 2017
Royal Bankshot of Kaymer

Who’s Ready To Play Some Golf? Natanis is Open! — Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro announced on their Facebook Page that the driving range opened this week, and  9 holes on Tomahawk and 10 holes on Arrowhead are open. Walking only.

A guide to golfing by the water in Maine — This piece from MaineBoats.com tells briefly about the history of some of the coastal golf available in Maine. We apologize for the formatting that makes for difficult reading.

WATCH: Martin Kaymer’s trick shot attempt fails at RBC Heritage —Kaymer was three under for the week when his tee shot on the short par-4 9th hole came to rest in a brutal lie behind a tree. Kaymer elected to play a bank shot off the nearby grandstand.

Confessions of a Masters intern: ‘You work like a dog but you eat like a king‘ — 16 University of Nebraska-Lincoln students interned as hospitality professionals at this year’s Masters. Those students are part of the university’s Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management program. We suppose it takes at least a college degree and an internship to learn how to properly construct a Pimento Cheese sandwich!

You’re Invited to the 10th Annual National Golf Day — On April 25-26, the National Golf Course Owners Association and other industry partners will converge on Capitol Hill for the 10th Annual National Golf Day. This is your opportunity to join us in showing key legislators the importance of golf in communities across the nation. We need you – the owners and operators – to help us increase our visibility and influence.

Golf Basics: Nail these two basic putting setup fundamentals before anything else — Two major areas of visual miscues playing a role in putting setup are with ball position and body alignment, or aim, to the intended putting line. These characteristics can result in a host of complications and compensations in the stroke to get the ball online. Which, of course, means more room for error and a lot of missed putts.

The Golf Memorabilia industry is Soaring like DJ’s Drive…

Golf News for April 14, 2017

April 18, 2017
Golfers are crazy, and now there is a straight jacket for us.

11 golf Instagram accounts you aren’t following (but should be) — We’re not in the modern habit of looking to Instagram for inspiration, but the times, they are a’changin’! Guess we’ll be getting an account soon…

This week’s PGA Tour course has a surprisingly simple solution to golf’s distance problem — Harbour Town Golf Links, the site of this week’s RBC Heritage, employs none of these strategies. At 7,101 yards, it’s one of the shortest courses on tour, yet it stays relevant in golf’s distance-heavy world by employing a very simple technique… It puts a bunch of trees in the way!

The 12 weirdest gadgets in golf — We admit to never having tried any of these golf gizmos, but we’re immediately ordering some #8s, and figuring out how to use #5 and #12 together… We will report our findings at a later date.

Editor’s Letter: Putting With The Pin In — Golf Digest editors weigh in on proposed rules changes. Again, like Bean boots, we’ve all got a pair of opinions on these – Weigh in yourself in the comments box provided below. We think that tee boxes should have kegerators. regarding speed-of-play, the pros could lead by example by playing Ready Golf themselves, but generally, all rounds of golf go by too quickly.

Hickory golf making a strong comeback — We haven’t written about Hickory Golf on these pages yet, but, having just ordered a set of hickory clubs, we’ll be keeping our readers informed about this throwback to the days of golf’s founding. “As an avid golfer I have collected hickory shafted clubs over the years but never actually played them; however, when I want to do a little practice, rather than hitting a bucket of balls on the range, I go out on the course alone and hit a couple of balls around the 9- or 18-hole layout depending on my time. In late March I happened to follow a couple gentlemen dressed nattily, and I realized they were using only hickory shafted clubs and the old-style gutta balls.”

Kevin Na shows you what it’s like to play each shot where it lies, and then smile about it!

Golf News for April 13, 2017

April 18, 2017
Fake Persimmon by Cobra

New owner to open Prospect Hill as golf course not mushroom factory — Maine has ideal weather for a mushroom operation, Morrow said. As they looked for land, the golf course crossed their radar as a good investment. That sale closed in December, purchasing it from Don Sheldon, who had bought the 18-hole course from a bank in 2008. Morrow said they’re viewing it as a long-term investment. She’s ordered 40 new Club Car golf carts, repainted the clubhouse and is building a patio. Cart paths are being upgraded and the course is getting a visual makeover with wildflowers and apple and cherry trees.

Rockland Golf Club to open Friday — The course’s front nine will be open while the back nine will open as soon as possible. No carts are available.

Undercover Tour Pro: Inside One Of Our Closed Meetings — “Every year we have a closed meeting. No public, no media, no sponsors, nobody but players and senior people from the PGA Tour. If you’re in the field that week, attendance is mandatory. They check your name off a list when you walk in, and the player liaisons—guys like Ross Berlin—sit by the doors so no one can slip out early.”

Cobra goes retro with persimmon-looking F7 driver — We love our old persimmons, and will look into this new driver by Cobra.

Tommy’s Honor: 9 Questions with Author Kevin Cook — We just started this book, as it hasn’t reached the Maine market yet, and we always prefer to read the book prior to seeing the movie. We’ll offer our review of the book shortly. Until then, we’ll hunt for movie reviews to share with our readers. Here’s the official trailer…

Golf News for April 12, 2017

April 16, 2017
All those years of practice, and all we really needed to get a Green Jacket was $140,000!

Brunswick driving range gets facelift under new ownership — The driving range formerly known asChad Hopkins Golf Center has been taken over by the new ownership and management group that is operating The Bath Golf Club. The driving range and mini golf center, located at 305 Bath Rd. in Brunswick, will renovate and reintroduce itself as “Sandbaggers Driving Range and Mini Golf.”

Masters green jacket found in thrift store sold at auction for nearly $140,000 — The six-figure final bid for the so-called “thrift-store Masters jacket” was quite a price, given that its owner said the jacket was acquired at a second-hand store in Toronto for $5.

Why TV viewers policing the game from afar is actually a good thing — We could not possibly disagree with the premise of this opinion any more: “But, to get back to TV viewers, the call-ins regarding Garcia on Sunday should not make people think there is no value in having anybody and everybody who can help a player turn in a more accurate scorecard do so. The call-ins are part of a fundamental rule of tournament golf, that the players turn in accurate scorecards.” Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

Yes, golf is a sport — just a boring one — Opinions are like Bean boots, everybody up here’s got at least one pair. From a purely aesthetic perspective, golf is far superior. Then there’s the other, more subtle differences. For example, take the soccer player who feigns an ankle injury, rolling around on the pitch in affected agony in hopes of drawing a yellow card on his opponent, and contrast him with the amateur golfer who calls a penalty on him- or herself, a penalty no one witnessed, and, in so doing, misses the cut to qualify for the U.S. Open by one stroke. Golf is, if nothing, much more important than the other games. In our opinion! Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

Ten Facts About Golf in Celebration of Earth Day 2017 — Radical, and ill-informed environmentalists would have us believe that a golf course is somehow bad for the environment. In fact, in some circumstances, the local golf course is the only place to go and enjoy nature and the environment. A professionally managed golf course can demonstrate environmental stewardship and provide a place to meet exercise and fitness goals. As part of the celebration of “Earth Day” on April 22, here are 10 facts about golf, promoting the sport and the environment.

Golf News for April 10, 2017

April 15, 2017
When you don’t qualify for The Masters, you get the Natty Throne

Assistant Golf Professional — Sugarloaf Golf Club is seeking an Assistant Golf Professional.

Golf Scramble to Support LifeFlight of Maine — Maine is the second most rural state by population density in the United States. LifeFlight of Maine helicopters, flying at 165 miles per hour, bring lifesaving equipment and critical care nurses and paramedics to emergency scenes and small, rural hospitals throughout the state. Join the fundraising Golf Scramble June 26th at Martindale Country Club.

Embattled Harris Golf involved in a 2nd golf course-related dispute — Because of Coulombe’s promise, Harris Golf not only backed out as a competing bidder for the Boothbay club, but sold Coulombe adjacent land at a discount price and helped prepare the course for its initial season under Coulombe’s ownership, the lawsuit alleges.

Five courses that put the green back in golf — Hundreds of golf facilities across the U.S. are designated as sanctuaries. They limit pesticides, enhance habitats and institute green initiatives such as solar-powered carts and geothermal clubhouses. Many reclaim water, use the natural environment and promote eco-friendly practices to players.

Home lookie-loos shouldn’t be policing golf tournaments — As we’ve said elsewhere on these pages, whoever took the call, or acknowledged the text, should never be allowed near a Rules Committee again.

Inside the Natty Shack, a college football style tailgate at the Masters — Smylie slummin’ it outside the walls of Augusta National.

This Week In Golf Biz: Kirkland Ball Back In Costco, Nike Extends Rory, Homeowner Resists Augusta — The putter Arnold Palmer used to win a dozen tournaments, including the 1964 Masters, was sold at auction for $97,690.

Masters 2017: Sergio García Finally Wins First Major Title — “It is unquestionably the high mark of García’s career, but his first major title may not even be the highlight of his year. In July, he is set to wed Angela Akins, whom he met when she was an on-air reporter for Golf Channel. Akins, who played golf at Texas Christian, affixed Post-it notes with sunny messages in places like the bathroom mirror where García was sure to see them.”

How Much Better A Golfer Can You Become In 12 Days? Much Better — Turns out, game improvement is more about the quality than the quantity of time you put in. In other words, the two hours you spent mindlessly hammering drives till your hands went numb probably won’t drop your scores. Starting with simple skills, like putting and chipping technique and basic ball-striking moves, will set you up for more success.

Golf News for April 8, 2017

April 15, 2017

Courtesy Old Golf Images [oldgolfimages.com]
MSGA Spring / Summer Tee Times Released — With the first MSGA event of the year only a few weeks away, we’re happy to announce the tee times for the Spring and Summer Weekly and Mid-Week events. Click here to view the times.

2nd Assistant Golf Course Superintendent — Golf Club in Kennebunk is looking for a 2nd Assistant Golf Course Superintendent.

It’s Time For Golf—Yes, Golf—to Get Political — The social engineers are coming for golf!

Your best golf purchase in the last 5 years? — Equipment discussions on-going at GolfWRX.

9 Ways The USGA Has An Impact On Golf — USGA by the numbers. How do they love golf? Let us count the ways…

Anderson Finds Trust in Srixon Golf Balls — University golf coach puts Srixon in team’s bag. “I tried a lot of different golf balls and some felt ok but would get sticky after a while.” Anderson said. “I like how the XV you can play 18 one day with the same ball and feel confident taking that same ball out the next day for another 18.” We’re lucky if we get the same ball around an entire 18!

Rock’s Best Handicappers — Sometimes even some of the world’s greatest rockers need a break from their busy schedules of debauchery. Some invest their off time in fine wines, businesses, acting, or other arts, while others will happily try to take each other down in the calming sport of golf!