Category: Superintendents

The Golf of Maine News for May 22, 2017

May 22, 2017
Gorham Country Offers Complimentary Rounds to America’s Bravest

Gorham Country Clubs Hosts “Thanking The Men & Women Who Keep Us Safe” — This Memorial Day weekend Gorham Country Club would like to thank veterans and current members of the armed forces, firefighters and police officers with a complimentary round of golf. Contact Gorham Country Club for details.

Par for the Course: Bridgton Highlands boasting new look, less trees — “If you have not played Bridgton Highlands in a number of years, you might not recognize the course. The new look is part of an overall plan of the ownership, general manager Jim Mains, the course management group of Dan Hourihan, and superintendent George Thomas. Their goal was to open the course and make it more playable.”

The New Superintendent’s Survival Guide — This article breaks down the areas of opportunity for a new superintendent and shares strategies and career tools that will help you find success in your new superintendent position whether you are a true rookie or seasoned veteran with a new address.

14 Rules of Golf Etiquette You Are Probably Breaking — These are all good practices to act on immediately, if you haven’t already observed these common courtesies. We’d advise even shorter search times on #5.

RELATED: A Quick Nine: What are your rules on gimme putts? — Situational ethics apply…

This is your turf — How green is your valley, apron, fairway and green? These basics will enhance results for both the professional Superintendent and the suburban lawn warrior.

Regions Tradition 2017: First golf experiences from the gallery — What’s your first golf gallery memory or experience? Share it in the comments. 

This week’s Poll Question regarding rakes and bunkers is currently running 63% IN to 37% OUT – If you haven’t voted yet, watch this video before you decide…

The Golf of Maine News for May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017
Gavin Dugas teeing off at the 2017 NCAA DIII Championship on May 17, 2017. (Photo by Mike Dugas)

Men’s Golf Places 36th at the 2017 NCAA Championship, Dugas Makes the Cut — Husson’s sophomore Gavin Dugas made the cut as an individual after carding a 148 (72-76), becoming the first golfer in program history to make the cut since Husson joined the NCAA in 2004.

Dugas, Clark, Flynn, Plourde among MSGA scholarship winners — Eric Dugas of Pittsfield, Seth Clark of Seal Cove, Hunter Flynn of Presque Isle and Bailey Plourde of Newcastle are among 13 high school seniors who have earned college scholarships from the Maine State Golf Association Scholarship Fund.

Golf Retail Sales Associate — DICK’S Sporting Goods is seeking a part-time golf sales associate in the Golf Department to join our team in South Portland.

When golf goes to Washington — A golf course is not a massage parlor, hot-tub facility or tanning salon. And yet, since at least the early 1980s, the federal government and specifically the tax code has in fact done just that.

So You Want to Establish a Handicap Index… What’s Next? — Welcome to the club! In order to establish a Handicap Index, a player must first join a licensed golf club. A licensed golf club doesn’t have to be a private golf club or a “green grass” facility.

RELATED: Handicap Chair Occupies Important Seat at the Table — A club’s handicap chair serves as an advocate for golfers while making sure scores are fairly and accurately posted.

659 Venues Spanning 43 Countries Around the Globe To Host Women’s Golf Day Events on June 6 — Is your club participating? Only one location in Maine, Bucksport Golf Club at this date. View the map.

10 Gorgeous Golf Courses For Sale — Have you ever dreamed of owning your own golf course? Well, now’s your chance. For just a small fee, you can turn your dream into reality. Here are 10 notable golf courses currently for sale across the United States.

Playing Golf on Acid with Hunter S. Thompson — George Plimpton, Hunter S. Thompson and this other guy, and one of them has a shotgun in his bag.

Shotgun Start Gets a New Meaning

The Golf of Maine News for May 17, 2017

May 17, 2017
Get one for your favorite Super! Click image to see more at birthgolfdeath.com

‘Enough to make Ben Hogan puke’: Golf’s Commentary Booth Classics — It’s all bikini waxing and short skirts at Augusta National.

How Golf Maintenance Work Sparked an Apparel Company — “I wanted to create fun and hip graphic designs for fellow members of the industry to show their love of their job away from the course.” We can’t wait to see the Superintendent’s staff walking the runway, showing off their new fashions.

Tripp Davis completes renovation work at Jimmie Austin Golf Course — This project includes construction of a four-hole practice course offering different grasses, sands and design features, for the University team.

How To Play The World’s Most Exclusive Golf Clubs — Which Top 100 golf courses have YOU managed to sneak onto?

Golf hole at The Hamptons shortened due to homeowner-filed injunction — This story reminds us of all the out-of-staters in the 1980s-90s who, having purchased expensive condos on Portland’s waterfront, woke up SHOCKED to discover how early the lobsterman fired up their engines!

How to repair a ballmark properly — Confident that no visitor to The Golf of Maine would need such advice, we only know that several groups ahead of us, each round, have never even thought about their ballmarks. Fix two or three extra ones each time and the Golf Fairies that live in the greenside bunkers will nudge your lipouts back into the hole. Trust us, Bill Murray said it’s true.

ECCO Golf Launches ‘The Rookie’ — Those Europeans are coming up with all sorts of schemes to grow the game by generating interest among the younger demographic and breaking down existing barriers that people encounter when taking up golf.

New club gives members access to nine US golf courses — Travel a lot? This membership might be for you.

Dallas School Funded By Byron Nelson Golf Tournament — You will probably see some of the school’s kids out on the golf course this week, acting as junior caddies and reporters. North Texas native and champion golfer Jordan Spieth even hosted a youth golf clinic yesterday.

Is this the best idea for bringing Millennials into the game?

The Golf of Maine News for May 16, 2017

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

May 15, 2017
We’re Confident Maine’s Golfing Vibe is Way Cooler than Massachusetts’s

The United States of Golf: All 50 States Ranked By Their Golfiness — Maine tied at 34th with North Dakota. We believe the author seriously under-sampled for Maine’s “golf vibe.”

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

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.

Throwback Thursday

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: