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Chips & Divots
Quick news from Ipswich members hoping new super has green thumb
The buzzword at Ipswich Country Club these days is “new.” Members will be getting 20 brand new, totally rebuilt greens by August 1, Mother Nature allowing. Just as important, they’ve got a new general manager, new golf professional and new course superintendent in place to help them enjoy their 2009 season to the max. David Sibley, a 15-year professional, takes over the golf operation after serving most recently at Wentworth Hills in Plainville, MA where he was general manager. Previously, he worked as head pro for two years in Myrtle Beach at Wildwing Plantation and on the professional staffs at Pinehurst, The Harmon Club and Cohasset GC. Australian Grant Davey assumes command of the turf operation after working the last 10 years as superintendent of first the Irish, then the Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. He arrives at Ipswich at a critical timein the club’s topsy-turvy history. It’s Grant’s responsibility that the new greens evolve properly so that the members can begin holing 40-footers by the first of August. He started at Ipswich in January. “I’ve always wanted to come to the Northeast and be on the ocean,” Davey said. “So when I saw the opportunity at Ipswich, I inquired, and here I am. I realized the major project that was under way and wanted in, especially after meeting Mike McGillicuddy, the GM, and Evan Heenahan, the interim superintendent. “Management (ClubCorp) was not fooling around. They’d done the irrigation and the bunkers and were working on the greens. I saw great potential for this property and wanted to be a part of it.” McGillicuddy took over as general manager last August. His first major initiative: building new greens. “Historically the greens have always struggled,” McGillicuddy, 40, a Reading native, said. “So ClubCorp (owner of Ipswich CC) made a commitment to get them straightened out once and for all. They took down 300 trees in 2007 to give the greens in place more airflow and sun. The greens had become locked in by trees that had grown in over 25 years. After checking the root zone and gravel layer and finding they weren’t up to USGA specifications, then finding a compromised drainage system, the decision was made to build new greens.” Once the new greens are open for play in August ClubCorp will have spent $5 million in capital improvements, according to McGillicuddy, without assessing the membership a nickel. “We’ll have a new irrigation system, new greens, new bunkers and an improved practice facility when this work is complete,” he said. “It’s called capital and cultural improvements, reinvesting in the wonderful assets that make up Ipswich Country Club. Of the nearly one hundred private country clubs ClubCorp owns, we consider Ipswich one of its very finest. Thus the additional investment in this wonderful property.” There are two other new key personnel: Marisa Fagan, director of member relations, and Rob Robinson, clubhouse facilities manager. Coming to Ipswich is a homecoming of sorts for McGillicuddy, a graduate of Babson College who has been on the fast track in country club management. His work has taken him to top facilities in Rochester, N.Y., Reston, VA., Michigan, metropolitan New York, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, including a stint working for the PGA Tour’s TPC at Heron Bay Club when it hosted the Honda Classic. Now Massachusetts. Greens construction under Davey’s supervision went smoothly. Greens 10 through 15 were seeded April 2. Three days later, holes 8, 9, 16, 17, and 18 were seeded. The remaining greens were seeded April 9. Grant and Jim Cervone, the architect on board, have seen germination of all the greens on schedule. Now it’s simply a question of their receiving the right combination of sun, water and warm temperatures to make the targeted August 1 greens opening a reality. “I’ve been telling members the greens they will be playing in August are like nothing they will have ever experienced at Ipswich CC,” said Davey. “The original greens were good, but they had an organic build up on the poa annua grass. The new greens will be firmer with a more consistent, uniform surface; more receptive to approach shots and truer on putts, short and long. Quite frankly, it will be like night and day to them.” In conjunction with the greens program, Davey has created a “grow-in” calendar so that members can follow the development of their new putting surfaces. The calendar displays fertilizer, cultural practices, irrigation timelines, everything a member wants to know about the project. Davey had covers on the greens into early May to enhance growth, increasing the turf’s temperature by 10 degrees, and protecting them from chilly spring nights. With the greens under construction, members have been able to take advantage of reciprocal playing programs with a large number of neighboring private clubs. Davey came to America in 1994, eight years into his course superintendent career. He worked at Black Wolf Run for three years in the late 1990s when the resort hosted the U.S. Women’s Open and a World Golf Championship event. After a six-month stint at Kingsmill Resort in Virginia, he joined the Whistling Straits staff. Sibley, who is from Augusta, Maine, considers Ipswich “a great club with a great reputation and a great membership that deserves nothing but the best from club staff, especially the golf staff.” – Gary Larrabee Curtis Cup preparations well under way at Essex
The 36th Curtis Cup Match may be a year away, but 2009 is a critical year for preparation, as Annie Barton, women’s golf chair at host Essex County Club in Manchester By-the-Sea and co-chair of the biennial event with Bill Van Faasen, told North Shore Golf magazine. In conjunction with the USGA visit, the club will conduct its official Curtis Cup kickoff event for members on Saturday June 13, the date of the third and final day’s competition in 2010. Among the guests will be U.S. team captain Noreen Friel Mohler, a Woburn native and three-time former Massachusetts Women’s Amateur champion. She’s only the second Bay Stater to serve as captain. The other was Mildred Prunaret in 1960. “The excitement is starting to build,” said Barton. “Our favorite line is ‘The 2010 Curtis Cup – from the Home of Golf to the Home of the Curtis sisters.’” The 2008 Curtis Cup was held at St. Andrews in Scotland. The Curtis sisters, Margaret and Harriot, played their summer golf primarily at Essex while living nearby at Sharksmouth, the family’s Oceanside retreat. Margaret won three U.S. Women Amateurs, the last at Essex in 1912. Harriot won the title once. Years later the sisters donated a cup to encourage the establishment of a competition between women amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain/Ireland. The Curtis Cup Match came into being in 1932 and was played at Essex in 1938, the Americans emerging victorious. “We made great progress the last two years,” says Richardson, “and we are keeping the same pace this year in terms of conditioning and minor alterations to restore the course to what Ross had originally created. This is all part of the club’s long range plan, which ties in with next year’s international competition.” Richardson and staff are being guided by Bruce Hepner of Renaissance Golf, noted course architect Tom Doak’s company, and Jim Skorulski, senior agronomist for the USGA’s Northeast region. “The USGA said three years ago the course was Curtis Cup ready at that time, so that everything we’ve done since then is improving what they already liked,” Richardson said. To the eye, the most noticeable changes to the eye at Essex are the restoration of three bunkers in the landing area between the eighth and ninth fairways, the restoration of two waste bunkers 70 yards off No. 10 tee on the right side hill and the “opening up” of the 18th hole. “It’s mostly clearing work on 18,” Richardson said. “We’ve cleared the view from the tee looking down to the hole, the clubhouse beyond and the Boston skyline, and we’ve removed trees and low-lying growth on the hill on the right about 180 yards out so that we can accent the oak trees there. In effect, we’re trying to use statuesque trees to separate our adjoining holes rather than forest.” Also on Richardson’s “to do” list this year is the creation of walking paths for the 2000 to 3000 spectators expected each of the three days of the Curtis Cup and continuous bunker maintenance, i.e. shaping, trimming and adding sand. When USGA officials visit in June, they will assess the logistics for back-nine televsion coverage. Underground cabling will be required. “Between the great job our staff is doing and the active involvement of our membership and committee chairpersons,” Barton said, “we’re moving along nicely. People like Bryant Lemire, our club manager, and Tom and Jean Waters, our head pros, are helping us every way they can, and committee chairs like Val Somers (grounds) and Toby Coffin (golf), are putting us in good shape as the one-year countdown begins.” Much of the aura surrounding the event will focus on the Curtis sisters, their remarkable lives as golfers, volunteers and caregivers, and their surviving family members. Plans are to invite Curtis family members to the event and present a mini-museum of Curtis golf memorabilia within the Essex clubhouse during 2010. – Gary Larrabee Pro Shop Report Private Courses There is no happier membership in 2009 than the folks over at the Myopia Hunt Club. They have welcomed back, after nearly a year’s absence, long-time course superintendent David Herorian, who spent most of 2008 battling cancer. Now in his 22nd year in charge, Herorian was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood, and underwent six months of chemotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, followed by a successful stem cell transplant last November. He got a clean bill of health in February and was back at full throttle at the Herbert Leeds-designed gem in late March. “This is the healthiest I’ve felt in more than a year,” Herorian, 51, told NSG. “I’d just as soon forget about 2008, except for the incredible support I received from my wife, Gail, my children Adam and Alexander, and my fantastic Myopia membership and staff. It’s funny. Now that it’s over, I can look at the illness as a positive experience because of the outpouring of support I received from all directions. I had some rough weeks. The disease affected my bone marrow, aggravated my bones, and damaged some vertebrae. Another positive: Kevin Wilson did a great job filling in for me. Last year was his first with us since serving as an intern four summers ago.” … The club has had a tough enough time dealing with cancer of late. Member John Updike, golf aficionado and literary giant, died from the dreaded disease in January, and Cassandra Moseley Berry, daughter of esteemed member Fred Moseley, died from it in April … On a far more positive note, congratulations to Bill Safrin on starting his 30th season as MHC head professional. That ties him with the legendary John Thoren as the longest serving Myopia pro … Michael Bemis has returned as an assistant after a four-year hiatus, some of which was spent serving as the first head pro at Renaissance … Safrin says he has four junior players with potential galore: Jack Whelan, Katie Barrand, Sam Craig and Alex Craig. Big happenings at The Golf Club at Turner Hill in Ipswich as the member-owned club continues to restore the Mansion and surroundings to go with its acclaimed golf course. Over the winter the club completed work on its tennis courts, the new Mansion Restaurant, its new fitness center (including a Pilates studio and restored two-lane bowling alley, private member wine cellar) and completed restoration of the first floor of the Elizabethan-style mansion. The club has introduced a new “Mansion Dinner Club Social Membership,” which includes one round of golf, social events year-round, access to the club’s concierge service for its executive suite at TD Bank North Garden, Bruins and Celtics season tickets (to watch member Doc Rivers guide the Celts) and access to the club’s Patriots season tickets. Contact the club at 978-356-7070, ext. 100 … Big news from the pro shop as well, as golf director George Goich and wife Jana welcomed twin boys Garrison and Gavin at Beverly Hospital on December 31 (those blessed tax deductions!). They join older brother George Jr., so now the old man has his family foursome rounded out. Yes, he’s got them all using the Vardon grip … The club hosts two NEPGA pro-ams – May 26 and October 9, as well as the section qualifier for the McGladrey Cup (pro and 3 partners) August 10, with the top team advancing to the national finals at Pinehurst in October. * * * Another milestone season is in store at Renaissance in Haverhill (see cover story on page 20). Tthe big focal point the ongoing construction of the magnificent new clubhouse, due to open in October as the foliage kicks in. Jeff Monteleone returns as head pro, Mike Robichaud as GM. Henniker, N.H., native and UNH grad Tucker Starmer is a new assistant professional. The club hosts the Keyes Cup, the WGAM stroke play championship, August 11 and 12 … Steve Murphy, Jodee Chang and James Miller return to defend their respective club championships. Salem CC, with Kevin Wood back as head pro for a 10th season, has a new caddy master in Beverly native Paul Boretti and a new assistant in Tom Ellis. The club hosts the Mass-achusetts Senior Amateur September 29 and 30 … New tennis courts and a tennis pro shop are being built on the site of the old ones, across the street from the clubhouse entrance. Haverhill CC is delighted to have back in the fold Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, who missed the second half of the 2008 season because of a heart condition * * * Long Meadow Golf Club in Lowell will host the third and final round of the 84th Lowell City Championship June 27, as part of its 100th anniversary celebration year. Vesper’s Phil Smith defends. LMGC continues to mourn the death of two honorary life members and former presidents over the winter -- Victor Raras, who died unexpectedly in March while on a Florida golf holiday, and George Costos. Ferncroft members are enjoying four new target greens on their practice range and an enlarged dining room that now seats 88, reports Toby Ahern, now in his 19th year as the man in charge … The members’ respective golf associations are being presided over by Ray Ostrowski and Gail Bryson ... Martina Navratilova and the Boston Lobsters return for their second year at center court at the club and will welcome Serena Williams among other tennis luminaries this summer. Mike Menery marks his 30th year at Andover CC, his seventh as head professional (yep, he started as a caddy when he was 10). The club suffered serious tree damage over the winter, including the loss of the three magnificent great-pines that stood forever behind the 18th green … The club will host a Mass. Amateur qualifier June 3, the fortunate qualifiers moving on to the main event at The Country Club July 13-17. The club will co-host with Indian Ridge the NEPGA Pro-Am championship July 21. The tree removal program is ongoing at Bear Hill, head pro Eric Stevenson notes. Four large pines have been removed most recently at the first tee and third, sixth and seventh greens to improve sun exposure and turf conditions. The club lost a special member over the winter in Mike Kilkelly. * * * Kernwood’s devlish 17th hole, a 147-yard up-hiller, has undergone another positive refinement, veteran head pro Frank Dully reports. The green was reshaped, the slope from left to right reduced in severity, so that a pin placement can now be used on the left side. “That adds a new dimension to the hole,” Dully said. His long-time assistant, Steve Bramlett, has attained his Class A PGA pro classification. Keith Bursey has been added to the professional staff that includes Ron Northrup and Craig Pitman. Essex CC superintendent Eric Richardson has a new companion roaming the hills and dales of the historic Manchester layout – Australian cattle dog “Tex” – to go along with his first child, Alyssa, whom wife Katherine delivered last October … Co-head pros Jean and Tom Waters return for their 17th and 16th years, respectively, running the golf operation. Bellevue’s membership will be saluting Jim Tobin all season, his 30th as their head professional and his second full season back after suffering a near-fatal golf cart mishap. The members are also anticipating another fine season of play from the ageless Dick Flannigan, 81, a 60-year member who broke his age three times from the regular tees, twice in competition. The club’s new president is Richard Whitworth, CEO of the Melrose YMCA. Winchester CC’s Jim Lane, in his 24th year as head professional, has added Mary Beth Crowley, daughter of the late great Bob Crowley, as a member of his pro shop staff. The Donald Ross beauty hosts the U.S. Senior Open qualifier June 29…Get well wishes go out to Oscar Goings, an employee for 60 years. * * * Interesting developments at Bass Rocks, where Peter Hood, the head pro the past 15 years, has been promoted to general manager and Dan Dwyer, his able assistant for four years, steps in as head professional, joined by three new assistants, Jeff Murphy, Matt Price and Kevin Kopanon. “I’ve got big shoes to fill, coming after Peter, Bob Gillis and Mike Brady,” Melrose native Dwyer said. Dwyer, 38, has been a golf pro 14 years. He previously worked at Kernwood and Mount Hood. He can play the game as well. His competitive career low round is a 65 he shot at Ferncroft in 1999 at the GROUPadvantage Pro-Am. With a spectacular new clubhouse and the opportunity to host more outside events and functions, the membership felt no one could assume those increased responsibilities better than Hood. “It’s an exciting chance for me,” he said. “Not only to oversee the golf and tennis operations, but to start a new era in clubhouse activity.” Hood reports Bass Rocks has welcomed two new life members in Ralph Burns and Norma Tarr, the club’s all-time ladies’ club champion. North Andover CC members are congratulating Jack Stephenson on his induction into the North Andover High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Stephenson enjoyed a highly successful career as girls basketball coach, golf coach, teacher and athletic director. He still shoots in the 70s to boot. The members, especially the best putters among them, have given a hearty thumbs up to the purchase last summer of three green rollers. Golf chair A.J. Rogers had the chance to play Augusta National prior to the Masters and called it “an incredible experience.” He stayed overnight in one of the cabins situated along the 10th hole. Meadow Brook GC has welcomed a new club president in Chuck Losinger, seventh year head pro Steve Sheridan reports. Head pro Bob Green, in his 31st year at Tedesco, has two new assistants in New Hampshire-ite Tim Merrill and Gloucester’s Brian Goulart. Kevin Lynch returns and Craig Purcell is the new outside assistant. The par-5 16th hole at Thomson CC has been reopened after being played as a par-3 last year while it was being redesigned by Shapeworks. The fairway was elevated and resurfaced and new irrigation and drainage was installed, reports third-year head pro Tim Talbot, who has a new assistant in Trevor Fuller. The first tee box has been redesigned as well. He calls himself “just lucky,” but Winthrop GC members call Jon “Bucky” Donohue one amazing competitor after he won his 17th men’s club title in 2008 at the ripe young age of 61. Retired from US Airways as a Logan ramp agent, Donohue credits his success, beyond his impressive GHIN of 4.4, to his power of concentration. “They say a lot of this game is played between the ears,” he said. “I believe it. Keep your mind on the shot at hand and you can play well.” Bucky and wife Diane have channeled grief over the loss of their son, Jeffrey, five years ago to a deadly flu strain by establishing a scholarship in his name that is awarded to a graduating member of the Winthrop High golf team. The WGC membership did the same … One popular member passed away over the winter – Sheldon Bernstein, who ran the Tuesday night Mosquito League and is a member of the Winthrop High Sports Hall of Fame. * * * Mount Pleasant GC continues preparing for its centennial celebration in 2010. It has been conducting some tree removal, most noteworthy on the first fairway, where three giant spruces are being replaced by a series of bunkers. The club will host the final round of the Lowell Cities, as Long Meadow is this year for the same reason … Two left-handed swinging members have already recorded aces. Mary Ellen McCabe pulled it off in Florida, while Jack Rourke notched his fourth on the sixth hole with a driver … Mike Mullavey, son of the club’s 36th-year head pro of the same name, made the Emory University golf team as a freshman … Roger Gagnon, the club’s bartender for 40 years, has retired and been replaced by Bob Callery. * * * Public Courses No, they are not answering the phones, “Hollywood East,” over at Larry Gannon GC in Lynn, but they might just have to if the steady flow of Hollywood heavyweights meandering through the scenic course in Lynn keeps up. Last fall Robert De Niro could be seen flailing away in the greenside bunker on Gannon’s 15th during the filming of The Edge of Darkness, and this summer golfers at Gannon should not be surprised if they are held up on the tee by the likes of Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner or Tommy Lee Jones. Affleck was already on the course this April shooting some scenes for the movie, Company Men, which centers around three men who all feel the reverberations from a round of corporate downsizing. Gannon Director of Golf Mike Foster says that word of mouth in Hollywood circles played a key role in the course landing another major motion picture within months of its last one.“We were one of eight courses they were considering,” he said. “Some of the people who worked on Edge of Darkness recommended us,” said Foster. “They like the scenery and the views of Boston and I think we treated them pretty well, too.”
From what he has heard, Foster says that there’s a good chance that the opening scene of Edge of Darkness, which is due out this fall, could be the scene from Gannon’s 15th. He adds that the whole experience has given him a good insight to the rigorous behind the scenes work it takes to shoot just one scene of a major motion picture. For Edge of Darkness Foster noted that the crew painstakingly transformed the room across from the pro shop into a complete hospital room to expedite the production, only to scrap the shoot when British actor Ray Winstrone had to leave the shoot abpruptly to deal with a family emergency. “It’s been fun and it’s given the course a lot of notoriety,” Foster said. * * * Amesbury’s Joe Pelletier will be back to defend his club title at Amesbury CC later this summer. A frequent runner-up, Pelletier broke through for the first time last year ... One of the best female players ever to come through the rolling hills in Amesbury, Christina Crovetti, is now a junior at UNC-Pembroke. The former Amesbury standout was second on the team in stroke average (81.3) and had posted three top five finishes in eight events as of press time for the Braves. * * * The City of Beverly has revisited the the 2006 golf course master plan laid out by renowned course architect Brian Silva for Beverly Golf and Tennis. The new plan calls for new and additional cart paths, bunker work, new tee boxes and drainage and tree work for the popular course. The city council has passed a $1.5M bond to fund the project and Director of Golf Rich Nagle is hopeful that work will start this summer. He notes that the work should not interfere with play. Membership continues to grow at the club and members have been raving about the enhanced course conditions under new super Chuck Malatesta and his grounds crew. Plenty of junior events happening over at the Country Club of Billerica this year with the MGA, NEPGA Titleist and U.S. Kids Tour all holding events at the course. The road to the club championship goes right through the living room of the Velardo household in Wilmington with Lesley Velardo set to defend her women’s club championship while her son, Kevin, will look to hold serve on the men’s side. Steve Miller is back for his 17th season in the pro shop and a well-struck 7-iron away is the Barrie Bruce Golf School run by the ageless Beverly native who is in his 37th year of fine tuning swings of all ages. * * * As has been the case with many courses in the Merrimack Valley, golfers at Bradford were greeted with the whir of chainsaws this April as the course took care of the last remaining loose ends from the great ice storm of 2008. “We did a lot of branch removal from some damaged trees which has taken away from other things we would normally be doing,” says Director of Golf Peter Vlahos, who enters his fifth season at the challenging course. Another big project that is underway at the club is the construction of a short game practice area, which will be situated on the old 10th fairway. Vlahos and his staff are loving the newly installed irrigation system that allows them to monitor watering on the course all from a iPhone or palm pilot -- eat your heart out Carl Spackler. * * * Dave Whipple, 73, is back for his 46th season at Candlewood and reports that he has his same loyal staff of Robby Robinson, Mike Singer, Chris Michaud and Ed Paquin back for another season at the popular nine-holer in Ipswich which celebrated its 75th birthday a year ago. * * * Jim Stavros says the deck that he has been planning on adding to the pro shop and lounge at Cape Ann GC for some time now will indeed become a reality this summer. Patrons who opt to stay inside at the club’s popular Fairway Pub will have three new plasma screens to gaze at which were installed earlier this year. Another planned improvement is new hardtop for the parking lot. Stavros says it will not be the same without the impromptu visits from the course’s most famous golfer, the late great John Updike who passed away earlier this year. “He use to play here quite a bit,” said Stavros of the literary giant who loved the picturesque views that abound off the tees in Essex. “He would always have a cold beer and a bag of chips after his round.” One of Stavros’s favorite stories about the unassuming author was the time he showed up at Essex as a single and was initially turned away by a member of the Cape Ann staff because he did not have a tee time. “I said to her, ‘do you know who you just turned away?’” Stavros recalled with a chuckle. “We ended getting him out there and he was excellent about it, but he was all set to go back to his car.” * * * Looking for a cheap round of golf on a course that will let you pull every club? You can still play Evergreen Valley in Newburyport for $10 any time. Owner Ethel Vitale still can be found the counter most days. Her grandson Jeff is the course’s super. He’s working on a brand new tee on the second hole. Diane Weeks returns for her popular junior league on Tuesdays. * * * Looking for more than just a burger after playing one of the toughest nine-holers around? How about an upscale meal with the backdrop of scenic rolling fairways? Over at Ould Newbury you can do both as the club announced the opening of its new restaurant, The Salt Marsh Grille, recently. Newburyport chef KC Cargill will be offering up upscale fare in the club’s dining room and has already been getting rave reviews from the membership … Congratulations to ONGC member Neil Campbell who recorded an ace on a recent trip to Myrtle Beach. * * * Brad Durrin enters his second year as the head pro at Chelmsford CC and looks to have a busy summer ahead of him as he shuttles between Chelmsford and Jaffrey, New Hampshire, where he also oversees things at the Shattuck Golf Club. Sterling Golf Management runs both clubs, along with Newton Commonwealth GC. “I do three days at each course,” said Durrin, who will hopefully work a day of rest into the mix as well. The course had one of its earlier openings (March 19) and Durrin says the course is reaping the benefits of the newly rebuilt and elevated seventh fairway, which has greatly enhanced the course’s drainage. * * * Chris Carter returns for his 12th season at Hillview GC in North Reading. When he’s not behind the counter at the bustling pro shop, look for him on the leaderboard at any number of local events. The former Bryant University standout finished 10th on the Wogan points list a year ago, his best showing yet. The municipal course has a fleet of brand new carts and there has been some major drainage work done on the 10th fairway. Golfers will also notice resurfaced bunkers on the 10th and 15th holes. Given the trying economic times, the Melrose Park Commission has frozen the greens and membership fees at Mount Hood GC, but still plans on the following capital improvements: upgrades to the irrigation system, installing air conditioning in the clubhouse, adding new benches to the course, and replacing the roof on the club’s 19th Hole. * * * Olde Salem Green’s super Dick Drew always does a great job keeping the popular municipal course in tip-top shape. This summer Drew should be able to really spruce things up in Salem with the addition of $100, 000 worth of new equipment. According to City of Salem Park and Recreation chairman Doug Bollen, the course used the substantial capital improvement grant from the city to purchase a rough mower, a fairway mower, an aerator, and a greens mower. The annual Mayor’s Cup tees off June 6 at the club with all proceeds going back to the course. * * * Things have not been quite the same on the first tee over at The Meadow at Peabody this year with the passing of Peabody’s Al Newhall. A fixture at the course since its opening, Newhall was the starter on Tuesdays and Friday at the club. “He was a great guy and one of the original hires here,” said Meadow GM Peter Cronan. An inaugural tournament in Newhall’s honor June 19 at the course will benefit the Peabody golf team and has already stirred up a lot of interest. Superintendent Dick Duggan has shrunk the size of the trap by the 10th green and made it a land bunker to help with drainage issues. Thought the greens were fast already in Peabody? The club has purchased a roller this year and will roll them weekly ... The course will host a MGA Public Links qualifier July 6 and Mike Burke is set to defend his club title. * * * Once again there will be plenty going on at Far Corner this summer where GM Bob Flynn is back for his 15th year, head pro John O’Connor for his 22nd year and course super Jim Amor for his 26th season. Phil Miceli will look to defend his North Amateur crown August 18-19. Last year Miceli opened with a course record 65 on his way to an eight-stroke win ... The NEPGA Titleist Tour comes to Far Corner July 13 ... A couple of leagues you may want to check out at Far Corner are the new Monday night men’s league and the 18-hole ladies’ league on Wednesday mornings. The beauty of having three nine-hole courses, as Far Corner does, is that despite heavy league play, there’s always one nine that is kept open for regular play, Flynn noted. * * * Great news over at Crystal Springs where they were very close to inking a new owner as of press time, Ed Tompkins reported. Tompkins, who has been an integral part of the course for the last 35 years, has been wearing several hats at the course since Crystal Springs’s owner and founder George Gelt passed away back in August of 2006. “I am looking forward to him coming in,” said Tompkins of the prospective buyer who was supposed to be formally announced in mid-May. “He’s a local guy and has a lot of plans to improve the golf course. He’s not going to develop it which is something these days.” * * * Golf instructor extraordinaire Chris Costa is closing in on 40 years at Middleton GC this year. “It’s gone pretty fast,” said Costa, who first showed up at the popular course in 1971, with a chuckle. Middleton’s popular junior league is moving to Monday afternoons this summer with the option of playing either nine or 18 holes. It’s open to golfers ages 9-15 and runs June 26-August 21. There’s also a New Golfers League on Monday afternoons open to golfers who have graduated from Middleton’s New Golfer program or some other form of comparable instruction. * * * Other than some tree damage from the ice storm that ripped through the Merrimack Valley, head pro Allen Santos reports no changes at Trull Brook, where he returns for his 21st year. * * * Congratulations to Gloucester’s Steve Del Torchio, who got an early jump to the golf season over at Rockport GC by reducing the club’s 135-yard seventh hole to one stroke. Head pro Stephen Clayton is back for his 19th season at the scenic course. Peter Carlson will look to defend his first club championship in August, while Dani Dragonas is shooting for her fifth. * * * Back for his 14th year at Lakeview, Mike Flynn can be found on most days out on the course on a tractor where he continues to add new trees to the nine-hole public staple in Wenham. Flynn has done his part for the local stimulus plan by hiring three new part- time workers: Jack Goudreau of Peabody, Wenham’s Bill Shaw, and Hamilton’s John Motzi. * * * Things seem a little quieter around the pro shop at Reedy Meadow says club manager Donny Lyons without the colorful Ross Coon, who passed away last year. “He started his career at Lynnfield Centre and he ended it there,” said Lyons of the accomplished golfer. “He developed a real connection with the kids here and they miss him.” It is indeed hard to find a more kid-friendly environment than over at nine-hole course in the center of Lynnfield where kids still play for free on Saturdays and Sunday after four with an adult. The same deal can also be had over at King Rail Golf Course (formerly the Colonial), which is also run by the Town of Lynnfield. “That’s up to three kids with one paying adult. Where can you get a better deal than that?” asked Lyons who credits town manager Bill Gustus and golf committee chair Dave Drislane for really promoting the sport on the youth level. “The town of Lynnfield has always been very pro junior play and they continue to be.” Ed Whalley moves over to the pro shop at King Rail this summer after serving several years up at Windham CC. With memberships starting at $800 (Monday-Friday) and $900 (seven days), the challenging nine-hole course is a pretty good deal, especially when you factor in that there are no afternoon leagues to back things up. Those looking for some expert instruction from one of the best around can also find it at King Rail. After spending several years at Sun ‘n Air, PGA Master Professional Rick DePamphilis will be giving lessons out of both King of Swing in Revere and at King Rail. “I’m really looking forward to it,” said DePamphilis. “At King Rail I will be able to get out on the course with a student and be able to work on every shot which I was not able to do before.” Contact the course at 781-334-2877 to set up a lesson. * * * Stoneham’s Ray Malzone will be the man to beat this August when he defends his club title over at Unicorn GC in Stoneham (see course review on page 27) Carl Marchio is back for his eighth season at the popular nine-hole municipal course. Right next door, the par-3 Stoneham Oaks will again play host to the NEPGA juniors par-3 championship in August. * * * There’s some newfound stability over at Carriage Pines Golf at the Rowley Country Club where Burton Page has taken over and has a two-year management contract at the challenging nine-hole course in Rowley. Scott MacDonald is back in the pro shop and Paul Lever stays on as super where he has been busy upgrading the bunkers, while continuing to keep the greens among the best any public course in the area has to offer. The improvements continue at the other Page-managed course, Cedar Glen. Chief among those are additions to several tees that have lengthened the course considerably. * * * The course is in excellent condition and appears to reaping the rewards of some extensive tree work that is letting more sunlight into places like the 10th green. Phil Miceli and Donna DiIeso are the players to beat in their respective club championships. Sagamore will look to defend its title when it squares off against sister club Sagamore Hampton later this month in the annual Sagamore Cup, a Ryder Cup-style tournament. * * * By mid April they already had two hole-in-ones to report over at Wenham CC where aces are always wild. Congratulations to Deb Geaney for her brush with greatness on the 165-yard 15th and to Beverly firefighter Ross McCulloch on the 153-yard seventh. The men’s club championship will be wide open this year at Wenham as defending champ Matt Price has turned pro and is now an assistant at Bass Rocks. On the women’s side, perennial champ Diane Carter is still the lady to beat. | |
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