Last issue we did a travel story about Maine. We focused on courses near Portland. In July we were fortunate to get back to Maine and we concentrated on the courses in the southern part of Maine except for one that has golf holes in both Maine and New Hampshire.

Our first stop was at the Links at Outlook in South Berwick. A mere two hours and fifteen minutes from Providence and an hour less from the Boston area, this is a course that you could drive up and play and return home easily the same day. But if you are traveling to such a pretty state as Maine, why just go for the day?

“We are truly two courses in one. Our front nine gives you a true links course feel with its openness while the back offers you a New England style with many elevation changes that golfers enjoy,” said general manager Jeff Maldonis.
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The course, designed by Brian Silva, opened in 2000. “My family bought the Outlook Farm in the 1980’s and in 1994 we opened a driving range,” said John Flynn. “There were no courses around in the area and because of the boom in golf in the 1990’s, and our feelings that more people would move into the area, we decided to build a course,” he added. A family friend, Ken Wood, was doing a project with Silva, and he recommended him to do the design.

The beautiful Red Barn clubhouse sits on a rise with the pro shop and restaurant next door. The first ten holes, and the 18th hole sit below the buildings and golfers and spectators can see most all these 11 holes.

The first hole is a testing downhill par 5. There is water down the right hand side and a carry across a creek on your second shot. The third hole is a downhill par 3 to a very sloping green. It is not often that a par 3 is the third handicap hole, but the eighth hole deserves its status. It is a long hole across a pond to an elevated green with a huge bunker front right and a sloping green.

After you play the first ten holes, you go through a tunnel below Route 4 and that is when the course completely changes. Eleven is a pretty par 3 with mounding along the right and a pond on the left. This is the start of the course getting more visually intimidating. You then travel up a huge hill and play holes 12-17. Thank goodness for carts.

“The back side used to be a vineyard, and some vines are still there. The vistas from the 12th hole, named ‘The View’ are spectacular as you get a panoramic view of Mt. Agamenticus,” said Maldonis. Our favorite holes on the back were the straight downhill par 3 14th (take less club) and the reachable par 5 17th (because the second shot is straight downhill).

You will enjoy your round at The Links at Outlook, and you will really enjoy the great food and camaraderie at this very friendly course. You can visit their website at www.outlookgolf.com or call 207-384-4653.

Our next stop was The Ledges Golf Club in York and just six miles from Outlook. Doesn’t that make for perfect stay and play at both courses packages?  The Ledges opened their first nine in 1998 and the second nine the next year. “I had purchased the property in 1993 because I thought that there was a need for a good public course in the area,” said co-owner Pat Rocheleau who was a custom-home builder by trade and an avid public golfer.

“The land was tough ground, but very dramatic with its elevation changes and huge rock outcroppings,” added Rocheleau who enlisted a couple of partners before making the final commitment to build a course. Ogunquit resident Brad Booth (who has since partnered with Brad Faxon on some course designs) was asked if he could design a course on the property.

“Brad was so excited to design his first 18-hole course and I had never owned a course, so us two rookies needed some help,” said I smiling Rocheleau. Famed architect Geoffrey Cornish (who recently passed away and was featured in our May issue) was Booth’s mentor and he agreed to oversee Booth’s work. “It really was like Mr. Cornish was grading Brad’s work and he trudged around the property with us every week as we tried to lay out the holes,” remember Rocheleau.

“I also had an engineer who did blasting work come up from Connecticut to look at the property, and he said it was too hard for him and thought the project was too difficult to complete. We decided to proceed anyway and we are so happy we did as the course is great and has gotten wonderful reviews, said Rocheleau.
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The name of the course is appropriate. There is granite ledge just about everywhere.

“We built a pond on the eighth hole and used all of that fill to cover rock up to 18 inches where needed,” added Rocheleau who wanted to make sure that superintendent Joseph Grady, who had spent two years at Pine Valley, but was there from the start in 1998 received special recognition. “We could not have done this project and had a course as nice as this without Joe Grady,” was his comment.

The course measures 6,981 from the tips, but most should not play from there. The blues are 6,357 and the whites are 5,960 that are perfect for most golfers because of the sloping fairways and greens. There are two lets of ladies tees with slope and rating for each. We saw many couples playing the day we were there.

The signature hole is the eighth. A downhill par 3 over the pond to a long sliver of a green makes you do some thinking. There is a lay-up area front right. The first hole goes downhill, the second up and continues in an up and down pattern pretty much through the whole course. It’s a very interesting layout with a good mixture of short and long par 4’s and many holes will get your attention.

The last hole is a very demanding par 5. The tee shot is downhill over a marshy area, to a second shot that leaves you about 350 yards to the green. Your second shot needs to carry about 180 yards over a large marsh area. Lay-up before the marsh and you are left with over two hundred yards uphill to a sloping green with a bunker on the left. Make par and your trip back to southern New England will be much shorter.

Head professional Matt Blasik has a big junior program and there is a large practice area for lessons. “Some people seem intimidated when they see the course, but the fairways are really very generous and we are known for our big undulating greens, commented Blasik. Said owner Pat Rocheleau, “People either play our course coming or going when they visit Maine. Not a bad idea. You can get more information about the Ledges at www.ledgesgolf.com or calling 207-351-3000.

Both the Links at Outlook and The Ledges use Cliff House in Ogunquit (www.cliffhousemaine.com or 207-361-1000) and Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle, N.H. (www.wentworth.com or 888-252-6888) for stay and play packages and the course websites offer other packages as well.

Our third stop was Nonesuch River Golf Club in Scarborough, Maine. Formerly a nine-holer called Spring Valley; Dan Hourihan, a transplanted Bay Stater from the north shore, opened Nonesuch River in 1997.

“I saw the Maine Turnpike frontage and a great piece of property that I could turn into an excellent public golf facility,” said Hourihan when we spoke. Tom Walker, who had worked for Gary Player Design, did the architecture on the course and it is playable for all levels of golfers. “Many people consider our course their ‘ego course’ because they usually score very well,” said a smiling Hourihan who explained how all the greens were designed to USGA specifications.

“We are known for our good greens, large practice facility and being fun, friendly and affordable,” added Hourihan. There are two practice greens available for golfers.

The 13th is the signature hole and is a very pretty setting. You must carry a stream on your second shot on this 400-yard par 4. Number 8 has ponds on both sides of the green, as does number 6, so accuracy is a key. Holes 1-5 are cut into the woods, holes 6-10 are open and part of the old layout and then 11-17 are cut into the woods.

Nonesuch River is always in excellent condition, has four sets of tees and is considered an excellent couples course. There are many places to stay near the course that is only a few miles from downtown Portland. You can get more information at www.nonesuchgolf.com or call 207-883-0007.

Hourihan recently took out a long-term lease on Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard, Maine. “We are in the process of bringing it back to its former excellent course,” said Hourihan of the Dan Maples-designed course that is only a mile from the ocean.

Dunegrass is a premier resort property with a large clubhouse that can host both large and small groups. There are four sets of tees and the tips measure 6,684 yards with a rating of 137.

“Dunegrass is really a unique piece of land that has scrub pines, many terrain changes and lots of waste bunkers,” commented Hourihan who spoke of how visual the course is and how sloping the greens are. “We are bringing it back to its glory,” said a proud Hourihan.

Bob LaVallee, our photographer and part-time designer played the course recently and raved about the conditioning and pretty layout. “It is a very nice layout and a fun place to play,” he said. You can get more information about Dunegrass at www.dunegrass.com or call 207-934-4513.

Our last stop was at Province Lake Golf Course in Parsonfield, Maine. The course is an hour west of Nonesuch River off Route 25 near the New Hampshire border. In fact the fourth hole has a welcome to New Hampshire sign on the way to the green.
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Opened in 1918 with nine holes and designed by famous architect Lawrence Van Etten, it has evolved into a charming course that has been rated Number 1 for women in New England and Number 24 nationally by Golf Digest.

In 1988 Brian Silva came up and designed the back nine out of the woods. Arthur Little and Jan Leeming, who owned the property at the time, wanted to make the course one of the fanciest in the area and the picturesque layout alongside Province Lake gave them the opportunity. Little and Leeming are known internationally for setting up tee placements, and you can see their work with the six sets of tees, The course has four tees rated for men and also four for women that is quite unusual. There are six tees ranging from 6,336 to 1,998.

As we drove up to the property we saw a building with the sign “Daycare.” “We want to give women a place to drop off their children and play golf,” said head professional Patrick DeAngelo.

Seven years ago a new owner (who preferred to talk about his staff instead of himself) purchased the property. “I’ve got a wonderful staff and we keep making the property a little better each year,” he said over lunch. “We’ve expanded the restaurant, built a large outdoor patio for dining and are working hard on the course to bring it back to the gem that Arthur Little envisioned.”

There are two distinct nines. The front nine, Lakeside, is quite open and goes along the lake on holes five and six. You can see the lake from 14 holes. The back is more difficult with an uphill par 5 15th, a tough downhill par 4 with water short left on 16 and a dogleg 17th with a big pond in front of the green. “We call 17 our “Tin Cup” hole, said the smiling owner who plays in a couple of the men’s leagues at the course.

Friendly, scenic, great for women and excellent bentgrass greens makes Province Lake a fun course to play. It is an hour from Portland, less than a half hour from Wolfboro and an hour from Portsmouth up Route 16. On their scorecard is a message—if you come, you will return. A true statement. You can get more information at www.provincelakegolf.com or by calling 207-793-4040.

To get more information about the Maine Golf Trail visit www.golfme.com or call Peter Webber at 877-553-4653

Alabama’s Golf Trail might be more famous, but there is an excellent golf trail less than a two-hour drive from Boston that offers great golf, reasonable prices and excellent scenery.

“The Maine Golf Trail was the brainchild of Maine Tourism to go along with their museum trail, lighthouse trail, fine-arts trail, etc.,” said Peter Webber who has been executive director of the Golf Maine Association since 2002. In 1998 a handful of golf courses had formed this association whose mission was to use their collective advertising power to drive more golfers to Maine. “I came on board just when Maine Tourism agreed to fund the brochures for our advertising campaign, and the association has been growing every year and is now up to forty courses,” added Webber.

We had a chance to sample five of these courses in May, and it was definitely worthwhile. “A few of our courses are stay and play facilities, and we would love to have even more, but many courses are working together with each other to provide great golf from central locations,” commented Webber.

Our first stop was the Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks. Just off the Maine Turnpike at Exit 44 next to the Maine Mall, the Marriott offers wonderful rooms, fine restaurant, a large banquet facility that can host up to 500 people, and for us golfers, an excellent Cornish-Silva-designed Sable Oaks Golf Course just out the back door. “We will be happy to shuttle our guests over to the first tee,” said general manager Ed Palmer who mentioned that the guys often opt for a replay while the women go shopping.

“Sable Oaks might be the toughest 6,400-yard (from the tips) course you’ll ever play,” said general manager and head professional Roger Densmore III. “It is a 36-34 Par 70 course, and there are many long par 4’s and tough par 3’s that make it a good challenge, he added.” The course is built on ledge with many elevation changes. The tree-lined fairways make you hit it straight to score well. The 460-yard par 4 12th is the number one handicap hole but the signature hole 14th that requires you to go over a brook twice on the way to the par 5 can lead to a big number. “It’s the ultimate risk/reward hole,” said a smiling Densmore. They have a great stay and play package that you can see at www.sableoaks.com or www.marriottsouthportland.com.

Our next stop was Point Sebago Resort in Casco that is about 40 minutes from Portland along Route 302. Sitting right on Lake Sebago, the resort offers many different types of housing arrangements and a great golf course that has hosted the Maine Open. Designed by George Sargent and Phil Wogan, the 7,000-yard layout has five sets of tees and is a sprawling design that travels through woods, into open fields and around ponds and wetlands. Numbers 3, 7 and 9 are tough holes on the front. The signature third hole, a par 4 that snakes around and over a water hazard is quite a design.

Mike Cloutier, director of golf and a member of the Golf Maine board of directors said, “We have probably the largest and best practice area in Maine.” He might be correct as they have many short-game areas. Cloutier went on to mention that the resort has a Five-Star activities program for children and has wonderful golf package programs, especially in the shoulder seasons. Our meals were wonderful during our visit in May and we were joined by a group of about 20 guys from the South Shore who have been coming every year for the last 15 years. Visit www.pointsebago.com for more information.

We had written about Poland Spring Resort in 2003. Poland Spring was the first golf course built at a resort in America. This old hotel and course designed by Donald Ross offers many risk/reward holes on its short (6,159-yard) layout, but it is by no means an easy round of golf. It might be wise to keep the driver in the bag on some of the narrower holes. Cyndi Robbins, owner of this quaint property and also a board member of the Golf Maine, offers great stay and play golf packages that include most meals. You can contact them at www.polandspringinns.com.

Two other courses near Poland Spring Resort use it as their host hotel for stay and play packages through their Golf Trifecta program. Spring Meadows G.C. in Gray, Maine was designed by Brad Booth, a design partner with Brad Faxon. It opened as a nine-holer in 2000 and the back nine was completed in 2001. This tree-lined course is a wonderful blend of hills, wetlands and doglegs. The view from the seventh tee is spectacular. This signature par 4 hole is a steep downhill to a green guarded by a pond and a pot bunker in front.

David Pollard, general partner at Spring Meadows said about the Golf Trifecta, “We are a short driving distance apart and have known each other for many years and have always enjoyed a special relationship. It was easy for us to form this unique partnership four years ago when we started our Trifecta program. Poland Springs provided the accommodations piece that was needed for our package.” “You can now play three great courses at one low price,” added Pollard. You can reach Spring Meadows at www.springmeadowsgolf.com.

The third piece of the Trifecta is Fox Ridge G.C. in Auburn. Owned by the Sullivan family and opened in 2001 this 6,800-yard course with a slope of 132 from the back tees is an excellent test of golf. It might be the only course designed by the person who used to hunt on the property as a kid. Lennie Myrshall, a golf course shaper by trade who grew up in Freeport and spent much time on the property, actually designed the course that is 35 minutes from Portland. Nolan Sullivan, Sharon Sullivan’s son and the club manager, said,” We received 4 ½ stars from Golf Digest for our course in 2010. In our first year of hosting a Maine championship in 2006 even par was the winning score.

The course has rolling hills and a links-like feel to it. Holes 4, 5 and 6 are an excellent stretch with number 4 being the #1 handicap, 6 the number 3 and 5 the par 3 over a pond. There is also a pond in front of the par 5 ninth hole and long hitters have a shot to carry the water to get home in two. With Colonial bentgrass fairways and PenLinks greens, the course is always in excellent shape. You can get more information at www.foxridgegolfclub.com.

The Maine Golf Trail is an excellent branding tool and the 40 members are seeing an increase in out-of-state golfers through this marketing program. A relatively short drive to great food, clean air, maybe a moose spotting, and mostly great golf is worth the trip. You can get more information at www.golfme.com or contact Peter Webber at 877-553-4653.
Editor’s Note: We are going to feature more courses on the Maine Golf Trail in our Aug/Sep issue.

Bruce Vittner is a member of the Golf Writers Assn. of America and the Golf Travel Writers of America and can be reached at bruce@snegolfer.com.

2013 Event to be held June 23-25

Seventy-seven area nonprofit organizations got a welcome holiday boost today, as they received funds generated from the CVS Caremark Charity Classic at a presentation held at CVS Caremark’s headquarters in December. The tournament, Rhode Island’s largest charitable sporting event, raised $1.2 million this year for charities across Southern New England, bringing the total funds raised since its inception to more than $16 million.

Present to award the funds raised by this year’s tournament – which draws some of the world’s best PGA and LPGA golfers – were CVS Caremark President and CEO Larry Merlo and PGA Tour Professionals/CVS Caremark Charity Classic co-hosts Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon.

“The appeal of the CVS Caremark Charity Classic is two-fold,” said Merlo. “First, the tournament provides world-class entertainment for avid golf fans. In addition, the tournament has a deep commitment of providing much-needed financial support to a range of organizations that make a real difference in the lives of so many. In such a challenging economic climate, we are especially proud to give back to the communities we serve through the CVS Caremark Charity Classic.”

Funds raised by this year’s CVS Caremark Charity Classic will support the missions of a multitude of charities, in turn, touching the lives of people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. From helping Crossroads Rhode Island, which provides basic emergency needs, shelter and housing for homeless families and individuals; to assisting Bradley Children’s Hospital in providing a range of family-focused, high quality mental health care to infants, children and young adults with emotional disorders and/or developmental disabilities; to supporting Our Sisters’ School in New Bedford in offering a quality education to girls from challenging financial backgrounds – the Charity Classic provides significant funding to target critical needs within the community.

Merlo added, “When we hear stories about the challenges and success from our charity partners it drives us even more to continue to raise funds through the CVS Caremark Charity Classic. We are extremely proud to host an event that has become so meaningful in our community.”

In addition to acknowledging the charities for their important work, Merlo accentuated the leadership provided by Andrade and Faxon through their roles as co-chairs during the history of the Charity Classic, presenting them with plaques and special replications of the CVS Caremark Charity Classic logo. He also emphasized the dedication of the 20 working charities that provided nearly 1,000 volunteers to help bring the tournament to life.

Dan Gaughan of Button Hole Learning Center said “The money received from the CVS Classic provided over 100 Button Hole Kids scholarships and allowed for in-school instruction in Providence.” Chris Hopkins of Special Olympics of Rhode Island said, “The monies received over the years from CVS Caremark have enhanced many of the sports programs for them and helped with a Project Unifying Program in the high schools.”

Speaking after the affair Merlo mentioned how CVS founder Stanley Goldstein said at a recent meeting at company headquarters that “I’m proud that CVS stills holds the values that we believed in fifty years ago are still present today.” Added Merlo, “This tournament and what it provides for the community makes us very proud.”

The 2013 Classic will be held June 23-25 at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington. “This is a week later than usual, so we should be able to get a great field and also all the students will be out of school, so we are hoping many more people will make it a family affair while attending,” said Andrade. Faxon said, “We loved the format of having PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour stars competing, and we should be able to again assemble a great field because we are not opposite any major events and it’s not Father’s Day weekend.”

Golf as we know it is an individual, gentlemanly sport. Its played in a serene, park-like setting, it is reserved, polite and quiet. You walk, speak softly and usually don’t show much emotion. When a player succeeds, he succeeds by himself, no teammates, no coaches, and unless your related in some way to the player there are only a hand full of people who really care if you win or not.

People who watch golf are generally people who play golf…that is it.

I am fortunate to have attended a number of PGA events including a few majors. We saw the 2002 U.S Open that was played at The Black Course in Bethpage, N.Y. a public course I grew up playing as a kid. We only played The Black Course because it had the shortest wait to play, three hours! I attended the 1999 British Open that was played at Carnoustie in Scotland where Jean van de Velde had perhaps the greatest collapse ever. I then experienced the pinnacle of all golfing events–the Masters, but again, the fan experience was always the same, great to be there but the atmosphere was quiet and polite. SHHHH , Quiet!!

So when I received a call from a friend who had tickets for the Ryder Cup, and a private plane to take us there. Well, I went. I didn’t really think too much about going to just another golf event, I was more interested in checking off going to The Ryder Cup from my bucket list.

However, attending the Ryder Cup was NOT your typical golf event IT WAS AMAZING. It was exhilarating it was FUN Fore the FAN… It was FANtastic

The first thing I noticed that was different attending a Ryder Cup versus any other PGA event occurred right after we parked the car. On our way to the bus that would take us to the event we noticed four fans were dressed in Uncle Sam costumes, six more fans with Irish flags draped around them, it felt like Halloween had come early.

But what makes the Ryder Cup soooo different than a PGA tour event is that the Ryder Cup is a TEAM Event, and it’s not just any TEAM its…AMERICA’s TEAM.. It’s USA vs. Europe. (In this case U.S.A stands for, US A.gainst Europe. It was like the Olympics, even better. Even if you don’t play golf, it didn’t detract from the thrill of rooting on your country’s representatives. As we watched and cheer for OUR Country, it evoked a sense of oneness, with the person next to you, the players the caddies, the vendors… heck anyone that was rooting for USA. It was the best of National Pride..US Against them.

As a Fan it was electric. We, the fans, felt like we were part of Team USA. I was no longer a spectator, I was a participant. We cheered USA, USA… LOUDLY to encourage our guys, We applauded LOUDLY and High-Fived when WE made a great shot. WE encouraged each other. We were engaged. We felt the tension of a three-foot putt, We experienced the emotion of a good and not so good shot. And the Players responded to US–waving their arms, wanting more, pumping their fists, high-fiving their partners.Their was a sense that the Fans and the players were all ONE TEAM with a single purpose–to WIN…

Ask any player and they will tell you its a whole different experience. They will tell there is far more at stake, different pressure, a different feeling when you hit a great shot to win the hole, its not just a win for the player alone, he just won the hole for his teammates, the FANS and for the Country. USA, USA….

It’s too bad the Ryder Cup comes only once every other year. I’m hooked. I have special interest now in the Ryder Cup players who represented us, and I’ll follow their careers the rest of my life. And the players will never forget their Ryder Cup experience, because WE all shared something that day. That special Ryder Cup Experience.
Roy Wagner is a member of the staff at Southern New England Golfer.

Claude Pardue was an entrepreneur who owned a golf course in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina. In the late 1980’s he traveled to Myrtle Beach to find a piece of property that would make a great golf course.

He found a 500-acre parcel between Conway and So. Myrtle Beach. “As soon as I walked the property, I knew that I had found the spot where I would build a magical golf course,” recalled Pardue who brought a few writers from the northeast down in March to experience and play his three courses.

The parcel was partial swampland and also included some rolling hills. “I envisioned the front nine heading off into the swamp and then the back being played up and down the hills,” said Pardue who mentioned that there is almost a mile of bridgework on the golf course, mostly on the front side.

“I named the course The Witch and it opened in 1989,” said the effusive Pardue who talked about the great work that course architect and fellow North Carolinian Dan Maples did on the design. Since the course takes you through this beautiful swampland, you see many alligators, birds of prey and the most spectacular cypress and live oak trees with hanging moss.

The course measures 6,796 yards from the back tees, but the 6,259 from the white are a great test. On the front side the swamp abounds, so a straight ball will help you score much better. The fairways throughout the course are quite wide and generous and the greens are large and undulating Tifdwarf Bermuda.

There are no houses on the property and you feel you are in another world until you get to number 11, a long par 5 that runs parallel to a road (the only one!). Soon after it opened Golf Magazine wrote “There is probably not another course like this Dan Maples jewel any place in the world.” It was rated one of the top new courses in the country when it opened and still garners a 4 ½ star rating from Golf Digest. It truly is magical.

The success of The Witch had a huge bearing on Pardue getting the rights to land available to build two other courses. “International Paper had a 400-acre parcel of land just off Route 501 near the Myrtle Beach National courses. One of the executives of International Paper loved the Witch and in 1994 told me that the company would be interested in selling this parcel of tall pines to me if I’d build a couple more courses,” remembered Pardue who had relocated his family to Myrtle Beach a year after the Witch had opened.

Again Dan Maples returned to check out the property with Pardue and together they designed and constructed two other excellent courses, The Wizard and Man-O-War, to complete the triumvirate of mystical golf courses.

“The key to this parcel was the building of a 102-acre lake right in the middle. The Wizard is on the left of the property as you enter and incorporates the lake on holes 1, 16, 17 and 18. “We took most of the dirt that was removed to build the lake and put it on The Wizard, to provide mounding on many of the holes,” said Pardue who served as the general contractor on the project. Holes 16-18 are a great test of golf and will long be remembered. You have to hit your tee shot over the water on the long par 4 16th, and then 17 is an island par 3 with an elevated tee. “I wanted to have a spot where you could see most of both courses, and it’s at the back tee of 17,” added Pardue. The par 4 18th has water up the left that juts out into the fairway in front of the green, so your second shot is truly risk/reward. Make par and you can smile when you head into the clubhouse built like an old castle. Both The Wizard and Man-O-War have bentgrass greens similar to what we play in New England.

Looking at the scorecard for Man-O-War might give you cause to purchase a few more balls. Pardue gave each of us a dozen logo balls, and he said with a smile, “These are for Man-O-War.”

Don’t be intimidated, although there is water on 17 of the holes including water that crosses over the fairway on 3, 5, 10, 11, 15, 17, and 18. What is truly amazing about the layout and what made this so intriguing for me is that it is all one body of water. The lake has so many fingers that stick out and in between almost every hole. Mystical.

Man-O-War measures 6,967 from the tips and might be the best course to host a U.S. Public Links event that is a goal of Pardue. The three other teeing options make it perfect for anyone to choose the correct distance. None of the holes have long forced carries over the lake and its fingers. My favorite holes on this course were the tough par 4 ninth that is actually an island fairway and green and the island green par 3, fifteenth. Actually both 14 and 15 are island greens. Number 18 is a risk/reward par 5 that is actually quite easy to birdie with a good drive close to the lake.

The objective of this trip for us golf reporters was to showcase the Mystical Golf package that is one of the best in all of Myrtle Beach. We stayed at the Patricia Grand Resort right on the ocean at 29th St. that is one of six properties managed by Oceana Resorts that works closely with Pardue in putting together packages.

Patricia Grand has one of the few executive chefs on the Grand Strand in Scott LaCrosse, a native of southern California who has worked around the world and has settled in Myrtle Beach. “How about this spread. Wouldn’t all your buddies who came down with you on your golf package be impressed with this food?” said Pardue. Yes!!

We also traveled ten miles south of MB to Murrell’s Inlet to take a tour boat ride with shrimp, oyster and steak tip appetizers as we meandered through the marshland and then dined at Dave’s Dockside. Great ride and wonderful food. A part of Myrtle Beach I had never seen in over 25 trips to the area. We watched the sun rise over the balcony of the Patricia Grand and then watched it set over the marshes of Murrell’s Inlet. Couldn’t get much better. www.bahamamamacruises.com.

The last evening we dined at Greg Norman’s Australian Grille in No. Myrtle Beach. Pardue, a very generous man who does many charitable events brought many of his staff out to dinner with us each evening so that we could get first-hand knowledge about the three golf courses. Andy Apple, who serves as the agronomist and director of operations at all three courses, gave us valuable insight about the conditioning of the courses, plans for the future and even some techniques of how to putt the undulating greens. Alas, to not much avail.

The Mystical Golf package is definitely something that you should experience. All three courses are very different, but at each course you will get great service, excellent layouts and a very fair price. The Golf Channel rated the three courses as “One of the best deals in golf,” and Golf Magazine rated the 15th at Man-O-War as one of the five most memorable island greens in the world. You can call them at 843-282-2977 for details about packages and scheduling rounds of golf. You won’t be disappointed.

Bruce Vittner is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and the Golf Travel Writers of America and can be reached at bruce@snegolfer.com.

Golfers have until Monday, August 1 to register for the 2010 GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship, the “World’s Largest Single-Site Golf Tournament.” The 27th annual World Am will be held August 30 through September 2 with more than 3,000 golfers from 50 states and 20 countries converging on more than 50 Myrtle Beach area courses for the week.

Registration for the 72-hole tournament is $550, but can be obtained for $475 if you register soon. Entry into the tournament includes four rounds of golf, a gift bag upon arrival, and daily continental breakfast at the golf course each day, four evenings of food, drink, golf expo and games.

The entry fee also includes admission for the golfer, and guest, into the “World’s Largest 19th Hole” at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center each evening after tournament play. The 19th Hole features an extensive golf exposition, equipment demos, entertainment, open bars, concerts, celebrity guests, prize drawings and food from many of Myrtle Beach’s best restaurants.

Hosted by Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship is a 72-hole tournament with participants competing for the right to be crowned “World Amateur Golf Champion.” Players are flighted according to their handicap and at the conclusion of the four rounds; flight winners and ties advance to the 18-hole world championship playoff at the renowned Dunes Golf & Beach Club.

The World Am features five competitive divisions, ranging from men and women 49 and under to the super seniors (70+). The event’s inclusiveness is apparent in its past champions. Players with handicaps as low as three and as high as 34 have won the World Championship and three women have earned the distinction including 2009 winner Linda Fuller from Richmond, TX. Bobby Perkinson of Tennessee has won the last two championships.

The International Pairs Championship returns in 2012 and once again, a World Am duo has the opportunity to become the United States Qualifier and win an all-expense paid trip to Scotland to represent the United States in the 2012 International Pairs World Finals.

The more than 60 Grand Strand golf courses comprising this year’s World Am are some of the finest in the area including all four Barefoot Resort & Golf courses, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, True Blue Golf Plantation, The Dunes Beach & Golf Club, Grande Dunes, TPC Myrtle Beach and all three courses at Myrtle Beach National.

“The GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship is considered the ‘Every Day Golfers’ U.S. Open,’” said Jeff Monday, tournament director of the GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship. “Any amateur golfer with a United States Golf Association handicap index, or foreign equivalent, can register for the World Am and has a legitimate chance to be crowned as the ‘World Golf Champion.’ We’ve added a few special events in 2012 and look forward to the 29th year of the World Am, added Monday.”

For more information on the event, host golf courses, or to register, call
1-800-833-8798 or visit WorldAmGolf.com.

Legends Golf Group Hosted SNE Golfer Prize Winners

Todd LaRiviere of Woonsocket, R.I. was the grand prizewinner of the Myrtle Beach Vacation package that was run by Southern New England Golfer at six golf shows this winter and sponsored by Legends Golf Group in Myrtle Beach.

Unfortunately Direct Air, who was a sponsor and provided airline tickets declared bankruptcy a few days before the winners were to leave for Myrtle Beach. Being intrepid young men, the hopped in their car and drove the 13 hours to Myrtle Beach. “The Legends was great to us,” said LaRiviere who stayed at the Legends condos and played Oyster Bay and Heritage, the two properties offsite also owed by the Arnold Palmer Management Company who purchased the Legends Group three years ago.

Business has been exceptional. “We have been almost completely sold out every day on all three courses on property and the two other that we manage, but were able to fit the winners in after not hearing from Direct Air,” said Keith Devos, director of sales. No wonder. They are running golf packages that truly offer great value. The three courses on site (Heathland, Moorland and Parkland) plus the two other courses in their group (Heritage and Oyster Bay) are all rated at least 4 ½ stars by Golf Digest. “We offer a great value-added package that comes with tickets for breakfast, lunch and two drink tickets. It’s been a homerun for us,” added Devos.

You can contact the Legends Group at 1-888-246-9797 or visit their website at www.legendsgolf.com.

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club Wins Award
The South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel rated Caledonia Golf & Fish Club’s 18th hole the fifth “Most Memorable Golf Hole” in the state for 2012. “Our 18th hole is clearly a great way to conclude your round,” said Todd Welden, director of golf at the Mike Strantz-designed course since its opening in the late 1980’s.
Golfweek recently ranked Caledonia the third “Best Course You Can Play” in South Carolina for 2012. It is this reporter’s favorite course on the Grand Strand, but, alas, I dumped a ball in the pond at the famous 18th on a recent visit.

Golfweek Ranks 9 MB Courses in Top 15 You Can Play in S.C.
Golfweek’s Top 15 Courses you can play in South Carolina included nine courses in the Myrtle Beach area. Caledonia topped the list at number 3, and their sister course was sixth.

The Dunes Club, host of many former Champions Tour events was voted fifth and Tidewater was seventh. TPC Myrtle Beach was eighth, Legends’ Heathland Course was 12th and the Resort Club at Grande Dunes was 14th.

Barefoot Resorts in North Myrtle Beach placed two in the top 15 with the Love Course voted ninth and the Fazio Course in the eleventh spot.

Barefoot Resorts Four Courses Continue to Shine
We had the pleasure of playing two of the four courses at the Barefoot Resort last month. The Dye course was our first foray. Pete Dye’s design is gentler than many of his courses. There is a great deal of waste bunkers, some angles that make you think a great deal and large contoured greens that can result in many putts. Pick the correct tee box and you will have a great day. We chose the Members tees at 6,005 yards and had a wonderful time. Water comes into play on 8, 9, 10, and 18. The par 3’s on the course are excellent.

Our second day we played the Fazio Course. There is not as much water, the fairways are wide, but the deep bunkering makes this course very difficult to score well. Stay out of the sand and you’ll have a wonderful day.

McConnell Golf’s Reserve Course is a Gem
Not many travelers get to play The Reserve Club of Pawleys Island. That is unless you are a member of McConnell Golf (www.mcconnellgolf.com). A few years ago McConnell Golf purchased The Reserve, built as a private course for members only, designed by Greg Norman and opened in 1998 twenty miles south of Myrtle Beach.

“The purchase of our golf course by McConnell Golf provided a needed influx of capital improvements to our fine course, and our members are thrilled,” said director of golf, Donald Clement. “Our members are thrilled with the conditioning of the course and being part of McConnell Golf,” he added.

The course is very flat (low-country, right?), and Norman’s minimalist style is displayed throughout the 7,206-yard layout. It is a fun layout with five sets of tees. The last hole, a 600-yard par 5 plays over a pond in front of the green. Make par and you can certainly enjoy your libation at the stately clubhouse.

McConnell Golf owns eight private golf courses in the Carolinas—six in North Carolina and two in South Carolina. Visit there website to inquire about corporate and national memberships.

By Bruce Berlet
Jason Caron isn’t the most famous state golfer in his family, but he was No. 1 in the Connecticut Open at Wee Burn Country Club in Darien.

And Jason and wife Liz certainly showed a sense of humor after the husband in the soon-to-be growing family won his first major title since three victories on the Hooters Tour in 1999.

When asked how much of the $10,000 first prize was going to go toward buying diapers, Jason smiled and said, “Probably most of it. We’ll definitely have a lot of stuff to get for the baby, so we’re excited.”

When asked about her husband ending his victory drought, the former Liz Janangelo, winner of a record five straight Connecticut Women’s Amateur Championships and record four Connecticut Women’s Opens, quipped, “If I’d known he was going to win, I’d have gotten pregnant sooner.”
Liz, an All-American and member of two national championship teams at Duke who left the LPGA Tour after the 2010 season, is due to give birth to the couple’s first child on Jan. 19, which is good timing considering the two are taking the winter off and not returning to Jupiter, Fla., where they got married on Jan. 8, 2011. Liz gave a few lessons at nearby Rockrimmon CC in Stamford on the morning of the Connecticut Open’s final round, then drove to Wee Burn and hid behind a tree as Jason finished off a 1-under-par 71 for a 54-hole total of 2-under 214 and a one-stroke victory over four-time champion Kyle Gallo.

“Watching didn’t work when I watched other times,” Liz said with a smile.

But it was good luck this time. Jason hit a deft pitch-and-run out of U.S. Open-type rough on the par-5 18th hole to the back of a two-tiered green and two-putted from 15 feet for a par that clinched the victory in his second tournament appearance. Besides providing plenty of funds for diapers and baby formula, the $10,000 first-place check was a belated birthday present since Caron turned 40 a week earlier.

“It’s kind of surprising,” said Caron, who began the day one back of co-leaders Danny Balin and amateur Jeff Hatten. “I didn’t have a number (to shoot) in mind. I kept telling myself that if I got to 4 or 5 under then even if you stumble a bit coming in you could still pull it off. But the golf course played really hard, and we got lucky that it rained a little and softened the greens a bit.”

Still, Gallo’s 69 was the only sub-70 score in the final round among the 45 players who made the cut, and 11 players failed to break 80, including two-time winner Ken Green. But the former PGA and Champions Tour player said he was happy with an 80 for 233 and a tie for 34th while playing with a prosthesis and as little pain as he has had since a horrific RV accident three years ago caused the death of his brother, girlfriend and dog and loss of part of his right leg.

Caron, who played on the PGA, Nationwide (now Web.com) and Hooters tours after turning pro in 1994, now practices and plays with his wife when not teaching others with added confidence.
“She’s so good it’s amazing, and I only hear how good she was when she was young,” said Jason, who is in his first year teaching at Siwanoy CC in Bronxville, N.Y. “When I go play with her it’s amazing how perfect her golf swing is. She’s always got great tempo and a great short game. Hopefully the baby gets some of her talents.”

Liz gave up full-time competitive golf because of the weekly grind and finding a terrific job at Rockrimmon CC, where she has helped expand the women’s and junior programs while not having to worry about the next four-footer for par. And nowadays, when the couple leaves their home in Greenwich, Jason drives about 20 minutes to Siwanoy and Liz about 20 minutes the other way to Rockrimmon.

“We don’t get to play too much,” Liz said. “Monday is our day off, and we usually go to the movies or do laundry.”

Liz has played in a few tournaments this year and shot 10-over 152 to tie for 10th in the Metropolitan (N.Y.) Women’s Open a week after Jason’s victory. Former LPGA Tour player and Connecticut Women’s Open champion Sue Ginter of Rolling Hills CC in Wilton tied for second at 145, two behind Becky McDaid of Friar’s Head GC in Riverhead, N.Y.
“I just play mostly fun golf,” Liz said.

But not always. Three weeks after Jason’s win, Liz made it a Caron daily double when she shot 4-under 140 (71-69) for a three-stroke victory over Ashley Gersten of Burning Tree CC in Greenwich in the PGA Metropolitan Women’s Stroke Play Championship at Rockrimmon.

“I wish I’d got pregnant sooner,” Liz quipped again. “I didn’t hit it that well in the Women’s Open, and trying to fix things was like a dentist trying to do his own fillings. I sent tapes to (longtime instructor) Dave (Pianki), and he really helped me. I started hitting it so much better, and it was nice to be able to go at it hard and know where it was going to go.”
Liz said being 41/2 months pregnant didn’t pose any problems.

“A lot of LPGA players have played when they’re pregnant,” she said. “It’s just one of those things in life, so you just go through it.”

Liz had plenty of support from the membership after one of her customary good deeds.
“They needed a course to play the tournament, so I offered Rockrimmon,” she said. “The members were nice to say yes and were so supportive rooting me on. Then after I played each round, I gave lessons in the afternoon.”

A week after Liz’s win, Jason nearly added to the First Family of Connecticut Golf’s resume when he shot a 5-under 66 in the second round to move into a tie for third in the Metropolitan Open at Plainfield (N.J.) CC. But a closing 73 dropped him into a tie for sixth at 209, three strokes behind Balin of Burning Tree CC in Greenwich. Balin, who finished third in the Connecticut Open after he shared second in 2011, rallied from seven shots back thanks to a 66.

“They say happiness breeds success, and that’s how Jason and I feel today,” Liz said.
Liz hopes to add two more trophies for the family plans when she plays in the Met Women’s Match Play Championship, which begins in mid-September, and the New England Open on Oct. 1-2 at Birchwood CC in Westport.

But with the baby on the way, the couple won’t be returning to Florida this winter. Jason plans to set up an indoor teaching facility at Siwanoy, while Liz will rest a few months before the baby is born and then resume giving lessons in the spring.

“It would be too hard going back and forth with the little one,” Liz said. “We’ve joked (the baby) will have to learn how to play squash or something rather than golf. And we’re not sure if we’ll send the baby to (Jim) MacLean or (David) Leadbetter,” who are two of the most renowned instructors in the world that Liz has worked with when not with Pianki.

Caron’s only bogey in the final round was on the first hole, where he drove into the rough, hit an 8-iron short and couldn’t save his par 4.

“I didn’t commit to it, and after that, I kept telling myself to stay in my process and just keep working on my routine,” said Caron, a native of Hyannis, Mass. “But I was telling my caddie Jimmy (Costello) that I wasn’t even nervous. It was weird, but I’ve been trying to get that way. Playing on tour for so many years, it’s like every time you get into contention or even make a cut, the butterflies are really strong. I’m trying to get back to that point where – it’s going to sound funny – that I don’t care as much.

“When you’re out there every week grinding it out, a lot of people, including myself, start caring too much instead of just playing like you do when you’re playing with your buddies. I just tried doing that all day, and I’m still kind of shocked that it’s good enough.”

Caron quickly responded to his lone bogey with a birdie at No. 2, then parred out on the front side before making a second birdie at the par-5 10th. Eight closing pars enabled him to flash a wide smile and get a hug and kiss from his wife as he headed for the scoring tent.

“This is pretty cool,” said Caron, who tied for fourth in the New York State Open at Bethpage Black on Long Island before taking a week off before his win. “I was hoping that in my first year in the area teaching that I would win a golf tournament, but there were so many good players. Now at least I can say I won, which is pretty good. I’ve won a few one-day tournaments and had a couple of seconds on the Nationwide Tour the last few years, but this is the first major one since the Hooters Tour.”

Gallo, seeking a record fifth title, started the final round four strokes behind and with the mindset of wanting to birdie every hole. He did birdie three of the first six holes on the way to a front-nine 32 and also missed two other birdie tries from inside 10 feet. A two-putt birdie at the par-5 10th hole moved Gallo into a share of the lead before a shaky finish cost him a shot at the record-setting win despite a closing 69, the low round of the final round.

“I started off really, really good and had a lot of good (birdie) chances, but in the final analysis, the putter on the back is where I left a couple of shots,” said Gallo, of Timberlin GC in Berlin, who began using a belly putter and cross-handed grip last year. “It certainly wasn’t ball-striking. It was putting on the back nine. But on the flip side, I putted phenomenal on the front, so all in all to shoot 3 under on the last day on this golf course is really good. My goal was 66 because I thought that would win outright, and 3 under would put me in a playoff, but I can’t complain.”

Gallo, 37, who also finished in the top 10 in the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Bangor Opens, plans to return to the PGA Tour qualifying school this fall. He last played on the Nationwide Tour in 2006.

The left-handed hitting Hatten’s birdie at the 10th hole gave him the lead at 3 under. But the captain of the Yale golf team this spring bogeyed the 11th and 15th holes and then sliced his drive into the trees on No. 16 and failed to pull off “a Bubba Watson shot.” The 22-year-old from Farmington tried to hit a high hook around trees as Watson did on the first playoff hole in winning the Masters in April, but it caught a branch and fell into the water, leading to a double-bogey 6.

“Hindsight is 20-20, obviously,” Hatten said. “I thought I had it – didn’t have any doubt in my mind when I hit it – but I was about five feet from being a hero instead of a loser.”

Hatten parred the 17th but bogeyed No. 18 for 76-218 and a tie for fourth with defending two-time champion Frank Bensel (72) of Greenwich and former PGA and Nationwide Tour player Bobby Gage (74) of Forsgate CC in Monroe Township, N.J. Hatten won low amateur honors by one over Russell C. Palmer Cup winner Sam Bernstein (72) of The Course at Yale in New Haven. But he failed to become the first amateur champion since Jeff Hedden in 2008.

Balin, 30, the New York State Open champion, finished third at 216 and then headed to a third consecutive PGA Championship appearance at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, S.C., where he again missed the cut in the year’s final major. He qualified by finishing in the top 20 (tied for 15th) in the PGA Professional National Championship in Seaside, Calif. Bensel and Suffield native Alan Morin also missed the cut after they tied for seventh and 13th in the national event.


THREE MORE SECONDS FOR GALLO
Five days after the Connecticut Open, Gallo finished second again, this time to former PGA and Nationwide player John Elliott in the Manchester Open at Manchester CC. Elliott birdied the first five holes and eight of the first 10 on the way to a 6-under 66 and a one-stroke victory over Gallo, who three-putted the par-3 18th to lose a shot at a playoff for the $4,000 first prize. Elliott, a native of Bristol now living in Westerly, R.I., made a 12-foot par putt at No. 18 for what turned out to be the decisive stroke.

Elliott excelled with a putter that he borrowed from Dave Tiedemann, the pro at Shelter Harbor GC in Charlestown, R.I.

“He doesn’t want it back; he’s not getting it back,” said a smiling Elliott, who needed only 23 putts.

A year ago, Elliott tied for third, but this time he got to deliver on a request from his 5-year-old son Blake to bring the trophy home.

Web.com Tour player Geoff Sisk, Adam D’Amario, Eric Egloff, Mark Stevens, Jason Thresher and Billy Downes tied for third at 68.

And the runner-up finishes didn’t end there for Gallo, who also finished second in the Rhode Island Open (three behind URI grad Jesse Larson) and Boston Open (one back of Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani).

MARRELLO QUALIFIES FOR TWO NATIONAL EVENTS
Paul Barnsley of Race Brook CC in Orange and PGA Life Member and Connecticut Golf Hall of Famer Fran Marrello qualified for the 2013 PGA Professional National Championship by finishing first and second in the Connecticut PGA Professional Championship at Wampanoag CC in West Hartford.
After opening with two bogeys in the final round, Barnsley birdied four of seven holes, starting at No. 9, to close with a 2-under 70 and 36-hole total of 3-under 141 for a one-stroke victory over Marrello and Mark Farrell (H. Smith Richardson GC-Fairfield). Marrello, the reigning Connecticut PGA Player of the Year, birdied the 14th and 15th holes, while Farrell made a bogey at No. 13 and double-bogey 6 at No. 14 to wipe out birdies at the 11th, 12th and 15th holes. Marrello then bogeyed the first playoff hole, the 18th, to beat Farrell and earn the second spot in the national championship June 23-26 at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore. The top 20 finishers in the nationals qualify for the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC in Rochester, N.Y.

It was only Barnsley’s second section event of the year, but he made just three bogeys in the final round on an unfamiliar course on his way to earning $2,200 and 75 Player of the Year points. Alternates for the national event were determined by playoffs, and Farrell was No. 1, followed by Joe Mongillo (Dick’s Sporting Goods), Steve Madison (GC of Avon) and Brad Colt (CC of Waterbury). Mongillo and Madison tied for fourth at 143, two ahead of defending champion D’Amario (Indian Hill CC-Newington).

Three weeks later, Marrello shot a 2-under 68 for a three-stroke victory over host pro Ralph Salito and Bob Kay (Tumble Brook CC-Bloomfield) in the Senior Connecticut PGA Championship at The Club at River Oaks in Sherman. Marrello’s third straight tournament win qualified him for the Senior PGA Professional National Championship on Oct. 11-14 at Creighton Farms in Aldie, Va., and River Creek Club in Leesburg, Va. He will be joined by Salito and Ted Perez (East Mountain CC-Westfield, Mass.), who finished fourth at 75. … Kyle Bilodeau (Race Brook CC-Orange) shot even-par 144 for 36 holes for a one-stroke victory over D’Amario in the Connecticut PGA Assistant Championship at Bull’s Bridge GC in South Kent. Bilodeau, D’Amario and playoff winner Tim Buczak (Quarry Ridge GC-Portland), who shot 146 along with Michael Nordstrom (Springfield CC) and Bradley Lusenhop (Fox Hopyard GC-East Haddam), qualified for the PGA Assistant Championship on Nov. 1-4 at The PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. … Tim Quirk and assistant Steve Alminas (Longmeadow CC) combined to shoot a 6-under 64 for a one-stroke victory over Bill Whaley and Ryan Harbour (TPC River Highlands) in the section’s Pro-Assistant Championship at Madison CC.

SCARROZZO FINALLY WINS N.E. PUBLIC LINKS
After four runner-up finishes, Tom Scarrozzo finally reached the winner’s circle in the New England Public Links Championship, shooting 2-over 146 for 36 holes to edge fellow Nutmegger Kevin Josephson by a stroke at Triggs Memorial GC in Providence.
“It took so long to win this,” said Scarrozzo, 55, of Blue Fox Run GC in Avon. “It’s a major achievement to see New England in front of your name.”
Scarrrozzo birdied the 16th and 17th holes in the final round to overcome Josephson (Stanley GC-New Britain). A bogey at No. 18 merely sliced his margin of victory in half.
In the team competition, Blue Fox Run finished second to Triggs Memorial.
… Brian Ahern made a 30-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the second playoff hole to beat Dave Szewczul and win a second CSGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Hop Meadow CC in Simsbury. Ahern (Wampanoag CC) made an eagle 3 on the sixth hole and birdied the 17th in a closing, 2-over 74 for a 54-hole total of 3-over 219 before adding a third state title to his resume. He previously won the 1999 CSGA Amateur and 2010 CSGA Mid-Amateur.

“There was a little brown spot a few inches ahead of my ball, and I used that as the mark for the line,” Ahern said. “When the putt was half way home, I thought it had a chance. Three quarters of the way there, it looked even better.”
When the ball dropped for a birdie 4, Ahern raised both arms. When Szewczul’s 18-foot putt to tie slid by the hole, Ahern was the winner.

“Give credit to Brian, he won it with a great putt,” Szewczul said.
Szewczul, the 1996 champion from Tunxis Plantation CC in Farmington in line to win a fourth CSGA Senior Player of the Year Award, lipped out four birdie bids in the final seven holes and had to settle for 74. Anthony Scott (Tashua Knolls GC-Trumbull), Zach Stennett (Tallwood CC-Hebron) and Philip Perry (Black Hall Club-Old Lyme) tied for third at 221.

Ahern, CSGA Amateur winner Matt Smith (Quinnatissett CC-Thompson) and Ray Floyd Jr. (Innis Arden GC-Greenwich), son of former PGA and Champions Tour standout Ray Floyd, qualified to represent Connecticut in the U.S. Golf Association Men’s State Team Championship on Sept. 19-21 at Galloway National GC in Galloway, N.J. … Shawn McLoughlin (Ridgewood CC-Danbury) shot a 1-under 71 for a one-stroke victory over Richard Blakeslee (Laurel View CC-Hamden) and Dick Weigold (Torrington CC) in the CSGA Super Senior Championship at Heritage Village CC in Southbury. … Dr. Bob Ruby and son Brendan (Madison CC) combined to shoot a 5-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Mark and Michael Smith of the host club in the CSGA Father-Son Championship at Wampanoag CC. … Ben Hunter (Sterling Farms GC-Stamford) made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff to give him and Kamaiu Johnson (Seminole GC at FSU) the title in the CSGA Four-Ball Championship at The Course at Yale in New Haven. The two had combined to shoot a 5-under 65 and get into a playoff with the teams of Will Rubinow-K.J. Camera, Chuck Stupakevich-Todd Tremaglio and Cooper Stainbrook-Brad Kushner. … Jen Holland (Lyman Orchards GC-Middlefield) and Mary Mesek (Timberlin) combined for a 1-over 75 and a one-stroke victory over Mimi Schreck (CWGA) and Darlene Tranquilli (CWGA) in the CSGA Women’s Four-Ball Tournament at Orange Hills CC.

CARLSON, HILL LEAD CONNECTICUT TO N.E. JUNIOR TITLE
Co-medalists Brian Carlson (Clinton CC) and Eddie Hill (Crestbrook GG-Watertown) led Connecticut to a record 29-stroke victory in the New England Junior Championship at Taconic GC in Williamstown, Mass. Connecticut, which won for the eighth time in the past 12 years, finished with a three-round total of 1,069 to easily outdistance defending champion Massachusetts.
Carlson and Eric Dietrich (The Farms CC-Wallingford) each shot 3-under 68 and Evan Grenus (Glastonbury Hills CC) had 69 on the final day as the winners expanded their lead from 16 to 29 strokes. Carlson and Hill shared first at 2-over 215 as six of Connecticut’s seven players finished in the top 10. Carlson won a playoff on the first hole to capture the individual title. In addition to Carlson and Hill, Jason Hogan (Watertown GC) tied for third at 216, Grenus was sixth at 218, Detrich tied for seventh at 219 and Brian Butler (Wampanoag CC) shared ninth at 220. The other member of the winning team was Patrick Hallisey (Shuttle Meadow CC-Kensington), who tied for 14th at 223.

Massachusetts was second at 1,097, followed by Vermont (1,111), Maine (1,126), New Hampshire (1,135) and Rhode Island (1,148). Connecticut will defend in 2013 on home turf at Connecticut National GC in Putnam on July 16-17. … Billy Walthouse of Longmeadow, Mass., shot a 4-under 67 to successfully defend in the Jack Kelly Junior Tournament of Champions at Shennecossett GC in Groton. Walthouse, who also won Junior Connecticut PGA Championship in a five-way playoff, finished four ahead of Jason Liu of Windsor. Julia Kemmling of Berlin won the girls division with a 72, two less than MacKenzie Hawkes of Madison and four better than Jenn Whaley of Farmington. The runner-up finish enabled Hawkes, a six-time tour champion this year, to edge five-time winner Whaley for the Player of the Year Award. Whaley played a week after beginning her college career at Quinnipiac University, where she has a golf scholarship. Michael Thibodeau of Ellington won the boys Player of the Year Award after he tied for sixth, besting Nathaniel Dong of Glastonbury. Nine-hole Players of the Year were Benjamin James of Milford and Angela Garvin of Feeding Hills, Mass. The Jack Kelly Junior Sportsmanship Awards went to Sean Oleasz of Simsbury and Michelle Santeloty of Farmington. All will be honored at the section’s Special Awards Banquet on Nov. 18 at Lake of Isles in North Stonington.


LANDEGREN WINS WOMEN’S AMATEUR
Mia Landegren used local course knowledge and a clutch birdie on the penultimate hole for a scoring record in the Connecticut State Women’s Amateur Championship at Ridgewood CC.
Just weeks before starting her senior year at Shepaug Valley High School, Landegren shot 2-over 146 to set a 36-hole tournament record and beat Maggie Kennedy by three strokes. The event was reduced from 54 to 36 holes when the second round was washed out.

Landegren had a four-stroke lead after an opening 72 and wasn’t seriously challenged until making three bogeys in five holes before hitting a 5-iron to 8 feet to set up a birdie 2 at No. 14 in becoming another teen-aged winner. It also was vindication for 2011 at Timberlin GC, where the 16-year-old shared the lead with five holes left but had three-putt bogeys at Nos. 14, 15 and 17 and made a double-bogey 6 at the 18th to fall into third. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Kelly Whaley rallied to beat Ellie Dutch by a stroke but was unable to defend because she had started her first year (she’s a sophomore) at the IMG International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, S.C.

“It’s my home course, so I had a lot of expectations going into it,” said Landegren, 16, who has been the top player on the boys’ golf team since she was a freshman at Shepaug, which doesn’t have a girls’ team. “It was nice that it ended like it did. I remember last year, I was leading in the second round and I lost it, so it’s nice to conquer it.”

Especially with her father, Erik, caddying for her after her mother, Patti, carried last year. And this win came after she had just returned from Europe after helping to lead the Swedish Junior National Team to victory in the European Team Championships.

“It’s good to have dad there,” said Mia, who finished fourth in the Division IV Boys State Championship. “He has been my coach in everything, and having him out there is my security blanket. He knows my game inside and out. To be able to have him there with me is big.”
The 26-year-old Kennedy (Rockledge GC-West Hartford), a 2009 Dartmouth grad who played on the women’s hockey team that got to the NCAA Elite Eight three times, closed with 73, the low score in the second round, for 149, nine ahead of Elizabeth DiVincentis (Shuttle Meadow CC-Kensington), who finished ninth in the Division IV Boys Championship for Berlin High. Dutch (Fox Hopyard-East Lyme) tied for fourth with Linda Lyons (Timberlin GC) at 161.

Landegren later swept six points in two matches to lead Team New England to a 32-28 victory over Team USA in the John D. Mineck Deutsche Bank Championship Junior Cup at Boston GC in Higham, Mass. Other Connecticut contributors were Patrick Hallisey of Wethersfield (four points), Brian Carlson of Madison (three), John and Michael VanDerlaan of Southbury (three), Evan Grenus of Glastonbury (2.5), Patrick Albanesi of Avon (2.5), Danny Gruise of Greenwich (2.5) and Eric Dietrich of Cheshire (1.5). … Lyons shot a women’s course record, 1-over 75 in the final round to successfully defend in the Southern New England Women’s Golf Association Championship at Cedar Knob GC in Somers. Lyons’ 36-hole total of 4-over 152 beat Mary Mesek by four and gave her a fourth title. Lyons also won in 2003, at Cedar Knob, 2007 and 2011. Lyons later shot a 1-over 73 for a seven-stroke victory in the SNEWGA Seniors Championship at Wethersfield CC. … Nicole Yatsenick ended her competitive season in style, shooting a 4-over 77 to win the Connecticut Women’s Tournament of Championships at GC of Avon. Yatsenick, 18, a recent Taft School-Watertown grad who won a second straight Connecticut Women’s Golf Association Championship in June, birdied her 17th hole, No. 9, to beat defending champion Lisa Fern-Boros by a stroke. Former winners Jean Sennett and Jen Holland tied for third at 79. … The CWGA Junior Girls team of Gabrielle Martin, Hope Matthews, Lisa Calcasola, Ashley D’Attilo, Emily Stickel and Julia Kemmling won the Tri-State Matches against Massachusetts and Rhode Island at Quidnessett CC in North Kingstown, R.I. Connecticut had 99.5 points, Massachusetts 90.5 and Rhode Island 80. It was Connecticut’s first victory since 1983.

10 RECEIVE CSGA SCHOLARSHIPS
The CSGA awarded Widdy Neale Scholarships to John Ayers, Old Saybrook and Fox Hopyard GC, Central Connecticut State University; Victoria Fagan, Kensington and Timberlin GC, Long Island Univ.; Michael Ford, Cheshire and New Haven CC, Campbell Univ.; Corrin Gosselin, Simsbury and Simsbury Farms, UConn; Matthew Hanrahan, Danbury and Richter Park GC, Catholic Univ.; Michael Johnson, South Glastonbury and Black Hall Club, Fairfield Univ.; Kelsey Kirkpatrick, Hebron and Tallwood CC, Assumption College; Brooke Nethercott, Greenwich and Milbrook Club-Windsor, University of Hartford; Julie Orenstein, West Hartford and Wampanoag CC, Boston College; and Dylan Rupp, Suffield and Suffield CC, Furman Univ. The scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000, are given to graduating high school seniors who work at CSGA member clubs in positions serving the golf program and/or serving golfers. Recipients are selected on the basis of financial need, scholarship, school and community service and character. Forty-nine Widdy Neale scholarship recipients currently attend colleges. … DiVincentis, a graduate of Coginchaug High in Durham who will be a freshman at Georgetown, received the $1,500 Ryan T. Lee Memorial Scholarship. Lee was a former member of the Berlin High and Long Island University golf teams who died on April 26, 2011. A second tournament in his honor at Timberlin GC raised money for the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Foundation. Others who benefitted from the event were three students from Berlin: Victoria Fagan (LIU), Trafford Underwood (Eastern Connecticut Univ.) and Colin King (Endicott), who each received $1,000. The Boys Club of New Britain also received $2,500. … Lake of Isles’ North Course in North Stonington was selected one of the Top 100 Courses You Can Play by Golf Magazine. Lake of Isles, a Rees Jones design owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Nation, was ranked 85th and was the only Connecticut course on the list. It also was No. 1 in Golf Magazine’s state-by-state rankings for 2012. The par-72 course, which stretches more than 7,300 yards from the championship tees, was also named No. 1 public course in Connecticut by Golfweek and Best In State by Golf Digest, and the LOI golf shop has been named one of the Top 100 Golf Shops by Golf World. … The Harry Nowobilski Memorial Celebrity Amateur at Tallwood CC raised $18,200 for The First Tee of Connecticut and the Connecticut Section PGA Foundation, which benefits Special Olympics and junior golf. The event, which has raised $168,000 in its 10-year history, honors the late father of Tallwood pro John Nowobilski, who will be inducted into the section Hall of Fame with famed one-armed golfer Jimmy Nichols during the annual special awards banquet. Others to be recognized are Stan McLennan (Suffield CC), professional of the year; Jack McConachie (Pine Valley GC-Southington), teacher of the year; Jeff Beyer (Willow Brook GC-South Windsor), junior golf leader; Bobby Brown (Tashua Knolls), Horton Smith Award; Andrew Campbell (Black Hall), Bill Strausbaugh Award; Jodi Lauzier (The Orchards GC-South Hadley, Mass.), assistant pro of the year; Marc Bayram (Timberlin), merchandiser of the year-public; Jason Waters (Hop Meadow), merchandiser of the year-private; and Gary Rencurrel of Bristol, golf sales representative of the year.

What do you think the final score of the Ryder Cup will be?

In the comment box below, write in your name and pick for the final score and winner of the Ryder Cup.

Example: Bruce Vittner thinks…USA 15-13.

The people who pick the winning score will go into a drawing for free rounds of golf.

Winners will be announced by email on October 2.

Excitement pervaded the scorer’s tent Labor Day at the DBC in Norton. Who were the four picks that U.S. Captain Davis Love III was going to choose? Most pundits think that this could be one of the most exciting Ryder Cups in memory as the 24 players from the United States and European teams all are within the top 36 in world rankings. By far the top field every assembled according to rankings.

Most everyone agreed that Steve Stricker was a lock, but the other three were up for debate. Hunter Mahan (he of the tough loss to Graeme McDowell in Wales to sew up the cup for Europe) had missed the cut at the PGA Championships and the Barclays (the first of the four FEDEX playoff events), but had won two events early in the year and was ninth in FEDEX points when the first eight earned automatic bids after the PGA at Kiowah. Rickie Fowler had played wonderfully the final day in Wales and is a crowd favorite. Jim Furyk had played on seven Ryder Cups, but he had not closed the deal at the U.S. Open and in another event while holding the lead. Dustin Johnson was 14th in Ryder Cup points, but had missed a few months with an injury. Brandt Snedeker was also injured earlier in the year and didn’t come back until the U.S. Open where he was in contention.

What would Captain Love do? On Sept. 4 in NYC Love picked Stricker, Furyk, Snedeker and Johnson. “I’ve been on both sides of those calls (on or off the team), and it was the hardest part of the process,” said Love after making the announcement. “Steve Stricker has been probably the best player in the U.S. for the last five years,” acknowledged Love at the announcement. “Tiger loves to play with him as a partner, and they make a great team,” he added.

“Dustin Johnson is the best athlete on the team. If he wasn’t hurt he would have been on the team as an automatic pick,” said Love as he announced his name as a member. “We need good putters and Brandt Snedeker is about the best,” said Love as he announced the Tennessee native who strongly resembles Huck Finn and is a joy to be around.

The last pick was the one that was most up in the air to this writer. “Jim Furyk is my our choice to be on the team,” commented Love who talked about Furyk’s experience and friendship.
So, what made up the minds of Love and his assistant captains? “We wanted a combination of experience and youthful enthusiasm, and I think we have that, added Love who said he wanted basketball star Michael Jordan to be an active part of the team in meetings and get-togethers.