Golf Blog
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The 2007 & 2008 season blogs are archived for your viewing.
Despite the recent weather, the Sunday River Golf Club course looks great. If the rain has been good for anything, it’s been great for growing grass and keeping the course a lush shade of green. I snuck out at noon today to snap some photos as it’s been awhile since I have posted any. According to Director of Golf, Greg Perry, “the course is playing great and we’re looking at some more sunshine on Thursday and Friday.” If you haven’t booked your tee time yet, now is the time to do so!
This past Saturday was the second part of my Women’s Welcome to Golf clinic and like the first week, focused on the mechanics of the game. I have to admit that between the two clinics, I had not been able to play that much golf. Ideally, I would have gone out one or two more times to practice what I had learned from the clinic before, but alas, the weather kept me off of the green and at my desk for most of the week (sigh). With that said, the pieces of advice were still there, and by my third or fourth stroke of the afternoon, I was right back into last week’s lesson groove.
“Almost all golfers head to the driving range before a round,” said Sunday River Pro, Peter Flint. “The problem with that is you use your driver only once during each hole (most of the time) whereas you use your putter however many times it takes you to get the ball into the hole.” So needless to say, we headed for the practice green.
This makes complete sense and I smirk a little at hearing this because I too am guilty of the very same mistake. The problem is – I LOVE the driving range. I could honestly go through bag after bag of golf balls, and gladly will, if given the chance. However, I am committed to becoming a better golfer, and truth be told, while I have a good drive – it’s the short game that always gets me! Luckily for me, midway through the putting and chipping lesson, good behavior and better results have earned us time on the range.
If you’re new to golf, driving can be intimidating. Let’s face it, when Joe Shmoe next to you smacks one well out of sight, you can’t help but pray to yourself to “just make contact with the ball!” But, if you’re lucky to have the knowledge of a Pro on your side, as I have with Pete, you don’t need silent prayers you just need to listen.
We worked from one end of the club spectrum through to the other end, only moving on after hitting a ball well. I practiced stance, grip and position and when I had finally gone from sand wedge to driver successfully, I have to admit – I was exhausted! However, I was also really excited to walk away with pieces of advice that I had never heard not to mention a comment from Pete that I will now take with me to every game.
“Keep hitting it like that and you’ll end up on the tour.”
One can only hope. And if nothing else, flattery will get you everywhere.
I have participated in a number of women’s specific golf clinics in my time - partly to learn, partly for the comradeship, and of course a big part for the essential after-lesson glass of wine with the girls. Women’s Clinics take the edge off of having to learn from someone you know, and let’s be frank – the idea has probably saved more then one relationship from the certain doom associated with having to accept “critique” from your said-partner.
I signed up for Saturday’s Women’s Welcome to Golf at the Sunday River Golf Club with an open mind and right off the bat was pleasantly surprised. Not only is this one of the most affordable clinics I have ever come across, but its benefits continue long after the clinic ends three weeks later. Sure, you walk away with a better understanding for the game and areas on which to improve upon, but more than just that, you walk away with the opportunity to keep learning through the Club’s daily clinics. Ranging from sand play to course management – even some more ladies’ specific lessons – these hour-long clinics allow golfers at every level to keep improving for just $15 a lesson. The new golf school programming is both ingenious and well priced, and really does speak to the Club’s commitment to furthering the sport of golf. Needless to say, I was sold from the very start!
Day one of this three-part clinic focuses on putting and chipping. Sounds simple in concept, but if you think about it, most of the games either won or lost come down to the short game. During an average round of golf, you might expect to spend upwards of three to four strokes on the green trying to get the ball into the cup. And while buying a bag of golf balls for the range is fun, noticeable improvement to one’s golf game really comes down to putting. Think about it – you only take out your driver 16 times during a round of 18 holes but how many times to you take out your putter and use it? 18 plus, plus, plus, plus?!
By the end of the lesson, I learned a lot about my grip (Tiger Woods has the same one) and how to lead more with my hands. The best part was that the advice was spot on and I saw noticeable improvements within two hours. And perhaps, when it was all said and done, the biggest lesson learned was said within the first two minutes of the lesson: “golf is a game and you’re meant to have fun.” I am happy to report that I had a lot of fun – lesson learned!
Stay tuned for next week’s recap of Ladies Welcome to Golf Day Two.
Happy golfing!
Darcy
Here is a sneak peek at the clinics being offered next week at the Sunday River Golf Club. Daily clinics are free for Club members and $15 for nonmembers. Sign up now by calling 207-824-GOLF (4653) or emailing info@sundayrivergolfclub.com.
Daily Clinics
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Course Management - meets at 9 a.m. on the range. This hour-long clinic is designed to help you better manage the various challenges of a golf course.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Fairway Woods and Hybrids – meets at 5 p.m. on the range. This hour-long clinic is designed to help you get the ball into the air using the best club for you.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Course Management - meets at 9 a.m. on the range. This hour-long clinic is designed to help you better manage the various challenges of a golf course.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Fit Fore Golf – meets at 5 p.m. at the Sunday River Club House. This hour-long clinic is designed for the advanced golfer looking to improve his/her competitive edge through post-round strengthening.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Ladies Golf Essentials, Sand Play: Knocking It In – meets at 5 p.m. on the range. This ladies-specific clinic is all about the sand wedge and getting yourself out of the beach and onto the green.
Friday, June 19, 2009
The Latest from Golf Magazine: “What’s New in Golf” – meets at 5 p.m. in the Club House. Straight from the pages of Golf Magazine, this hour-long clinic is lead by the Club Pro and covers this month’s highlights and techniques, cover to cover.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Introduction to the Sunday River Club House – meets at 11 a.m. at the Sunday River Club House. Learn the ins and outs of the Sunday River Gold Club starting with a tour of its beloved Club House.
Ongoing Clinics
Welcome to Golf - Each week, we offer a class called "Welcome to Golf" for men and women, and a second weekly version of the class that is just for women. The general “Welcome to Golf” meets Sunday and Tuesday. The “Ladies Welcome to Golf” meets on Saturdays. The course starts with a tour of the Sunday River Golf Club and then moves into the basics of swing, putting, proper use of various clubs, rules and etiquette. This three week long class culminates with actual play on the course guided by the class instructor. Cost for the entire class is $99 and includes three vouchers to play nine holes at the Sunday River Golf Club, each voucher given to the students as the complete that week's class.
Even if you have not yet joined the Twitter revolution, you would have to be hiding under a rock to not have heard about it - or the number of people and businesses using it. Sunday River has a Twitter account (sundayriver), as does Chris DiMarco (ChrisDiMarco), John Daly (PGA_John Daly), Davis Love III (Love 3D), Parker McLachlin (ParkerMcLachlin), Ian Poulter (IanJamesPoulter), Stuart Appleby (StuartAppleby), Tadd Fujikawa (Tadd_Fujikawa), Boo Weekley (BooWeekley), Pat Perez (PatPerezGolf), J.J. Henry (JJHenryGolf), Peter Jacobsen (JakeTrout) and Spencer Levin (Spencer_Levin) (source www.golfdigest.com).
Are all of these fellow "Tweeters" talking to just their fellow golfing friends? Maybe. However, more and more people are "tweaching" out to people they'd like to be friends with and businesses they'd like to be associated with. Thus, it's become not so much who you know as who you'd like to know. Speaking on behalf of Sunday River, we use Twitter to post press releases, new vacation and lodging deals, event information and sometimes just fun nonsense we've come across that we want to share with the masses. For the Sunday River Golf Club, we post course news, clinics offered and sometimes just fun facts like, "hey - there is a new Golf Blog posted by Darcy up!" (Shameless plug, but hey don't blame me, blame the little birdie who told me to do it.)
In a recent article posted by Thomas Bonk on Golf Digest Digital, "Sore Thumbs," Bonk illustrates that the use of Twitter amidst the golfing world is only going to grow.
"There is no telling just where this is all going to end up, but you can probably assume there are going to be some sore thumbs if it continues to take off. And all signs indicate that it's just getting bigger," writes Bonk. "Want to know how we know? Dan Jenkins, the venerable writer-at-large for Golf Digest, is going to tweet at the U.S. Open. For many who know Jenkins, this is startling news, if only for the fact that Jenkins sometimes needs help turning his computer on."
So for those of us golfers concentrating on birdies, it might also benefit us to concentrate on "tweets" as well.
Happy golfing!
Darcy
Hole #9 taken 6-4-09
Golf Blog Post #4
With opening day tomorrow, I want to dedicate this blog post to the number of daily and on-going clinics being offered at the Sunday River Golf Club. To sign up for any of these clinics below, call the Sunday River Golf Club at 207-824-GOLF (4653). Daily clinics are free for Club members and $15 for nonmembers.
Sunday, June 7 –
Daily Clinic: Short Game – meets at 9 a.m. on the putting green. This hour-long clinic covers the fundamentals of where most games are either won or lost.
Monday, June 8 –
Daily Clinic: Driving Strategies – meets at 5 p.m. on the range. This hour-long clinic is designed to help you find the right drive for your golfing needs.
Tuesday, June 9 –
Daily Clinic: Short Game – meets at 9 a.m. on the putting green. This hour-long clinic covers the fundamentals of where most games are either won or lost.
Wednesday, June 10 -
Daily Clinic: Course Management – meets at 5 p.m. on the range. This hour-long clinic is designed to help you better manage the various challenges of a golf course.
Thursday, June 11 -
Daily Clinic: Ladies Swing Mechanics – meets at 5 p.m. on the range. This ladies-specific hour-long clinic visits the fundamentals of grip, set-up and ball position.
Friday, June 12 –
Presentation: “Secrets of the Green” - David D'andrea is the man charged with the responsibility of keeping the Sunday River Golf Club in top shape. Learn how he does it and how some of these principles can apply to your own home; 5 p.m. at the Clubhouse. The presentation, like the clinics, is free for members and $15 for guests.
Ongoing--
"Welcome to Golf" - Each week, we offer a class called "Welcome to Golf" for men and women, and a second weekly version of the class that is just for women. The general “Welcome to Golf” meets Sunday and Tuesday. The “Ladies Welcome to Golf” meets on Saturdays. The course starts with a tour of the Sunday River Golf Club and then moves into the basics of swing, putting, proper use of various clubs, rules and etiquette. This three week long class culminates with actual play on the course guided by the class instructor. Cost for the entire class is $99 and includes three vouchers to play nine holes at the Sunday River Golf Club, each voucher given to the students as the complete that week's class.
As you can imagine, we've gotten a few phone calls asking about Sunday River Golf Club's opening date for 2009. Actually, make that a few HUNDRED phone calls. Golfers from all over New England are ready to tee it up under the mountains! Drum roll please...The opening date for the Sunday River Golf Club has been set for Friday, June 5th, 2009!
Since preparation is key, take a moment to re-familiarize yourself with some of the rules of the game. As the Wall Street Journal published in its article "Rules are made to be...completely baffling:"
"Golf has only 34 rules, but they require some 27,000 words to elucidate and are supplemented by approximately 1,300 separate “decisions on the rules of golf.” The decisions amount to a kind of worst-case-scenario handbook. Covered are such unlikely topics as what happens if a scampering squirrel steals your ball after it’s been stroked on the putting green (versus anywhere else on the course), and how do you score a putt if the person tending the flagstick inadvertently yanks out the hole liner and blocks your ball from falling into the hole (it depends on whether the hole liner was moving when your ball struck it)."
And the list goes on and on...
Every once in awhile I will pull from a highly regarded golf source (in today's case, Golf Digest) and post a golf scenario to help us learn/re-familiarize ourselves with the rules of the game. With the one below, come opening day - you'll be that much more ahead of the game :)
Here is one to try out for size from Golf Digest:
Here's the situation:
During a match, you swing at a ball buried in the rough, but you miss it. The ball doesn't move. You look down and notice that it isn't your ball. You find your ball nearby and play on. The stroke you made at the wrong ball...
a) doesn't count because the ball was never touched or moved.
b) counts and you lose the hole (match play), or you take a two-stroke penalty for making a stroke at the wrong ball.
c) should be added to your score, and then you should play the correct ball.
And the answer is...
A stroke is defined as the forward moving of the club with the intention of hitting the golf ball. It does not matter whether the ball was struck. The loss of hole in match play or two-stroke penalty comes from playing the wrong ball.
Hopefully you scored this one right. If not, I'll give you a mulligan for next time :) Until then...
Happy golfing!
Darcy
Book by June 21, play anytime!
There are lots of ways to prep for the coming golf season, but no practice swing works quite like an exercise in good common sense. Now through June 21, take advantage of Stay and Play packages starting at just $99 per person. The beauty of this special is – buy before June 21 and use the package any time this summer. Or, show Dad or Grandpa something better then a tie on father’s day and book him a Stay and Play package that he can use anytime this season. It’s a win-win for any golfer!
The Sunday River Golf Club looks to open in early June. Temperatures have been near perfect that past couple of weeks with lots of sunshine and the occasional rain shower to really push things along. Fingers crossed, and we could be announcing opening day as early as next week. Until then, keep it here for more information on great deals and summer events!
Happy golfing,
Darcy
While it is unimaginable for some to admit out loud excitement for summer when there is still great skiing and riding to be had, for many of us, our thoughts have turned to the golf season ahead. In between fantastic turns on the slopes, we imagine fantastic summer days spent with friends on the Sunday River Golf Course. Without a doubt, for those of us already bitten by the golf bug we are hardly interested in buying snow gear when this year’s new driver will most certainly land us a spot on the Tour.
If accolades speak for themselves, then the Sunday River Golf Club is all that anyone is hearing about. Now entering its fourth year as the #1 Public Golf Course in Maine according to Golfweek magazine, the Sunday River Golf Club is gaining national attention even as one of the youngest courses around. As well, it has been listed as the only New England course on Golf Digest’s Best New Public Over $75 Top 10 list and Golfstyles New England magazine named the Sunday River Golf Club their Public Course of the Year for 2007.
Spread across a 350-acre site that sits on a northwest-facing hillside with sweeping views across the Sunday River Valley to the Mahoosuc Mountain Range, the course plays to 7,130 yards from the championship tees. The 10,000 square foot clubhouse is made of log and stone and features a deck with sweeping views, an indoor/outdoor stone fireplace, a stone-faced bar, woodcarvings, and Old Hickory furniture. A full practice facility includes a driving range with multiple target greens and an expansive putting green, located adjacent to the clubhouse.
Now covered in deep snow, it is only a matter of some good warm and sunny days before this exciting course opens to the public for the 2009 season. For now, consider this: For every snow dance out there, there are more and more people breaking out their clubs and working on their swing—a summer dance of sorts for the golf enthusiast. By early May, our summer dances should pay off and we’ll be teeing up at the Sunday River Golf Course.
More information on the Sunday River Golf Club is available at www.sundayriver.com/golf
See you soon -
Darcy
