Golf
The Art of Maintenance
Art and maintenance… two things that are not normally associated with each other. For many, maintenance is a mundane task, vacuous of thought and abundant in labor. On the golf course maintenance is taken to the next level. Superintendents have learned to shed the myopic view that sometimes accompanies repetition and look deeper into the business of maintenance. Timing, precision, and calculation, are all components of a well rounded plan that have their roots based in the art of maintenance. […]
Do’s and Don’ts of Wedding Planning
As a wedding planner I get a lot of feedback from brides on things they wished they had done for their wedding and some things they wished they hadn’t spent so much time on. Planning a wedding is no easy task but it is a lot of fun for most! During the planning period it is easy to get a head of yourself and out a lot on your plate because you think you will have plenty of time…that time […]
Craft Beer: The Ever Changing Tap
We all know that brands like Budweiser, Coors Light, Heineken and so many others will never be a thing of the past, but could they be competing with some local craft beers? In the past few years there has been a climb in the number of craft breweries popping up in our communities, and it has begun to spark an interest and even create a hobby with many beer drinkers. As someone who enjoys going to new local restaurants I […]
POA – A Seed Head Unlike Any Other
May is a great month; the sun is bright and shining high in the sky, the threat of frost is all but gone and flowers are in full bloom all around us. But while May is one of my favorite months, there is a down side during this time period that I must deal with every new season, Poa seed heads. For many, the term poa seed heads means nothing, but for those that do know the term you are […]
What Trends Will You Be Following This Season?
As somebody who loves attending weddings as much as I love to plan them there is nothing better than seeing what brides are doing at their weddings and what might be trending during that time. Year after year we see what trends brides are doing and what trends the wedding industry wants to see. It would take you a couple days to read through all of the trends that are arising, so I went thorough and picked out some of […]
May 18, 2017
It’s a new era for chefs… Calculators and pads of paper are a thing of the past. In today’s commercial kitchen a chef must be computer savvy. Integrating food math into excel programs have made our lives as chefs a little easier. Inventories, food costing , order guides, prep lists, cleaning schedules, employee schedules and even seating charts are all worked into an excel format. Some are simple; others more complex. Basic sheets with formulas for costing, robust workbooks to […]
May 10, 2017
Part 4 of our Guest Blog Series – This post is written by Chris Sargent, Program Director of The First Tee of New Hampshire. The First Tee of NH coaches life skills and core values that are inherent in golf, to children of all ages. However, on another level: The First Tee of NH nurtures the space by providing the place for its participants to self-discover their own swing, their authentic swing, their authentic way of Being in the world. […]
May 3, 2017
Golfers could soon be, in the words of Mike Love and the Beach Boys, “loading up their woody with their boards inside and headin’ out singing their song”? No. It’s not that golfers are about to give up their game to become surfers; instead, it’s a new concept being introduced to golf that may link these two sporting passions together. Named the Best New Product at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show, a device called the GolfBoard is starting to appear […]
April 26, 2017
First of all there are no disadvantages to club fitting…only advantages! Club manufactures are spending millions of dollars annually to make golf clubs easier to hit, the resulting shots go higher, straighter and longer. A startling article I read quoted “90% of U.S. golfers may be playing with improperly fit clubs”! Another article stated that “golfers who completed a club fitting almost always saw an immediate improvement in their driving distance and scores”! If you have never had a club […]
April 19, 2017
The year was 1963, Kennedy was president, Martin Luther King was standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, The Beatles were about to take America by storm and a quiet kid from Candia, NH began work on a golf course that would turn into a lifelong passion. These days Richard Weeks is synonymous with Candia Woods. Those that have remained part of the community through the years consider Richard the original care taker of this golf course; others that […]
April 12, 2017
Spring can bring beautiful weather with birds chirping, white cherry blossoms, the smell of winter going away and a fresh New Year starting. Outdoor weddings are beautiful in all seasons, especially in the spring. It is important to remember that each season brings its own colors, climate and weather conditions. You can plan your themed wedding around your season (See Woodland Theme Wedding). With that being said; spring weddings can be challenging and come with additional planning, especially with the […]
April 5, 2017
Part 3 of our 2017 Guest Blog Series – This post is written by Brad Booth – Golf Course Architect. As a golf architect, the most common question I am asked is, “how in the world do you start”, (the design process). The thought of looking at a very large parcel of land and then developing it into a new golf experience is indeed a daunting challenge. My hope with this short piece is to share my starting process with […]
March 29, 2017
After what has been a long winter, it is time for you to dust off your Mobile Golf Bag! For those who don’t have one, CLICK HERE to view my post about 5 Free Apps For Your Mobile Golf Bag (MGB). As we prepare for the 2017 golf season in New England, I have a new app to put into your MGB. The app is gottaGolf and it has loads of cool features but the one in particular I was […]
March 22, 2017
To understand what’s behind the chef coat you need to get the details from the chef. This is my story of an average day for this chef at a golf club. Beginning of the day… 7-9am So, the chef wakes up at 7:30 to be at work by 9ish. The Muddle through the morning goes something like this: Shower… Shave… Brush… Coffee… Breakfast and vitamins… Walk the dog… Run a few quick errands… A quick stop at Dunkin donuts for […]
August 9, 2016
This is the first part of a series in discussing pace-of-play Have you ever asked a staff member at the course, “How’s the pace today?” An answer to that question can set the tone for the round. You typically see golf courses’ pace-of-play policy being 4 hours to 4 hours and 30 minutes. There are many factors that create pace-of-play issues, but I am here to debunk a few myths. Pace of Play Discrimination Slow play does not care […]
July 28, 2016
Last evening I watched the Golf Channel’s live presentation: “This Week at the PGA Championship”. During the telecast I heard one of the commentators remark that the PGA was once played as a head to head match play completion and, for many of the past championships, played at match play, the stymie rule was in effect. I, as an older and life-long golfer, immediately knew about the stymie rule. But, I immediately wondered if many of the other viewers had […]
July 5, 2016
Bunker Sand A few years ago I was invited to play a golf course in Maine named Belgrade Lakes. Located about 12 miles due north of Augusta, a bit off the beaten path, Belgrade Lakes is a lovely course. I found the layout, designed by Scotsman Clive Clark (he also did Lake Winnipesaukee Country Club), to be an enjoyable play through rolling terrain. Beautifully conditioned greens, tees and fairways but, from the very first hole, the most striking feature of […]
June 21, 2016
After a round do you ever say to yourself: “I played OK but I could have scored better”. Maybe it was the putt(s) that lipped out, or the errant shot that found a pond. Either way, you feel that your score should have been better. Well… How do you improve that score? Practicing seems to be the obvious answer; that, or taking a lesson. But, before you take the step to lowering your scores, I suggest you first determine which […]
June 14, 2016
The U.S Open at Oakmont — Green Speed and the Stimp Meter This week’s U.S Open championship will be contested just outside Pittsburg, PA at Oakmont Country Club. It will be the ninth U.S. Open hosted at this famed venue. Virtually all of golf’s aficionados consider Oakmont one of the most difficult courses in America; a fantastic facility to host the nation’s most prestigious golf championship. Narrow fairways, deep bunkers and punishing rough… but, the real challenge of Oakmont is […]
June 7, 2016
Have you ever had a hole in one? Tradition is that the player who hits a hole in one buys a round for everyone. I was curious about this tradition and looked into it and its history. There is no definitive event marking the first round bought by a player acing a hole but may assume it was the result of exuberant golfers celebrating their accomplishment with others and eventually became customary to buy a round for everyone. Naturally […]
May 17, 2016
When going to the driving range/practice facility and you take a look around. What is the most commonly used golf club? That’s right…you guessed it…The Driver! It is the longest club in the bag…It hits the ball far…it makes that great smash sound when you hit the ball…and best of all, the golf ball is teed up! Of course, when we play it is important to hit the tee shot well. However, there are several parts of the game that […]
May 10, 2016
During the summer months of my golfing youth I loved playing a late day “twilight” nine with my father. We’d arrive at the course between 5:00 and 6:00 PM and always find a group of evening golfers to join with for a game. And, as the season moved to the latter part of the summer, we’d frequently finish these twilight rounds in the dusk of the soon to be darkness of night. The ninth hole at the course we played […]
April 26, 2016
Perhaps the most despised piece of equipment on the golf course; the aerator and the process involved with it, produces more golfer questions and frustrations than any other. I commonly hear the question “is it really necessary?” My answer is usually the same, “I wish it wasn’t.” Of course the aerating process is a very necessary part of maintaining healthy greens; however it is easy to understand why many golfers cringe at the very sight of the aerator. Usually right […]