Leaderboard of Boston

The TOUR of Greater Boston Outstanding Courses, Competition and A True Club Experience T here are many options out there for today’s golfers, but there are not many that can provide amateur golfers with the chance to play tournament golf at the best private & public courses in New England.

The TOUR of Greater Boston does exactly that. All members get to experience professionally run events on over 50 outstanding courses, with the friendliest group of golfers you could ever wish to meet.

With over 28 years of experience, the TOUR is officially recognized as a USGA/ MGA member club, the only difference is that the TOUR travels to different courses each week. Members still enjoy the same benefits of standard member clubs including; handicap management & access to all MGA & USGA qualifying events.

What sets the TOUR apart from other options in the area?

1. It’s about the courses Members of the TOUR get to play on some of the best private & public courses in New England. In 2020, we have events at Eastward Ho!, Oyster Harbors, Wannamoisset, Rhode Island CC, Pine Brook, Granite Links & Thorney Lea, plus many more. 2. It’s about having fair & fun competitive events

All events are set up for golfers with handicaps from scratch through to 28, with a variety of tournament formats. Prizes are offered for players in both Gross and Net divisions, with optional skins & closest to the pin pools.

In addition to the regular schedule, there are season long individual and team match play events, as well as a season ending TOUR event with clubs from Pittsburgh, Chicago & Atlanta played in Orlando, Florida. 3. It’s about the members

The TOUR wouldn’t be what it is without the members. New members join & existing members come back year after year not just because of the golf, but because of the fun, the laughs & the friendships formed whilst playing this great game or at the 19th hole. We keep things relaxed, but all our members respect the game, the rules & the pace of play. 4. It’s about simplicity; turn up & play The TOUR is a modern day club using a virtual clubhouse, accessible from your phone, tablet or computer. Sign up & pay for an event online, ask to play with a new friend or bring a guest along. It’s easily done through your secure, online member account. If you want to chat about that new driver you have, or a putt you missed, you can also start or jump into chats on our bulletin board! How do I join the TOUR?

Visit us at GolfTheTour.com, or take a look at our Facebook page: The Tour of Greater Boston

For just $150 per year you will get a TOUR membership, an official handicap & access over 50 events during the golf season. Tournament entries cost between $90 - $125 per event depending on the courses, with some fluctuation depending on the venue.

www. GolfTheTour.com PROFILE

LeaderBoard of Boston’s Air Cannon Locked and Loaded for 2020

LeaderBoard of Boston’s Air Cannon has quickly become a “go to” promotion of choice for charity golf fundraisers across New England. “We have completed our fifth year with the Air Cannon promotion and have supported over 1,000 events since our launch in 2015.” said Neil Policow, a Partner in the company. “With our staff of 18 trained professionals we can accommodate multiple events concurrently. One crazy day last June we were on site at 10 events!”

The company has standardized on the latest generation of stainless-steel air cannon designs, a major step up from the plastic versions of past years. These cannons are manufactured exclusively for LeaderBoard and offer additional distance capabilities and even better accuracy.

Policow said the company has a great variety of game formats to keep the competition fresh from year to year. “Based on the conditions we sometimes shoot at targets in the fairway or near the green. We offer great prizes at every event based on the best shot of the day.” This year we are excited to add two new options for the winner, a custom AMP Caddy Bluetooth speaker and premium Oakley sunglasses. We are again offering Golfing Magazine certificates for FREE golf as well as several destination trips.

Last year the company recorded no fewer than 12 “aces”, bringing the company’s total to more than 25 holes in one since the program was launched. “With our optional hole-in-one insurance we take the potential for a fantastic prize to another level,” explained Policow. “We had a winner for a trip to the Masters and several $10,000 Cash Splits where both the winner and the charity split the prize.”

As a fundraiser this is a fantastic addition to the day’s activities. Said Policow, “At the Claddagh Fund event recently at Willowbend and Falmouth Country Club with 330 golfers we raised over $4,000 for the Fund. Policow said the company averaged well over 150 percent optional participation at events last season with the LeaderBoard Air Cannon

He said his staff sets up on a short par four where the carry to the green is about 300 yards. Typically players are charged for team shots to guarantee a short putt for an eagle. It’s promoted as a “Closest to the Pin” contest and offers organizers an excellent sponsorship opportunity. “We invite the sponsor to hang out with us on the tee box and do a quick ‘Meet and Greet’ with the players. It’s a great opportunity to thank the players for their support.”

The company stations one staff member at the tee and a second at the green or alternate target, communicating with walkie-talkies. The feedback is immediate and generates roars of approval for good shots. (Optional critiques for bad shots are also available.) The player with the closest to the pin shot from the full event is offered a choice of several great prizes. While the golf purists typically choose the “FREE golf” certificates as their prize we expect the AMP Caddy Bluetooth Speakers and Oakley sunglasses will be popular options for the millennials in 2020.

For more information on the LeaderBoard Air Cannon, visit www.LeaderBoardBoston.com, or contact info@leaderboardboston.com.

Four of Maine’s premier courses- -Bridgton Highlands Golf and Tennis, Fox Ridge Golf Club, Sanford Country Club and Nonesuch River Golf Club--are being managed again this year by Hourihan Golf.

Jared Hourihan owns HF Golf along with his father, Dan Hourihan. In addition to managing the daily operations of the course, the company makes recommendations to golfers for lodging in each market.

The company also offers The Maine Golf Pass (www.MaineGolfPass.com), which includes a round at each course with cart for $139. In addition, membership at each of the four courses offers opportunities for reciprocal play at the company’s courses for just a cart fee Monday through Thursday, all day, and Friday through Sunday and holidays after noon. The goal is always to add value for members.

Sanford Country Club in Sanford has been voted as one of “Maine’s Best Semi-Private Courses”, and chosen by the United States Golf Association to host two United States Amateur qualifiers. Whether you are a beginner, an avid amateur, or even an accomplished player, Sanford has something for everybody. With fast, bentgrass greens, manicured fairways and bunkers, beautiful scenery, and a fun, friendly atmosphere, Sanford offers a great value. The course has several sets of tees, and its first nine opened for play in 1929 with a second nine added during the 1990’s.

Nonesuch River Golf Club, in Scarborough, was designed by Tom Walker, who was a longtime course architect with Gary Player Design. The extremely scenic, par-70 Nonesuch River layout, while not long, asks for thoughtful shots off the tee and on shots to the greens. Proper club selection is important, as is the ability to chip and putt around and on the greens. There are four sets of tee at Nonesuch that provide for a variety of playing experiences and fun for all golfers depending upon which set of tees they choose to play.

Spring Meadow Golf Club, the Links at Poland Spring, and Fox Ridge Golf Club are all part of the Trifecta. All three courses are within 20 minutes of one another.

When you purchase the Maine Trifecta Golf Pass for just $129 you are entitled to an 18-hole round at all three courses with cart. The pass can be used Monday through Thursday anytime, and Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays after noon. Tee times are required.

The Maine Trifecta Pass Only $129 Play all three courses with a cart! • Poland Spring - Fox Ridge - Spring Meadow • Valid for 2020 season, Valid Monday -Thursday, Valid Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays after 12 noon, Tee Times required, Must present card at time of play, Quantities limited.

Hourihan Golf Offers Four of the Best Courses Maine Has To Offer

GETAWAY

By taking advantage this year of the Maine Trifecta, you can access three of Maine’s top courses and stay at the famed Poland Spring Resort.

A $349 Deluxe Trifecta includes the above in addition to two-nights accommodations and four all-you-can-eat meals. The rates mentioned are per person, double occupancy, plus a seven percent Maine sales tax.

Established in 1895 by Arthur Fenn and re-designed by Donald Ross in 1912, the Links at Poland Spring is believed to be the first golf course built at a resort in the United States. The Resort also features a 330-yard driving range with natural grass, artificial tees, and a spectacular view of the White Mountains. The Inn offers many options for dining, such as a home-cooked breakfast and evening meals that are served daily, buffet style, in a comfortable dining room.

Spring Meadow Golf Club at Cole Farms in Gray is a interesting routing, with management taking pride in the conditioning of the layout. The course measures 6,656 yards from the tips and plays to a par of 71. The par-fives here are very sturdy, including the 600-yard third that tests your ability early in the round.

Auburn’s Fox Ridge Golf Club, which Golf Digest has rated a top 10 course in Maine, public or private, plays to a par of 72. Again, the parfives are a strength here, and you will find as good a par-three as you will encounter; the fifth hole. Fox Ridge has undergone significant course projects to improve playability, such as tree work and cutting back of brush and tall grass. Fox Ridge has by far the least expensive greens fees of any top 10 course in Maine and is very accessible off Route 95 in Lewiston. Bridgton Highlands Golf and Tennis in Bridgton is an enjoyable and historic course with great mountain views located in the heart of Maine’s Lakes Region in southwestern Maine, only one hour from Portland and 20 miles from the New Hampshire border. The nine-hole course is the only original A.W. Tillinghast design in northern New England. The original nine was built in 1926 and the course was expanded to 18 holes in 1992. There are four sets of tees.

www.HFGolfManagement.com

Fox Ridge Golf Club in Auburn plays over 6,800 yards from the championship markers and has a par of 72. Again, the par-fives are a strength, with two, the fourth and hole number 11, approaching 600 yards from the tips.

www.MaineTrifecta.com

Maine’s Golf Trifecta

Scarborough, Maine Bridgton, Maine Auburn, Maine Sanford, Maine

GOLF PACKAGES STARTING AT $89*

GOLF PACKAGES INCLUDE:

• Park Home, Resort Cottage or Vacation Home Lodging • Greens Fees - 18-Holes with Cart [unlimited on select dates] • Full Breakfast and Dinner Daily • Golf Amenities Package including linens, coffee maker with coffee, and beds made daily

* Rates are per person, per night, based on double occupancy

www.pointsebago.com • (888) 735-7914

Where Memories Begin.

Call for Tee Times or check out our New Online Tee Times site

1158 Riverside Street Portland, ME 207.797.3524 www.RiversideGolfCourseMe.com

Southern Maine’s Premier

Daily Fee Golf Clubs For passes, membership, and daily fee info visit: Mainegolfpass.com

THE MAINE TRIFECTA 3 Great Courses!

Spring Meadows Golf Course

Fox Ridge Golf Course

$349*

Enjoy three days of golf at Poland Spring, Fox Ridge, and Spring Meadows all 20 minutes apart with carts, 2 nights lodging, and 4 meals!

For more information call (207) 998-4351 www.mainetrifecta.com

So many golfers struggle with the overwhelming desire to move the club down to the ball and never realize that their job is to move the club forward. The result is a lot of upper body action that gets the club to take a steep downward attack often hitting the ground too soon (a fat shot) and in the best case hitting the ball solid but with a trajectory that is much lower than desired.

Almost daily I will have conversations with students to explain that as the golfer they should put more focus on the forward movement of the club rather than the downward movement. This generally means that the forward swing involves more rotation than exertion from the upper body.

The video will explain a simple drill that we can use in order to get the feeling of staying at one level during the golf swing. Simply tee a ball nice and high at the range. Do Not set up to the ground, rather set-up to the ball. Meaning the club at address is hovering above the ground. Now simply make a swing. If you stay at the same level during the swing you can strike the ball nice and solid. If you are one to go diving down for the ball the feedback will be obvious.

Give it a try!

By George Connor

George Connor is the Head Golf Instructor at Farmington Woods Country Club in Avon, CT. 860-830-6969 or George@ConnorGolf.com

Click Here To Watch Video

There are two general ways to practice – they are equally important but serve different purposes. You can, and should, use each method of practice in your development as a complete golfer.

Block Practice – The golf swing is an athletic motor skill that is learned and developed (habituated) through repetition. Generally, this takes place from a normal lie, many repetitions with a particular club to a specified target. In block practice you are working on developing correct positions and sequencing. This type of practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, it makes permanent so make sure you are practicing the right things. When tour players are block practicing, they have alignment rods on the ground and usually a coach guiding and confirming their intentions, you should too. Block practice is about technique. or round. Practice hitting from different lies – uphill, downhill, sidehill, bare, different lengths of rough and even out of divots. When practicing greenside approach shots take a handful of balls, toss them around the green and play them from the lie they end up in to different targets with different clubs…take it one step further and putt them out. Play games and compete with yourself and others. Climb the ladder by hitting a series of wedges adding 10 yards to each one until you reach your full wedge length then bring it back taking 10 yards off each and repeat. Use your imagination and play all the shots you might encounter on the course, play them with intention and use your pre-shot routine. You will become more comfortable and confident when you face those shots on the course. Random practice is about execution.

How to Practice

Block vs Random Practice By Ron Beck, PGA

Random Practice – Most amateurs neglect this practice style with is why they have trouble transferring their game from the range to the golf course. With random practice you can hit to different targets from shot to shot. Another technique is to hit to a single target but in a variety of different ways – high, low, fade, straight, draw and even with different clubs. You can also play holes or rounds by playing the appropriate tee shot, estimate your second shot and play it…all the way through the hole

Ron Beck is the PGA Director of Golf Coaching at Northeast Performance Institute in Portland, CT. He can be reached at RonB.NPI@gmail.com or www.GoNPI.org