North Shore Golf Magazine Spring 2017

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NSGolfMag.qxp_Layout 1 3/2/17 2:02 PM Page 24 GANNON’S By BETH BRESNAHAN A GEM Acolleague once took me to the driving range to teach me the basics. After a few swings and misses, I finally connected with the ball. It ricocheted off the divider and somehow sailed behind me, nailing him between the legs. As he folded toward the ground, I apologized profusely. I then gave away what remained of my bucket of balls while my friend tended to his. I never tried golf again. And not surprisingly, no one, especially my male friends, has since offered to teach me. Luckily, Essex Media Group has several skilled golfers on its staff who make up for my shortcomings by providing North Shore Golf readers with top-notch writing about the game. But having grown up in Lynn, I do know Gannon Golf Club very well. As a kid, I sledded the hills of the course, which was then known as Happy Valley. As a mischievous teenager, my friends and I would sneak onto the course at night with our backpacks filled with cheap beer for parties. And as an adult, I’ve attended many family events, fundraisers and functions held in the public course’s distinctive clubhouse. As soon as you pull up Gannon’s steep driveway, you cannot miss the clubhouse that has sat atop the hill for more than 80 years. It’s hard to believe that the magnificent building was constructed entirely using recycled and reclaimed stones unearthed during the process of clearing and excavating the land for the golf course. Tucked between the 18-hole course designed by Donald Ross disciple Wayne Stiles and Lynn Woods, the clubhouse is truly a gem. Inside, on the second floor, is another gem waiting to be discovered in Diamond’s in the Rough – the course’s 19th hole. Gannon Building Association oversees the clubhouse operations. The not-for-profit association taps proceeds from beverage sales and bar activities to fund clubhouse improvements (in fact, the association is currently renovating the floors), sponsors youth golf programs and donates to local charities. Diamond Caterers, owned by Lynn resident Kim Diamond, operates the kitchen and since 2014 has provided food for the 19th hole (hence the name, Diamond’s in the Rough), function room and Snack Shack, located next to the 18th hole. It's clear that Diamond’s in the Rough is not only enjoyed by golfers, but has also established itself as a friendly neighborhood bar and restaurant. I stopped in late on a Thursday afternoon during the off-season. I was pleasantly surprised to find a decent-size crowd seated at the bar in an almost Cheers-like atmosphere. Everyone knew one another’s names, and even knew mine (because I called ahead to let the bartender on-duty, Clarke Morrison, know I was coming). >>> P. 29 PHOTOS: Mark Lorenz 24 >>> FALL spring 2016 2017
NSGolfMag.qxp_Layout 1 3/2/17 2:02 PM Page 25 USGA director visits Open site By BILL BROTHERTON Matt Sawicki, director of championships for the United States Golf Association, says he spends about 180 days a year on golf courses. “Recently I spent five weeks in a row on courses and I didn’t hit a single golf shot,” said the St. Louis native. “I play five to 10 times a year, and my 10 handicap reflects that. … though it’s a trending-up 10.” It’s a breezy but surprisingly warm late-January day and Sawicki is at Salem Country Club, standing behind what will be the 18th green for the 2017 U.S. Senior Open. It’s the 9th hole for members, but the nines are flipped for the Open championship. Sawicki, pulling his Budweiser ski hat over his ears, points to a skinny, orange stake in the ground. “That’s where Fox will set up (its main broadcasting tower for Joe Buck and the announcing team),” he said. “Fox will present start-tofinish coverage of the championship. We’re very excited about that.” The Open doesn’t arrive at Salem Country Club until June 26-July 2, but Sawicki and his team haven’t been sitting idle. They’ve been meeting and planning every detail of the event for some three years. The process has hit a fever pitch for Sawicki, Executive Director Eddie Carbone and his Bruno Event Team management staff as the championship, the crown jewel of the Senior circuit, approaches. Sawicki said the purpose of this specific 24-hour visit is to brainstorm over marketing efforts and develop an initial plan for the spring campaign. He will also tour the Donald Ross-designed gem with executives from corporate sponsor Lexus, familiarizing them with the course and going over such logistics as where people will congregate, spectator flow and optimum-exposure spots for the positioning of three luxury Lexus automobiles. “I often get asked, ‘What takes so long to plan an event such as the U.S. Senior Open,’” said Sawicki, a resident of Hoboken, N.J. “Well, by the time the tournament rolls around everything is so intricately detailed that we’re confident that every person who walks on the course on the Monday of championship week will get the highest quality experience that’s possible.” The University of Colorado Boulder graduate, who earned enough money caddying to pay for his education, joined the USGA in 2005 and has worked his way up the ladder. He even volunteered at the 2004 Senior Open Championship at Bellerive Country Club in his hometown. He knows just what needs to be done “outside the ropes” to make a championship successful. His duties include fostering a relationship with the host club from selection to the close of the event, developing a revenue plan inclusive of corporate and ticket sales, working up a marketing and communications strategy, putting an operations plan in place with vendors, state, regional and local officials, and assisting in the training of some 2,500 volunteers. “The volunteer leadership team at Salem has been great. This is a major commitment by members, who give up their course for several weeks in the middle of the golf season, but everyone here is committed to making this an incredible success,” added Sawicki, who expects to visit Salem CC at least every couple of weeks as the championship nears. “Salem Country Club has been a phenomenal partner with the USGA,” he added. “Ollie Cook, the chairman when the 2001 championship was held here, and Bill Sheehan, chairman of this championship, and I have become good friends. And Eddie Carbone has such good relationships here. That’s part of what I love about golf, working relationships become friendships.” Sawicki said the USGA has been impressed by the club’s commitment. “You need a great course to host a championship. This is one of the best. The club did everything needed to prepare for it. As a golfer, I love the course. The first time I came up here I was blown away. The club restored it back to the way it was, the way Donald Ross designed it. Its strength is on the greens. If you have no short game, chip or putt, you’re in trouble. But it’s a course you can play every single day and have fun. It’s a special place.” And the job doesn’t end once the Ouimet Trophy has been handed to the winner on July 2. “We are building a small stadium here. It takes six to eight weeks to build. Members are golfing in the midst of drilling and hammering, and we are mindful of them while we work. And then there’s the teardown on the back end. Again, the members are very supportive and committed, giving up their course for an extended period.” His job puts him on the road about 200 days a year. Upon leaving Salem, he was headed to the site of this year’s U.S. Women’s Championship at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, N.J. – “yes, that Trump,” he said with a smile – and then to Pinehurst in North Carolina, which is hosting this year’s U. S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. l Top left: Matt Sawicki, the USGA director of championships, shows where Fox will have its platform for television broadcasting from the 18th hole. Above: Sawicki speaks about the upcoming US Senior Open, to be held at Salem Country Club. PHOTOS: Mark Lorenz NORTH SHORE GOLF
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North Shore Golf Magazine Spring 2017

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