North Shore Golf Summer 2020 V2

NORTH SHORE GOLF <<< 3
EDITOR'S LETTER
Bill Brotherton
bbrotherton@essexmediagroup.com
Pandemic golf at the turn
Back on March 24, in a move to slow the spread of
COVID-19, all Massachusetts golf operations, whose
seasons had gotten off to a great start, were shut down. It
remained that way for 43 days. Finally, on May 7, during
Phase 2 of Gov. Charlie Baker's reopening plan, golf courses
got the go-ahead, long after golfers in the other 49 states
had already been teeing it up.
Some golf businesses, though, including outdoor driving
ranges (June 8) and indoor facilities like The Clubhouse
Golf & Entertainment in Middleton, had to wait until July
9 — 107 days.
Golfers, pros and owners of courses and practice
facilities had griped for weeks that it made little sense that
thousands of peaceful protesters could congregate legally
but four golfers getting together outdoors on a wide-open
course was verboten.
Yes, courses were open, but rules were stiff. Players had
to reserve tee times in advance and pay by credit card. Once
at the course, players had to wait in the car until 15 minutes
before their tee time — that's still the case at many public
courses — when they got the text message or phone call
saying it was OK to proceed to the first tee. They couldn't
warm up on the practice green or range, because they were
closed. Once the round was over, players had to immediately
return to their cars and leave the premises. There was no
19th hole — there still isn't — and clubhouses, pro shops,
grills and dining rooms and other facilities remained closed.
Restrictions are too numerous to mention, but here
we are more than four months later, and things are far
from normal in the golf game. On a positive note, courses
are extremely busy, as anyone who's tried to secure a tee
time has learned. And you'll be glad to know that the state
guidelines say groups no longer need to be limited to four;
the government is totally cool with fivesomes and sixsomes
(insert sarcasm emoji here).
One casualty of the pandemic appears to be caddie
programs. When Phase 3 kicked in on July 8, caddies
and bag handlers were allowed to return, provided social
distancing was maintained, cloth face coverings and
gloves were worn, and hand sanitizer was used. Right?
And would members feel comfortable having a caddie so
close for 18 holes? Sadly nearly every North Shore country
club has halted their caddie programs for the summer.
My days of caddying at Essex County Club in the 1960s
and '70s were life-changing. I was able to make and save
enough money to pay for four years of college. Equally
important, an Essex member, the late Jay Sweet, a man
I loved like the big brother I never had, was sports editor
at the Beverly Times and gave me my first newspaper job.
Here I am 44 years later, still at it.
In this Summer 2020 issue of North Shore Golf
magazine, Daniel Kane writes of the difficulties and
struggles those in the local golf industry faced and are
still facing.
Also, in this issue, we applaud the rebirth of Winthrop
Golf Club, a 9-hole gem near Boston that has a new head
PGA professional, a new course superintendent, a new 20-
year lease agreement with the town, and a new lease on life.
Gannon Golf Club, Myopia Hunt Club, Tedesco Country
Club and Essex County Club are all in the spotlight this
summer, hosting prestigious championships. Get the
scoop here, and read about Lynn Daily Item sports editor
Mike Alongi's attempt to qualify for the Amateur Public
Links tourney.
Bob Green, the retired Tedesco pro, doesn't think
much of PGA Tour player Bryson DeChambeau and pulls
no punches in his Shades of Green column. Columnist
Gary Larrabee takes a kinder route, showing some
love for baby brother Mark Larrabee, who's in his 15th
year as head professional at Eastman Golf Links in
Grantham, N.H.
Fifty years ago, two North Shore golfers battled it out
in the Women's Golf Association of Massachusetts state
amateur championship at Tedesco CC. Anne Marie Tobin,
NS Golf's associate editor, revisits the epic match between
Barbara Thorner of the host club and Paula Brophy of
Beverly's United Shoe CC. Anne Marie also chats with Tom
Standring, a history buff and the archivist at Salem CC,
which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
Stephen Ventre, director of Instruction at Paradise Golf
in Middleton, offers advice on correcting two major swing
faults. Plus, we introduce you to four Northern Getaways
we can all look forward to playing in our new normal world,
whatever and whenever that may be.
Bill Brotherton is editor of North Shore Golf magazine. He grew up in Beverly, caddied and worked in the pro shop at Essex CC,
is a Ouimet Scholar who graduated from Suffolk University, has written about golf for the Beverly Times and Daily Item of Lynn. He’s retired from
the Boston Herald, where he wrote about music and edited the Features section. Tell him what you think at bbrotherton@essexmediagroup.com.