NEWS FROM PENOBSCOT VALLEY
MEN'S MEMBER GUEST 2009 ANNOUNCED
Since play began at Penobscot Valley Country Club in 1924, the Club's Men's Member-Guest event has been a longstanding favorite. It's the opportunity for our golfers to share the experience of the Club with friends and family from all over. 2009 marks the 85th year of tournament tradition at Penobscot Valley, and we have now set the date for this year's Men's Member-Guest: July 24th through July 26th, 2009.
The deadline to sign up for the tournament is July 13th, and the field is limited to the first 60 teams. Don't wait! Download the Application here and return it with payment to Chad Curley at the Club. You may mail, fax or e-mail your form with payment and/or payment information. We're looking forward to seeing everyone starting July 24th!
THE BUNYAN CONCLUDES!
Round 1 Scores, A/B Flights
Round 1 Scores, C/D Flights
Round 2 & Final Scores, A/B Flights
Round 2 & Final Scores, C/D Flights
Read About the Bunyan in the Bangor Daily News Online!
It was a beautiful weekend to play golf in Maine—and two days of first rate competition at two of Maine’s most storied golf clubs—Kebo Valley in Bar Harbor and Penobscot Valley in Orono-- came to a conclusion late Sunday with the final rounds of the 45th annual Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament.
Joe Alvarez, the 2008 Bunyan champion, came within a stroke of reclaiming his title in 2009. Although Alvarez birdied several holes in this final, windy day of play, he bogeyed the 17th hole to finish with a day's score of 74 and a total for the two days of 145-- one behind the new Bunyan Champion: Jason Harvey, claiming the title at his own home course of Penobscot Valley with a two day total of 144. Len Cole and Ricky Jones tied for second, Erik Fitch and Tom Ellsworth tied for fourth and Keith Patterson and Jon Ladd tied for fifth.
“B” Flight saw a three way tie at the end of today-- James Leavitt of Bangor, Lon Winchester of Etna and Scott Storegaard of Veazie each finished with a two day total of 158. Jack Burt and Jerry York tied for fourth.
At Kebo Valley, the “C” Flight winner was Kevin McConnell of Veazie, shooting a day’s score of 87 for a combined two-day score of 163. Russ Johnstone was second with a combined score of 164, Eric Fowle placed third at 166, Norm Doucette placed fourth at 167 and Calvin Beale rounded out the top five with a combined 168.
Roger Blackmer of Hampden was the “D” Flight gross winner, turning in a two day score of 163—which actually tied him with “C” Flight’s winner, Kevin McConnell. Dewey Martin and Steve Sudsbury tied for 2nd at 180, Don Burgess turned in a combined 181 and Bucky Owen and Clive Grant tied for fifth with a 182.
Peiter DeVos, Head Professional at Kebo Valley, said that there was a lot of positive feeling for the event amongst the Bunyan competitors. “Many people went out of their way to thank us,” DeVos reported. “They thanked us for allowing them to play two courses of Penobby and Kebo’s caliber, they thanked us for how things were run and for how the tournament was managed overall.”
“The 2009 Bunyan was very good for Maine golf,” says Nancy Storey, Executive Director of the Maine State Golf Association and a scorer at Penobscot Valley for the tournament. “Golfers feel that by switching to a two day tournament format, Harris Golf (who now owns the event) established the Bunyan as a workingman’s golf tournament. The event will continue to grow because of that, and that’s good for the game.”
ROUND 1 AT PENOBSCOT VALLEY: C-D FLIGHTS
C & D Flights played the venerable Penobscot Valley Country Club on Saturday-- Donald Ross's 1924 gem, fresh off of its 2008 restoration project, received rave reviews from the players who competed on its historic track.
Kevin McConnell of Veazie, Maine, led C Flight in an exciting round in which he made par on the front nine and finished the day turning in a 76. Others in the final C Flight group included Alan Kennedy, Russ Johnstone and Eric Hutchins.
Roger Blackmer of Hampden led D Flight with a 78. Three players tied for 2nd place: Dewey Martin, Matt Walsh and Scott Jordan. Jordan, a former member of Martindale Country Club who now lives outside Dallas, TX, returned to Maine for the weekend simplyto play in the tournament.
"We saw a great day under great conditions," says Nancy Storey, Executive Director of the Maine State Golf Association, and scorer today at Penobscot Valley. "Wind wasn't an issue here on the hill, but it's supposed to blow 15-20 knots tomorrow. Should make for an interesting finish for the A-B players."
ROUND 1 AT KEBO VALLEY: A-B FLIGHTS
Kebo Valley saw the strongest competitive A & B flights in the Bunyan’s 45 year history on Saturday-- with handicap cutoffs of 5.4 and 9.9, there was some exciting golf played in Bar Harbor!
Kebo is the oldest golf course in Maine, the sixth oldest in North America, and has a reputation as being challenging. The course lived up to its name, as not a single Round One player in the Bunyan turned in a score under par.
Joe Alvarez, defending his 2008 Bunyan title, is in the final group along with Tom Ellsworth of Gorham. Ellsworth finished first Saturday, turning in a score of even par. Junior Alex Macfarlane tied for third with a 73.
Jerry York of Houlton led B Flight with a score of 77. The final group included strong performances by James Leavitt and Michael O’Brien, both tied for 2nd.
“From 137 players today, I heard probably 137 positive things said about the tournament,” says Peiter Devos, Head Professional at Kebo Valley. “Conditions were windy and the greens played fast, but... that’s Kebo. This was a great day with very strong field.”
Opening Day at Penobscot Valley!
Penobscot Valley will open for play on the full eighteen on Friday, April 10th! We are thrilled to see our first full season of play since the 2008 restoration. Call the pro shop to make your tee time at 866-2423-- you can be sure the slots will go quickly!
TWILIGHT LEAGUE SIGNUP
Nothing signals the arrival of spring and the start of another new golf season at PVCC quite like the start of the Twilight Golf League-- consistently the most popular event on the tournament calendar. The opening night banquet takes place on May 13th, and is a great opener to a great event. We will be selecting teams during our opening night banquet as we have for the past several years, and compete with those same teams throughout the season. Make plans to attend-- it's a great evening and start to the League Season. Click here to download an application for the 2009 Twilight League. Please print the application and mail it back to the address on the application with payment. If you have any questions regarding the league, please feel free to call the Clubhouse at 866-2423, e-mail Chad Curley or simply stop by the Pro Shop.
1-30-09 GOLF DISCOVERY SCHOOL CALENDAR ANNOUNCED!
Since the announcement of our Harris Golf Discovery School program in December, we have been working hard to arrange the monthly schedules for all of the clinics and events that we have planned. At this time, we have twenty-five weeks of non-stop golf discovery scheduled-- something planned for nearly every single day of Discovery School Season. We have clinics planned for every skill level... we have demo days and fittings planned with manufacturers like Titleist, Cobra, Ping and Callaway... we have guest speakers planned... we'll offer agronomy presentations where our Superintendents will teach you how to keep things green at home... and if you can believe it, a whole lot more. At this writing, the Calendar is complete but tentative-- and if items change and shift, we'll be sure to post a new and updated calendar to replace the old. Are you ready to start on your golf journey? Are you ready to begin a lifetime of learning? Download the Penobscot Valley Golf Discovery School Calendar!
The Lens of Larry Lambrecht
Earlier this month, we brought in golf photographer Larry Lambrecht to shoot Penobscot Valley. Larry has shot courses all over North America and Europe, with a special love for the courses of Ireland. This time, his lens was witnessing the rebirth of Donald Ross-- and his work is superb. Many of the pictures will eventually grace the clubhouse-- for now, enjoy our Slideshow of Highlights from Larry's trip to Maine. The pictures are also posted individually below.
CHANGES ALL OVER THE CLUB
If you've played Penobscot Valley lately, you know-- things are looking a bit different this year! Our ongoing restoration of Donald Ross's original 1924 layout for the course is nearing completion, much further ahead of schedule than expected. Scores of new bunkers have been either added, altered or restored. The 3rd green has been completely rebuilt. The 14th hole is next in line for a similarly new treatment. A gorgeous view from the back of the 12th tees (pictured above) has been brought back. As most golfers are now understanding, the Club's big player news is that Penobscot Valley is now open to the public. Our extremely popular "Penobscot Pass" special is available until July 31st-- don't miss your chance to play 18 holes in a foursome for just $99... that's $99 for the ENTIRE group's single round of 18 holes, anytime for the rest of 2008. Get your pass today!
2008 Member-Member Event
Penobscot Valley's own version of the Ryder Cup takes place Saturday and Sunday August 2nd and 3rd with tee times from 8:00 am until 11:00 am. Here's how it works:
Each two person team will play four nine hole rounds using the following formats:
· Round 1 Select shot scramble.
· Round 2 Better ball of the twosome.
· Round 3 Select drive and alternate shot.
· Round 4 Combined two person total.
The event is open to both men's and women's teams. All will be competing in both gross and net flights. Two members will comprise a team for this event. The event is open to all PVCC Members. The entry fee for this event is $25 per player, and entry deadline is Thursday July 31st.
This is our most popular event of the year-- don't get left out!
9 APRIL 2008: GOLF COURSE RESTORATION PLAN AND MISSION STATEMENT ESTABLISHED
Everyone is talking about what Penobscot Valley Country Club will be like when it has been restored to Donald Ross's original, 1924 vision. No one, however, has talked about it more than those who will actually implement the restoration project. It is vitally important to approach this project with great care, and that is exactly what we've been doing. At this time, we'd like to share with you exactly where WE see the golf course today, throughout the project, and at its completion. You may download and review our Golf Course Restoration Guidelines and Mission Statement.
10 JANUARY 2008: RESTORATION UPDATE
December may have seen record snowfall amounts, but all we've been thinking about for the last six weeks is golf at Penobscot Valley. With Donald Ross's original 1924 layout always before us, plans are proceeding on an even faster track than originally expected. Here's where things stand as of mid January:
Our current plan is to bring back 31 missing Ross bunkers and rebuild/restore another 65 that currently exist –weather-permitting, of course. As soon as snow is gone this Spring, we will be completely rebuilding the 3rd Green, and are scheduled to do the same to the 14th Green at the start of October. All of this will be done in 2008 with one of the finest golf course finish-contractors in the country: Agri-Scape of Connecticut. Agri-Scape has been our partner on projects at both Sunday River Golf Club (Newry) and Old Marsh Country Club (Wells).
There is another exciting development in the works. We have optioned the land parallel to the First Hole to accommodate our plans for the building of a brand new driving range. These plans are, of course, subject to permits and approvals. All kinds of smaller maintenance and improvement projects are in the works, as well... too many to name here. Watch the website for continued updates, and we will post new information as it becomes available.
27 NOVEMBER 2007: HARRIS GOLF PURCHASES PENOBBY
It's official – Penobscot Valley Country Club has been purchased by Harris Golf of Bath, Maine. We couldn't be more excited – after nearly a hundred years of being a true Maine golf tradition, the Club has been looking for someone to continue the work for the next century. Harris Golf was founded and is owned and operated by the Harris family, who understand Maine golf better than almost anyone. Father Dick Harris is a Maine golf icon (recently inducted into the Maine Golf Hall of Fame), and his sons Jeff and Jason have been the driving force behind other Harris properties throughout the state.
Aside from a complete restoration of Penobscot Valley's 18 holes to the original Ross design, the Harrises also have plans to restore a full membership and allow more people to fully enjoy this important and beautiful place that is a big part of Maine golf history. Watch this page for further updates and other happenings around the Club!