Refusal of golf course upheld

Published on Tuesday 27 December 2011 11:00

A PLANNING inspector has upheld a decision to refuse permission for a nine-hole golf course.

South Kesteven District Council refused the application to transform agricultural land to the west of Witham-on-the-Hill into the golf course in June.

Councillors refused it because of concerns about the amount of traffic going into the village.

Plane lands on golf course

A small plane made an emergency landing in Keene after its engine cut out Saturday afternoon.

Police say James H. Duesenberry, 26, of Nelson landed a single-engine Cessna 150 on the driving range of the Bretwood Golf Course on East Surry Road after the plane began having engine trouble.

Duesenberry, the sole occupant of the plane, was not injured and the plane did not sustain damage during the landing, which happened about 3:30 p.m., said Keene police Lt. Eliezer Rivera.

The plane was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration, and was towed to the golf course parking lot.

The FAA is investigating, police said.

Teen hospitalized after Main St. crash

DUBLIN — A Dublin teenager went to the hospital Sunday night after a single-vehicle crash on Main Street.

Hilary Bourgine, 18, was taken by ambulance to Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough for treatment of injuries, said N.H. State Police Sgt. Jayson Almstrom.

Bourgine lost control of her Chevrolet Tahoe on ice on the road and crashed in a ditch, Almstrom said.

The crash occurred shortly before 9 p.m.

Hugh Royer III building golf learning facility

With his playing career encore behind him, former PGA Tour member Hugh Royer III of Myrtle Beach is fully immersed in teaching again, to the point of building a comprehensive learning facility on the east side of Conway.

Royer and a few investors plan to build the South Carolina Golf Center, a driving range, practice facility and learning center on approximately 13.5 acres, with the clubhouse entrance off East Cox Ferry Road in Conway between U.S. 501 and S.C. 90.

Royer and primary investor Al Hogan are in the process of receiving the necessary zoning from Horry County and permits for the approximate $500,000 project. They hope to have them by late January to facilitate a possible opening by early April when the property’s warm-weather Bermuda grows in with the rising temperatures.
Royer and Hogan will lease the property from owner Jimmy Jordan of both J.P. Jordan & Associates and Landmax Real Estate in Conway.

Senate OKs 5 measures to help save Fund

By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter

The Senate passed yesterday two bills and three initiatives aimed at prolonging the lifespan of the NMI Retirement Fund but held off action on a controversial House bill allowing withdrawal of retirement contributions, mainly because of concerns over the Senate-proposed amendment calling for “rollover” instead of “withdrawal” of contributions.

By a vote of 6-1 with one abstention and one absence, the Senate passed a bill repealing a three-month-old law allowing Fund beneficiaries to sue on behalf of the pension program if the board refuses to bring such legal action. 

Most of those who voted in support of the original bill that became Public Law 17-51-including the original bill's author, Senate floor leader Pete Reyes (R-Saipan)-had a change of heart and backed the repealer, Senate Bill 17-94, Senate Draft 2.

Sustainable management leads to year round play at Lymm Golf Club

This article appeared in Pitchcare Magazine
Issue 39 - October / November 2011

"I admit that I had to tweak some of my original ideas to accommodate other pressures but, on the whole, the members are pleased to see the improvements out on the course"

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It was over three years ago that I last called in to see Stuart Yarwood, Head Greenkeeper at Lymm Golf Club in Cheshire, and a lot has happened to this 'gingerbread' in that time. Not only has he gained his Master Greenkeeper award from BIGGA, but he has become a father. 

Last time I called in, it was a dull old day. Today, the weather was fantastic, the sun was shining, and it was a perfect day to inspect the course and see some of the improvements Stuart and his staff have made since the last visit. 

Stuart came to the club in 2000 as Head Greenkeeper. The 18 hole parkland course is built on a mix of old Mersey river bed and the sand, gravel spoil from the Manchester Ship Canal, so it does tend to be fairly free draining. "When I came to the club," explained Stuart, "it was typical of courses managed in the area at that time. Greens that were kept green, lush and stripey meant the members were happy. Greens that were quickly watered at the first swallow of summer kept the members happy, and greenkeeping staff the members never saw on the course, spoiling their round, kept them even happier." 

"They certainly didn't want any aeration, and were quite happy resting the greens over winter. They were annual meadow grass, good for 4-5 months of the year and requiring a lot of babysitting and expensive inputs to keep them to an acceptable playing standard. I thought things could do with a change for the better." 

Hunters Oak golf course sold for $2.3 million at auction

QUEENSTOWN - Hunters Oak golf course and country club in Queenstown sold at public auction on Dec. 20 for $2.3 million to a married couple from McLean, Va. - Charles and Vivian Shih.

"The intent is there will be no change in operation. It will remain as a golf club under the same management and with all the same employees," said the Shihs' Realtor, James Flaherty, of Long & Foster in Stevensville.

Flaherty said it is very important to the Shihs that the public and employees understand their intentions.

"Mr. Shih asked me to tell the auctioneer to tell Mr. (Louis) Schaefer that he is retaining all current employees and will hire back seasonal employees this spring ... They will be contacting members and introducing themselves very soon and invite all perspective new members as well," said Flaherty.

"He is a very good businessman, a lover of nature and a lover of golf," Flaherty said of the new owner.

Ryan Moore Forms New Golf Course Management Company

PGA Tour regular Ryan Moore and 13 partners will take over the operations of two golf courses in the south Puget Sound area. The native of Puyallup, Wash., grew up playing at Classic Country Club in Spanaway east of Tacoma.
Moore's group, called RMG Golf Course Management LLC, or RMG Club, and comprised mainly of friends and family, will operate McCormick Woods in Port Orchard. The group also announced it had purchased the private Oakbrook Golf and Country Club in Lakewood, south of Tacoma.
Ryan Moore's father Mike Moore has been the long-time owner of the 18-hole Classic, a public facility, and will serve as the CEO of the new management company.

Area Golf Courses remain open

Sioux Falls golfers are taking advantage of the warm winter weather by heading out to the links over the holidays.
At least four area courses say they will be open until New Year’s Eve, and possibly longer if the weather holds.
Elmwood Golf Course said more than 270 golfers took advantage of the open course Monday as the temperature reached 54. The course closed in early December but opened again last week.
At Bakker Crossing, head golf pro Jason Sudenga said more than 40 golfers played the course.

Restored Pinehurst resort remains capital of American golf

For a location with self-styled nickname of the, 'Capital of American Golf,' first-time visitors to this small village in the sandhills of southeast North Carolina could dismiss this as a marketing gimmick or wildly optimistic claim.

But it only take a few days, or even a few hours, at this golf-rich destination, largely the creation of Scottish architect Donald Ross and Boston businessman James M. Turfs, to realize no place in the U.S. is more well-suited for a total American golf immersion.

There are more than three dozen courses in Pinehurst area, two hours east of state's largest city of Charlotte, 1 1/2 hours south of the capital of Raleigh, but all golf should begin and possibly end with the resort of the same name.
It has eight courses, all available for public play, highlighted by the recently restored No. 2 course along three grand lodging options, a world class spa and just as importantly a world-famous breakfast buffet.

Resort Planned For Schoodic Peninsula Near Acadia National Park Scuttled

A 3,200-acre tract of raw, wild land next to a section of Acadia National Park once planned for development as an "eco-resort" has been purchased by a company that intends to work to see the land preserved.
The Lyme Timber Co. earlier this week announced the purchase of the acreage on the Schoodic Peninsula from Winter Harbor Holdings, LLC. Winter Harbor Holdings had intended to turn the property, a portion of which is adjacent to the Schoodic Point portion of Acadia, into a resort with hundreds of villages, resorts, and a golf course, according to a release from the timber company.
“We are delighted to have acquired this important parcel,” said Peter Stein, managing director at Lyme. “The property is an important local/regional resource with significant ecological value, and we are pleased at the opportunity to ensure the future of its natural resources.”