PARIS – Mike Cloutier says the life of a golf pro is one of long days and hard work, not the leisurely life on the greens that one might imagine. Cloutier knows from experience. He was hired this summer as the golf pro at Paris Hill Country Club after holding the same position at Point Sebago Golf Resort for four years.
Born in Biddeford, Cloutier grew up in North Conway, N.H. He learned to play golf in second grade, he said, the same year he learned to ski. After graduating from high school, he joined the Air Force, where he played competitive golf during his 23 years in the military.
Raised by golfers, Cloutier also taught his three children to play. His younger son is a member of the Poland High School golf team. His teenage daughter “plays once a year and beats all the other girls,” he said, but she prefers soccer and other sports. His older son, also a golfer, is in the Air Force.
Cloutier said that as golf pro, he’s responsible for “pretty much the entire operation.” A golf pro runs the club’s shop, ordering items and keeping track of sales. He calculates handicaps, runs the snack bar and tournaments, and conducts classes.
“There’s very little time to sit back and relax,” Cloutier said, but the job is not without perks.
“The satisfaction of a place running well,” he mused, “that’s the payback.”
The course on Paris Hill is ideal for families and beginners, Cloutier said, because of its open layout. He also noted that, unlike some other clubs, Paris Hill doesn’t time players and force them to move along faster than they’re comfortable playing.
Cloutier offers this tip to players who want to master the Paris Hill course: “Learn how to play a lob wedge.”
Because the greens are small and surrounded by rough grass, the pro recommends a high shot at an angle of about 60 degrees that comes down soft.
“Since I’ve been teaching that lesson,” he said, “I’ve had folks who’ve lowered their handicaps five or six points.”
Cloutier offers golf clinics every Saturday morning for a fee of $10. Classes for adults start at 8:30 a.m. and juniors begin at 10:30 a.m.
This Saturday’s lesson will be chipping, putting, and sand shots.
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