AUBURN – Nick Glicos couldn’t help but stare.

Standing behind the counter in a nearly-empty Martindale Country Club pro shop, he stood back and looked at the first tee, visible through a grove of trees.

It was unclear what amazed Glicos more: The rain pouring down from the sky on an early-January afternoon, or the fact that the scene in front of him will be his regular view from now on.

Martindale recently named Glicos, a Class A PGA professional from Westbrook and most recently the head professional at Spring Meadows in Gray, its top pro, effective immediately.

“I’ve always like this golf course,” Glicos said. “It’s a good course, they’re good people and it’s been around for 85 years. The opportunity came about, and it was something I was looking forward to applying for.”

According to Mike Williams, general manager at Martindale, Glicos was a near no-brainer for the job, even after an extensive, region-wide search process.

“We had a search committee in place,” Williams said. “We had a final list of five candidates, four interviews and we felt that Nick was the best available option for Martindale. He fits into our future plans going forward.”

The 33-year-old Glicos started working in golf as a 17-year-old at Gorham Country Club. He stayed there through 2003, after working under PGA professional Mark Fogg.

“I was giving lessons to a member at Spring Meadows,” Glicos said. “He mentioned that the job (at Spring Meadows) had opened, and he asked me if I wanted him to forward my information to them.”

Glicos was close to finishing his Class A certification, a three-to-five year process, and he accepted the job after the offer came in.

“The PGA program is really a self-study program, but you do have to work under a PGA professional,” Glicos said. “There are three levels you have to pass, and you have to go to Port St. Lucie, Florida, to complete those levels. After you complete those levels, you have a final interview and then you’re elected into the membership. It’s like a repeat of college all over again, and there’s a lot of work involved.”

At Martindale, Glicos will also be in charge of running the pro shop, in addition to serving as the head professional, something he trained for in college while earning a business degree.

With all of those responsibilities, though, Glicos and Williams are on the same page when it comes to time for Glicos to actually play golf.

“I did have the opportunity to play at Spring Meadows, but I didn’t abuse it,” Glicos said. “I had certain responsibilities to the club, and those came first. When the time was available, I played as much as was reasonable, and I’ll probably do the same here. I have to meet the demands of the membership, first and foremost.”

“We’ll encourage him to play in some events,” Williams said. “He knows that if we have a big event here, that he needs to be here to support the club, but he’s a good player. Part of being the pro here will be competing in weekly pro-ams, in the Maine Open and in the Portland Open. It helps bring the club some prestige.”

On the business side of things, Glicos is already thinking ahead to this year’s tournament schedule.

“This is going to be a good thing for Martindale, too,” Glicos said. “We’ll get back to hosting a pro-am this year, and we have the MSGA’s Mid-Amateur Championship here this summer.

“Spring Meadows was great for me, and they treated me well and I left them on good terms. But this is a great opportunity for me, and I’m looking forward to it.”

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