To say that Cyndi Robbins, the owner of the Poland Spring Resort, is very good for golf would be an understatement.

Robbins supports the Poland Spring Preservation Society by allowing it to raise money by conducting the Fell Ross Heritage Cup Scramble at the Poland Spring Golf Course in the spring, supplying it with the course and prizes. She allows other charities to run their fundraisers at Poland Spring during the season.

Robbins also permits the Poland High School golf team to play at the course and on the practice range for free.

There are countless other things involving the Poland Spring Resort and golf course that help charitable organizations, but last week probably put Poland Spring, Robbins and her staff into a special category.

Neighboring Summit Springs Golf Course was vandalized for the third time this season early in the morning of Sept. 21. Twenty carts, 13 belonging to Summit Springs and seven privately owned, were set ablaze.

Robbins sent four Poland Spring carts to Summit Springs that day and visited the course. She promised Summit Springs more carts for this weekend.

Advertisement

Robbins is a superb neighbor who has a memory that dates back to 2001 when a fire destroyed a barn and all of the golf course equipment at Poland Spring. She said that as many as 20 Maine golf courses loaned her equipment to keep the course operational.

Mary Rich, the Summit Springs manager, said: “Cyndi. God, love her. She sent us the carts and came over to the course. That’s the reason we’re staying open.”

Rich also said that the continued vandalism would not deter the Summit Springs efforts to restore it to being a good semi-private course. They simply have to identify the vandals and charge them.

*****

The Maine State Golf Association’s Mid-Amateur championship is being held this weekend without a Fox Ridge member in the 94-man field of players who are more than 25 years old .

Fox Ridge head pro Jerry DiPhilippo could offer no explanation for this void, but he did say that the his club’s Fall Two-Ball Classic was being held on the same dates as the mid-amateur. A few of Fox Ridge’s better players have opted for their club’s event.

Advertisement

Among the contenders in the two-day Mid-Am, which is concluding today (Sept. 25) are two of Martindale’s best, Andrew Slattery of Minot and Jace Pearson of Auburn. Slattery captured the St. John Valley Amateur Championship Labor Day Weekend at Aroostook Valley. Slattery and Pearson played together and won the MSGA club title earlier this season, and Pearson was a member of the MSGA mixed championship duo.

Other area players in the field are Andrew Stonehouse of Poland Spring along with Tim Flaherty and Mike DePhilippo, both of Sunday River.

The defending champion is MSGA tournament director Mike Doran, who is excited to be vying for his second consecutive crown primarily because it is at Kebo Valley in Bar Harbor.

“Kebo was founded in 1888, which makes it the eighth oldest golf course in the United States,” Doran said. “It’s a great track and we probably have a full field because of that.”

The mid-amateur division of the U.S. Golf Association was created more than 40 years ago because the USGA felt that college players were dominating the U.S. Amateur Championship. The age of 25 was designed for working people who maintained full-time jobs. The college players, they determined, were almost able to play golf full-time, giving them an advantage.

Mid-Amateur championships have become a popular and significant USGA event over the years in most states and nationally with Maine totally on board in its 26th year of conducting it.

Advertisement

*****

Ricky Plummer of Summit Springs was second in the MSGA Senior Tour’s 55 and over gross (77/69) Sept. 19 at the Bethel Inn Resort. Vic Gaudreau of Poland Spring was third in 55 and over net (82/66), while Jack Milo of Fox Ridge recorded a skin on the sixth hole, and Cy Thompson of Poland Spring won the sixth hole pin at 4-2. … Andrew Stonehouse of Sunday River (74/68) took third place Individual Net Flight 1 during the MSGA Weekend Tournament Sept. 16-17 … In New England PGA Maine Chapter tournaments, Nick Glicos of Martindale teamed with Jace Pearson, Paul Pellete and Felix Lincoln Sept. 20 at Webhannet to win the two best balls of four (64-65—129 -13) with the Martindale group of Kyle Bourassa, Paul Croteau, Rich Tremblay and Jerry Gosselin finishing tied for fifth (67-67—134 – 8). In idividual pro, Bourassa was second (35-35—70 -1) and Glicos was third (33-39—72 +1). On Sept. 15, Glicos was tied for fourth in two best balls of four at York, teaming with Jim Emerson, Lincoln and Scott Lever (65-65—132 -11) and he took third in the individual pro (35-35—70 E). On Sept. 14 at Cape Arundel, Bourassa was tied for first with Andy Beck, Tremblay and John Collins (60-65—125 -13), while Glicos was fourth with Dave Luce, Justin Bell and Ed Foster (64-65—127 -11). Bourassa took the individual pro (33-35—68 -1) with Glicos tied for second (36-33–69 E).

*****

There is an MSGA Senior Tour event Sept. 26 at Purpoodock, and the weekend tournaments are Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at Willowdale.

*****

This is the final “Par For The Course” of the 2016 golf season. Have a great conclusion of this year.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.