Every Wednesday morning at Fairlawn, there is a senior golf tournament. The tournament format ranges from scramble to shamble, to best ball of three, to best ball of two, with a senior flight championship upcoming Aug. 3.
Bill Kennedy, Golf Columnist
On July 20, a new format dubbed “Rainbow Scramble,” the creation of senior tournament director Rick Grant, was played by 34 players, meaning there were seven foursomes and two threesomes. On the first hole, all of the players teed off from the black tees, which are new to Fairlawn, as a product of its new ownership. On hole No. 2, everyone teed off from the white tees, which used to be Fairlawn’s back tees. At the third hole, they teed off from the gold tees, which are Fairlawn’s senior tees. And, on No. 4, they teed it up on the red tees, which are Fairlawn’s forward tees for women and players whose ages and index add up to 100 or more.
Most of the players in the field enjoyed the new format. It being a scramble, there was no premium on shot-making. The top three foursomes shot 5-under par.
There were a few negative aspects of the format:
• The back tees are pro tees. There are no pros in the Fairlawn senior group, although there are a few disillusioned individuals who think they are at that level.
• There are more than a dozen members of that group who play from the front tees. Many of them did not take their drivers out of the golf bag on the black tee holes, while some did not drive from the white tees. This means that some foursomes were carried off those tees by one or two players.
Grant always is looking for new ideas for Wednesday tournament formatting. He is very open-minded on this subject.
It appears that he was influenced by a quartet of players who play at Fairlawn five days a week. P.G. Cote, John Moreau, Dennis Fox and John Mathieu have been an everyday foursome at Fairlawn for many years. They decided to play a round off the black tees early in July and proudly reported their results to Grant.
It was then that Grant came up with the idea of conducting a “Rainbow Scramble.”
This presents an innovation to golf circles. Will it catch on at other clubs? Only time will tell.
*****
The entry fee to a golf tournament often is a subject relative to the location. In Maine, many golfers frown on paying more than $100 to play in an event, no matter what the charity.
This writer recently received data about a charity tournament in California at the Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park. The entry fee is $1,000 per person and another $200 to attend the dinner.
That probably would not go over well in Maine.
*****
The Maine State Junior Golf championships will be July 26-27 at Dutch Elm. The Mixed Championship is July 31 at Fairlawn.
Maine State Golf Association Men’s Play Days will be July 29-30 at Wilson Lake. Women’s Play Days are July 26 at Bath and J.W. Parks.
Bill Kennedy, a retired New Jersey golf writer and editor now residing on Thompson Lake in Otisfield, is in his 10th season as Sun Journal golf columnist.
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