From the Bunkers

There are very few sports that one can practice by oneself and with such pleasure as golf.
Houlton’s golf course has a great practice area and for a small price, anyone can have a fun time hitting a bucket of balls … one at a time.
I fully realize how tough it is for beginners to stand on the first tee and hit poor shots, it is sometimes humiliating and often discourages them from further play — so head for the practice tee — develop your swing and look forward to some great pleasure in the healthiest game in the world.
Beginners remember, a good swing starts with the grip, check with your pro or another good player for the proper position of your hands.
How often does your ball come to rest on the root of a tree? If so, be very careful those roots do not have much give to them. Bob Goodwin, whose sons and grandsons are well known names at the Houlton course, survived World War II as a fighter pilot in the Pacific flying a P-38 against the Japanese. After returning home uninjured, he came up against the root of a tree and broke his wrist while hitting the ball. Knowing Bob well, as we grew up in Amity together, he laughed it off. It’s only a one-stroke penalty to move the ball two club lengths and save possible injury.
The Monday Night Twilight League is under way, with defending champs Andy Peabody and teammate Tony Marino facing some stiff opposition from the likes of the teams of Porter Gervais/Dylan Flewelling and Mitch Holmes/Josh McGuire, among others.
The Ladies’ Twilight League is also under way and chairperson Harriet Gray has eight four-person teams that will vie on each Tuesday afternoon and evening for the championship, with a dinner following play. The format for ladies follows the Stableform System where each player earns points on each hole, all net scores are used, with a point for a bogey, two points for a par, three points for a birdie and four points for an eagle. Sounds very competitive with 32 ladies competing on the eight teams.
If someone is not on a team and wishes to play, they can sign up as a substitute and may see a lot of action. Starting time each Tuesday is 4 p.m.
Stop hitting your irons fat: Your clubhead bottoms out behind the ball. Try the “strike and stride.” Take your normal setup with a 5-iron. Swing to the top, then step toward the target with your right foot as you start down, left foot if your left handed. As you step, your weight will shift onto your front foot. This moves the bottom of your swing arc forward so the clubhead strikes the ball before it hits the ground.