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Author Archives: Joe Perdue

  1. How Many Players Do You Have In Your Group Today?

    By Joe Perdue

    PGA Professional, Owner/Hidden Meadows Golf Course

    Linda Costello and I were having a nice chat through Facebook Messenger this afternoon, and the subject of our ‘Top 5 Hidden Meadows Moments’ came up. We decided this may rank as #1.

    Several years ago, Linda was working the closing shift in the pro shop. We were having a fairly busy day, and with about four hours to go before dark I told her, “If we hit 120 players today, I’ll give you a $100 cash bonus,” waving a $100 bill in front of her. At that time, we had exactly 100 players on the sheet for the day.

    Linda, back in the days before we expanded the clubhouse at Hidden Meadows Golf Course.

    If you know Linda at all, she is just slightly competitive. And she was very motivated by money (what college student isn’t?) I was counting on this when I put that challenge out there for her (do the math…. 20 players at $12 each plus carts, food, etc. It’s win-win.).

    She started calling her friends. “Hey, it’s a fantastic afternoon here at the course. No bugs, it’s not busy, best day of the year! And bring your friends. We’ve got lots of carts and great rates this time of the day!” 

    The up-sell she was putting out there was a thing of beauty. She not only wanted to get to 120 players, she wanted to get to 140 players. She wanted to be able to gloat. Over the next couple of hours our player count climbed, getting to 117. She had taken this challenge seriously and was doing well. I was ready to surrender my $100 bill.

    But things started to settle down, and ever so slowly the agony of the ensuing twilight approached. It’s getting to a point where there wasn’t going to be time for a ‘quick 9’ anymore, and Linda’s chances of winning this challenge were dwindling. You could just see the hope draining from her face. 

    I was in the pro shop chatting with her, and all the while she’s looking at the clock, she’s looking at the sun dropping lower and lower in the sky, she’s getting antsy and isn’t focused on the conversation. Of course, this just gave me more reason to keep on chatting, telling her about how we used to have 375 players on a Saturday at Gold Mountain GC, back in my younger years as an assistant pro in Bremerton.

    She wasn’t interested and didn’t appreciate the comparison.

    Then we both hear people walking down towards the clubhouse. Her eyes lit up when she saw it was a family that always played together, consisting of mom, dad, and their son. All three of them ALWAYS came out together. You could count on it like the sun coming up in the morning. 

    Looking at Linda, you would have thought she just found out that Star Trek was real. She was singing the ‘Na na na song,’ she was dancing, waving her arms around, hooting and hollering. I’m not sure if she was more excited about the hundred bucks, or the fact that she was going to beat me in a contest.

    You do know what’s coming next, right?

    “Where’s Kathy,” asked Linda with a concerned face, as she was checking in the dad and son, standing on her tippy-toes, stretching her neck and looking around the corner for their ever-reliable third player. “Oh, she didn’t feel like playing tonight,” answered the dad non-chalantly as he and his son turned and headed towards the first tee, having no idea what was going on.

    The look on Linda’s face was priceless. What came out of her mouth was even better. At that time, I had no idea she could give any sailor a run for their money when it came to using colorful metaphors. I also found out that she had a louder voice than I do after I’ve missed a three-foot putt to lose a bet. People were calling the pro shop from the 5th green, wondering if things were okay.

    And that’s where we ended for the day. 119 players. I was laughing so hard I literally had tears coming down my cheeks and my stomach hurt worse than if I’d done a quick 100 sit-ups (or 10 sit-ups. The older I get, the more sit-ups I used to be able to do). 

    Linda’s face was as red as her sweatshirt. I’m not sure if she was more upset about missing the challenge by one player, or by how hard I was laughing. Oh my gosh. She. Was. Pissed! I doubt she said two words the rest of her shift. And with me never passing on an opportunity to needle someone, I kept on talking about how great it would be if we were that busy all the time. 

    The funniest part of this? I’m just absolutely cracking up right now while I’m writing this, thinking back to that gorgeous summer evening in Maine. Linda? She still gets real quiet, and you can tell she’s still as furious about it now as the day it happened. 

    Thank you for the great memory Linda. You made my day. Looking forward to seeing you next week!

  2. Buxton, Harris & Kauppila Lead After 1st Round

    2020 Hidden Meadows Club Championship
    1st Round Results
    2nd Round Tee Times
     
    Women’s Division
     
    9:00 a.m.
    88 – Stephanie Buxton
    92 – Michelle Atherton
    99 – Kristy St. Peter
    101 – Linda Costello
     
    Open and Senior Division
     
    9:10 a.m.
    107 – Dillon Leland
    106 – Willem Crane
    104 – Mike Tuell
    98 – Micah Betters
     
    9:20 a.m.
    97 – Wes Kauppila
    96 – Blaine Chadwick
    89 – Josh Paul
    82 – Randy Bernard
     
    9:30 a.m.
    80 – Bill Fernandez (Open & Sr Division)
    79 – Cole Daniel
    77 – Tom Harris (Sr Division)
    70 – Chris Kauppila
  3. Phase 1 Golf Course Update

    Phase 1 Golf Course Restrictions…Updated 5/8
    May 8, 2020

    The State of Maine revised the May 1st restrictions as follow (in italics):

    The clubhouse is closed with exception of bathrooms. This is effective May 8, 2020.

    Members can play at the club where they are members; otherwise, people can only play golf in the county they live in. This is effective May 8, 2020.

    Golf courses in counties where restaurants are open for dine-in customers should refer to the restaurant checklist for guidance on food service (all counties except York, Cumberland, Androscoggin and Penobscot). This is effective May 18, 2020 (in 12 counties).

    Enforce one golfer per cart policy unless immediate family.

    This is effective May 8, 2020.

  4. Hidden Meadows Open For Play On May 1st

    Okay everyone, we’ve got this sorted out the best we can. There are a lot of guidelines that the State of Maine has issued. Most of it pertains to the golf course operators providing a safe environment for people to play golf. There is a link at the bottom of this post that outlines everything. For our customers, we’re going to keep it as simple as possible.

    1. Call the clubhouse and make a tee time. Tee times can be made up to seven days in advance. 207-827-4779.

    2. Once you have made your tee time, go to our on-line store and pay for your golf. If you need a power cart or pull/push cart, you can purchase those on-line as well. Here’s the link:

    https://www.yourparshop.com/collections/green-fees-and-cart-fees?fbclid=IwAR2rmqLtd0lFMau5Hn6x2XnwjtnMbcSMybSEWqCpevZnB7F8pkH5lq8VcfY

    3. Please remain in your car until 10 minutes before your tee time.

    4. If you are renting a golf cart, it will be ready for you with your name on it. It will be sanitized and clean. Single riders only unless you live under the same roof. Carts may not be taken to the parking lot before or after your round.

    5. There will be a ‘starter’ managing the 1st/10th tees. The starter will give you the okay to start/continue your round.

    6. Be respectful of the players in your group, and of the other players on the golf course. Maintain social distancing at all times.

    7. Flagsticks must remain in the hole and must not be touched.

    8. There are no garbage cans on the course, so please pack out your trash. Please remember the golf cart is not a garbage can.

    9. Please pick up your own tees after you use them. Do not pick up tees that are not yours.

    10. Please return your cart to the designated area when you are done with your round.

    11. Please do not congregate in the parking lot when you are done playing.

    Remember, the clubhouse, practice range and practice putting green will not be open. The portable restroom between #4 and #7 has been removed. There will be no restroom facilities available. As horrible as this may sound, we have lots of trees, brush and bushes around the perimeter of the course. Keep a roll of toilet paper in your golf bag and just imagine you are on a camping trip. We are truly sorry for this inconvenience.

    As questions and situations come up, we will use our best common sense, and we will work within the spirit of the guidelines provided by the State of Maine. And again, this is a small price to pay for having the ability to get the golf course open. Our goal is for everyone to enjoy playing golf and to stay as safe as possible.

    Official guidelines from the State of Maine: https://www.maine.gov/decd/sites/maine.gov.decd/files/inline-files/COVID%20Checklist%20for%20ME%20Phase%201%20Golf%20Courses_0.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0JW9fAd79CQgYRzNKcEiTYwJhFZbSG55hRO6AK0DJ506NOXMhLrNa3qqg

  5. Carts are okay on the course!

    We are letting carts out on the course today!


    It’s amazing what a little bit of sun and a stiff breeze can do to dry things up. We’ve got some wet spots, but overall it’s not too bad.


    $10 green fees. Regular cart rates apply.

  6. Hidden Meadows Fall Picture Contest

    The colors around the course are gorgeous this time of the year. So we’re going to have a contest.

    While you are out playing at Hidden Meadows, take some pictures. Send them to us. Then we’ll post all of the pictures on Facebook. Whichever picture gets the most ‘likes’ wins a dozen Titleist golf balls.

    We’ll run this contest through October 19th. Good luck everyone!

    #9 green at Hidden Meadows Golf Course
  7. Richard May/Warren Rand Memorial Tournament is September 21st

    The 8th Annual Richard May/Warren Rand Memorial Golf Tournament is Saturday, September 21st at Hidden Meadows Golf Course.

    The format is a 4-person scramble and it starts at 9 a.m.. The cost is $60 per person ($240 per team), which includes a cart, green fees, food, and prizes.

    The tournament benefits the Richard W. May Memorial Scholarship at Old Town High School & the warren D. Rand Jr. Athletic Scholarship.

    To enter your team or to sponsor a hole, call Randy Rand at 944-0551 or the pro shop at Hidden Meadows Golf Course, 827-4779.

  8. Carts okay this morning

    We are good to go this morning. Carts are on the course. Senior league starts at 8:30 this morning.

  9. Monday Night Scramble Canceled

    The Monday Night Scramble has been canceled for tonight because of the weather. We will make a decision about the Tuesday Senior League tomorrow morning at 7 a.m.

    No carts on the course for the rest of the day today. Sorry everyone.

  10. Play Free Golf For The Remainder of 2019

    Anyone interested in playing some free golf for the rest of 2019? 

    Join Hidden Meadows Golf Course for the 2020 season and play the rest of this year for free. We will be open until October 31st, so that gets you two free months of golf. 

    The course is in good shape, and the greens are great. We’ve got lots of activities for everyone so come check us out. For more details call the pro shop at 207-827-4779.

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