* Driving Range Bucket is allowed for one person’s use only, cannot
be split. You may not bring any additional persons to the range besides
the person whom paid for the bucket
* Please remain in your vehicle until your scheduled appointment time; Do not congregate at the driving range or parking lot with others.
* Use only your assigned mat, do not change the mat that you are assigned to
* Can be cancelled at any time prior to your start time
* You MUST complete your range bucket within 30-45 (size dependent) minutes of your tee time. Be respectful of other’s time. If you go past your time, and have balls remaining, we may ask you to leave. No refunds given for unused range balls.
* Please take any trash with you and dispose at your home.
* Place used buckets in the used bin to allow for them to be cleaned and sanitized between uses
* The Pro Shop is closed to customers. There is no bathroom access. Please do not use the wooded area, there’s not much foliage and it is cold, don’t embarrass yourself.
IF YOU ARE FEELING UNWELL, HAVE A FEVER, COUGH, OR OTHER
AILMENT PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL US TO CANCEL YOUR TEE TIME AND RECEIVE A
REFUND. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ASK ANYONE TO LEAVE THE DRIVING RANGE
FOR ANY REASON WITHOUT REFUNDS.
It’s cold outside, I don’t want to go out there either. But every day we get closer to spring, and a good sale will warm anyone up. Plus you can order on line and not have to worry about going any further than the mailbox. Buy a gift certificate of $50 or more and get a FREE round of 9 holes walking golf. Buy before 4 pm ET and it will ship same day. Just click the link below to buy!
As the 2019 golf season winds down here in Maine, it’s a
good time to bring everyone up-to-date about what’s happening at Hidden Meadows
Golf Course.
This coming Saturday we are having our annual season-ending Haunted
Golf Ball 5-Person Yellow Ball Scramble. In this format, four players on the
team play a scramble, one player on the team plays the yellow ball. You combine
the scramble score with the yellow ball score on each hole for the team score.
The yellow ball rotates to a different team member each hole.
The cost is $10 per player for members, $20 per player for
non-members. Carts are $12 per seat. We have room for two more teams. For more
details about this tournament, click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/385245698829059/
As I’m sure everyone is painfully aware of, this has been
one of the wettest year’s on record in the greater Bangor area. In August alone
we had 12 inches of rain. Average is less than one inch. As a result, the
course and cart paths have taken a beating this season.
We already had plans to clean out all of our drainage
ditches this fall. While we are doing that, we are going to add some additional
drainage to the course, particularly on the fairways of #1, #5, #6 and #9. We
have also added a cart path on the right side of the 5th fairway,
and are in the process of adding a cart path on the left side of the 6th
fairway as well as to the left of #6 green.
All of this will help to re-direct water and re-direct cart
traffic, which will in turn give us a chance to fill in the low spots and add
drainage to these areas of the course. Weather permitting, we should be able to
get a lot of this done this fall, which in turn will put us in a better
position for the spring of 2020.
This has, unfortunately, pushed back our scheduled opening
of the new tee and green on #4. While the new green is ready to go, the new tee
is only about half way done. Conditions have been so wet that we haven’t been
able to safely move dirt from where we mine it next to #5 fairway without
tearing up the course. Once things get dry enough to be able to start moving fill
again, we’ll get that project finished. We are hoping (and keeping our fingers
crossed) to have it ready to go and open early next summer.
We have acquired 10 new carts this fall, so we now have
several of our 2010 Club Car Precedent gas carts for sale. They are $2,600 plus
tax. As an added value, we will offer free storage for this coming winter, and
will include trail fees and storage for the 2020 season. We have already sold
four out of the 10 we have available, so if you are interested don’t wait too
long. Contact Rob or Joe for more details.
As many of you already know, this past spring we entered
into a 10-year lease agreement with Kitsap County Washington for Village Greens
Golf Course, an 18-hole executive course located in Port Orchard, WA, about an
hour west of Seattle on the Puget Sound. While our initial plans were to only
be involved as a semi-silent partner, it turned out to be quite a bit more than
that. Subsequently, Joe has been splitting time between the two courses this
season.
If you are wondering how in the heck we got involved with a
course out in the state of Washington, here’s the short version:
Joe grew up in Bremerton, WA, which is a 15-minute drive
from Port Orchard. He took his first golf lesson at Village Greens in 1966,
when he was 6-years-old. He got his first job as an assistant golf professional
at Village Greens in 1982, and worked there for 2 ½ years.
Joe’s freshman year of high school at West High School in Bremerton, WA.
Village Greens is owned and operated by Kitsap County. Over
the past several years, the county lost more than $500,000 on the course. Even
though most courses in western Washington stay open year-round, the county had
been closing the course at the end of October the past several years, then
re-opening the first or second week of April, to help reduce expenses. This
past spring, they decided to permanently close the course.
When Joe caught wind of this in late March through social media,
he made some calls to try to hastily form a golf course management group. While
the management group didn’t quite form as hoped, Joe was able to secure a lease
on the course and get it opened back up by Memorial Day weekend.
Initially Joe planned to spend one week per month at Village
Greens, and thee weeks per month at Hidden Meadows. That changed a little bit
because of the weather here in Maine this year, and he ended up being at Hidden
Meadows for the entire months of September and October. Joe will be heading out
to Washington for the month of November and will be splitting time between the
two courses throughout the winter.
It’s difficult enough running one golf course, much less
two, especially since they couldn’t be much further apart geographically. So for
the 2020 season, Andrew McDade will be returning to run the day-to-day business
at Hidden Meadows. Andrew worked for us during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, so he
is familiar with the golf course and many of you.
Chad Armell will remain our Green Superintendent and Jim
Gaouette will remain Chad’s assistant. Garry, Cole, Harrison and Bernard will
continue to work on our grounds maintenance crew. Sue, Kristy, Linda, Jacob,
Sam, Bryce and Willem will continue to work in the clubhouse. Joe and Rob will
be splitting time between the two courses.
If you are wondering how this will affect Hidden Meadows,
outside of seeing Joe and Rob a little bit less, there will be little to no
differences in the day to day operation of the facilities. And you will
continue to see improvements on the golf course, and we will continue to invest
in the property and community just like you have every year.
Additionally, your membership at Hidden Meadows includes a
full membership at Village Greens. Range balls and power cart rentals are
included with the Village Greens portion of your membership. While we
understand that most of you won’t spend a whole lot of time out in Washington,
these benefits are available if you happen to be in the area.
The last thing we need to address is a question, and a rumor, that we’ve been hearing very frequently: Are we planning on selling Hidden Meadows Golf Course? Absolutely not. We’ve just finished our 10th season here and have no intention to sell the course. While everyone has their price for anything and everything, it’s not something we foresee doing in the near or distant future.
If you are interested in learning a little bit more about
Village Greens Golf Course, below is a link to the Facebook page, followed by a
link to a news story that was on a local TV station there last month:
Sunday, November 3rd will be the last day we’re
open for the season, so we’ve still got some great fall golf weather to look
forward to. Make sure to get out for a few more rounds of before the winter
sets in. And make sure to check out some
of the great year-end specials we have going in the pro shop.
It is almost that time of the year. Sign up today for our 7th Annual Big Cup Scramble on September 28th today. Space is limited, and this event always fills. Cost: $40 per team for non-members, $20 for members per team. Carts are extra. Stop in today, or click the link to register online!
Visit our online store to get this great deal today. Just add a 9 or 18 hole round, and pay today to get your upgrade for free. Offer is not available onsite. Rider restrictions do apply. Follow the link below!
Old Town, ME and Port Orchard, WA – BLJ Duck! Amalgamated, owner of
Hidden Meadows golf Course and Discount Pro Shop has entered into an initial 10-year
lease agreement with Kitsap County Washington to operate Village Greens Golf
Course located in Port Orchard, WA. Village Greens had been closed since fall
of 2018 as Kitsap County had been looking for an operator of the location.
Kitsap County Parks was able to come to an agreement with Hidden Meadows owner Joe
Perdue to reopen Village Greens Saturday, May 25th for the season. BLJ
Duck! is committed to the Old Town community and has no current plans of
exiting the market.
Changes that will be noticeable to all patrons will be the addition of
golf carts to rent, as well as the innovative product called the Golf Board.
Monthly membership, as well as prepaid annual memberships will be available.
BLJ Duck! has stated there is currently no intention of requiring tee times for
walking, it is however suggested to reserve a golf cart in advance to ensure
availability. In addition to the golf carts, the pro shop will be stocked with
new and used golf equipment from the top names in golf, with on-site fittings
to take place within the next 18 months. The transition to the new operator is
expected to proceed smoothly, with a fast ramp up in repairing and improving
turf conditions as quickly as possible. With the changes a new website will be
available soon for information at www.golfvillagegreens.com
and a new Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/golfvillagegreens.
These sources of information will be updated regularly with news, pictures, and
stories.
In addition, Hidden Meadows members and Village Greens members will have
full reciprocity between the two courses, through the new program called Play2.
Select members at either location will be granted a Platinum tier membership at
the alternate location, this will include unlimited golf, no charge golf carts,
reduced fee Golf Boards, and no charge range balls. This program will be great
for anyone who visits either location, and is included with all memberships at
Hidden Meadows, and included with all annual members at Village Greens. Memberships
are residency restricted, details and pricing are available at each golf
course. Also, Village Greens Golf Course will become a full member of the North
Atlantic Golf Course Association, which includes over twenty golf courses in
Maine, Wisconsin, and New Brunswick, Canada.
Members at both locations can expect a high-quality golf product at a
fair price.
About the golf courses:
Hidden Meadows Golf Course is a 9-hole golf course located in Old Town, ME
opened in 1997. The course was acquired by current owners Joe Perdue and Rob
Olsen in 2010. Over the past 9 years the property has been grown and modified
to include alternate tees for all players, a picnic pavilion for tournaments
and private parties, a golf cart fleet rental business, and cart repair
division. Hidden Meadows plays at 3177 yards for 9 holes, and 6068 yards for 18
holes.
Village Greens Golf Course is an executive 18-hole golf course located
in Port Orchard, WA and was developed in the 1970s as an addition to the Parkwood
Community. Operated in the 1970s to 1990s and again for the previous ten years
by Kitsap county. Village Greens is an 18 hole course that plays 3255 yards,
has a covered driving range, and practice areas for chipping and putting.
Media Contact: Rob Olsen Hidden Meadows Golf Course Tel: (207) 356-8445
The weather has not been kind at all this spring, and course conditions are less than ideal. We’ve decided to postpone both the Monday Night Scramble, and the Senior League for at least one week. We’ll be keeping carts off the course for an additional 3-4 days, but if this week’s weather holds out for us, we might be able to get them out this weekend.
So, while you may see the carts staged in front of the clubhouse, they’re not quite ready to go. But they will be soon. We’ll get there, eventually.
Have I got your attention? Good. Titleist and Hidden Meadows are teaming up to get you up to three dozen personalized Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf balls for our Master’s Weekend tournament. Entering is easy, you just need to make sure that you like our page, share this post, and the hardest part is selecting the players that you feel will have the lowest combined score this weekend. You get one entry for Saturday, one for Sunday, and one for the entire weekend. Choose wisely though, if your choices don’t make the cut… well, you don’t make the cut. Please enter via email at info@hiddenmeadowsgolf.com or by sending us a message via Facebook.
Visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hiddenmeadows
Deadline to enter is Saturday, April 13th at 9:00 EDT.
Fine Print: No purchase necessary. Must be at least 18 years old to enter and a resident of the United States. Void where prohibited. Entries must be made through email or via Facebook message. Limit one entry per person for this event. In the event of a tie winners will be selected by random draw. Odds of winning determined by number of entries, and the scores obtained at the 2019 Masters Tournament.
Prize(s). The prize(s) that may be awarded to the eligible winner(s) are not transferable, redeemable for cash or exchangeable for any other prize. Participants must provide valid and accurate contact information. If a winner cannot be contacted or is disqualified for any reason, Hidden Meadows reserves the right to determine an alternate winner. Winner will receive one dozen Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf balls with upto one line of customized text. Approximate retail value (ARV) is $62.00 per dozen. Text is subject to Titleist’s approval, and they reserve the rights to reject any phrase or statement deemed to be derogatory. Prizes will be available for pickup 4-6 weeks after conclusion of event. It is the responsibility of the winner to obtain the prize from our location.
Entry: Entries must be sent via email to info@hiddemmeadowsgolf.com or via message through Facebook to the Hidden Meadows site. Entrants must like and share the Facebook post to qualify. Persons must select five players to enter. In the event that a player selected does not qualify for a subsequent round, the entry will be considered voided. There is no cost to enter, and no alternate means of entry. DEADLINE TO ENTER IS SATURDAY APRIL 13TH, 2019 AT 9:00 AM EDT. LATE ENTRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Winners: Winners will be selected from the pool of entrants that have five eligible players. One winner will be selected from the round played on Saturday April 13th, Sunday April 14th, and a combination score of the two days. Entrants must maintain five (5) players to qualify for any given round, in the event that a player does not make the cut to the next round, the entry will be considered voided. In the event of a tie, winners for a given round will be chosen by random draw. Winners will be asked to have their photo taken with their prize upon pickup, this photo may be used for promotional materials, posted on our website, or on our Facebook page.
PGA Professional / Owner Hidden Meadows Golf Course
People play golf for all sorts of different reasons. It’s a great way to get some fresh air and a little bit of exercise. It challenges your competitive spirit. It’s fun to play.
But there are other reasons people play the game.
My first job as a golf professional was at Village Greens Golf Course in Port Orchard, WA back in 1982. It’s a unique course with 14 par 3’s and four par 4’s. The par 3’s range from 108 yards to 227 yards, and the par 4’s are a little under 300 yards. The greens are small, and are elevated three to four feet, so while the course is short it’s not as easy as it looks.
There was a lady who started playing there during my second season. I think her name was Sylvia. She was in her early 60’s and she’d had a rather severe stroke, and decided that golf was going to be her rehabilitation. I gave her a couple of lessons to get her started….just an overview of how a golf swing functioned, how to chip and how to putt. We also worked on helping her to develop some balance, which combined with her limited range of motion was difficult because of her stroke.
The first time she went out was on a quiet afternoon when the course was empty. Par at Village Greens is 58. She shot 218 for 18-holes, and it took her nearly seven hours to play. She walked the course and counted every stroke, including whiffs. The fact that she was 160 over par was of no consequence to her. It was the first time she had ever been on a golf course, she knew golf wasn’t an easy sport, and considering her physical limitations she was thrilled to just be able to play. She was also using her score as a barometer for monitoring her health and her playing ability. “You gotta start somewhere, right Joe?” she beamed.
I wish I had a picture of her coming off the course that first day. She was drenched in sweat and was limping badly. She was out of breath and it was all she could do to even move. But when she looked up and saw me, she got this great big smile on her face and said, “I did it! I made it 18 holes, and I didn’t even lose a golf ball!”
It took her a couple of days to recover after that first round, but she was back for another lesson and then ventured out onto the course again later that week. This went on all spring, summer and fall. All along the way there were little victories. The first time she got through an entire round without whiffing a shot. The first time she made a triple-bogey. The first time she had enough confidence to try to hit a shot over the pond instead of going around it.
The first time she broke 200 she let out such a loud scream I nearly called the Fire Department from just down the road. I thought someone was being attacked by a critter on the course. It wasn’t too much longer before she was able to get around the course in four hours and her score had dropped another 50 shots. She was regularly shooting below 150.
By the next spring, she was moving around pretty good. She had spent the winter taking walks every day, had been doing some physical therapy, and her range of motion had improved a lot. She wasn’t fully recovered from her stroke, but she was quite a bit better. She came in at the beginning of the season and asked about joining the Ladies Club, a group that played every Tuesday morning. Most newer golfers would be too intimidated to even think about doing that, because they are either too embarrassed by how they play, or they worry that other people will judge them.
Not her. This was all part of her recovery. She wanted to be part of the league and jumped in with both feet, just like she had the previous year when she learned how to play golf. Several of the women were afraid to play with her because of her physical condition. Others wouldn’t play with her because she didn’t play very well. But there were three women that welcomed her into their group, and they played together every Tuesday morning. They quickly became fast friends.
That entire season Sylvia played five or six days a week. She got to where it was taking her about three hours to play 18-holes, and there were a few times she would even go out for an extra nine. Her scores continued to improve, and we had quite a celebration when she broke 100 for the first time.
Now think about that for a moment. 16 months before she shot 218 and it took her seven hours to play. She was so worn out that she could barely make it from the 18th green back to her car (no exaggeration, she was nearly crawling out the gate she was so exhausted). Now she was playing in three hours and breaking 100. Her limp was barely noticeable, she had more energy than nearly everyone out there. And talk about someone with a positive outlook on life!
This story doesn’t end with her winning the Ladies Club Championship, although it would have been great if she had. But she did become a fixture at the course, playing nearly every day. I don’t know that she ever fully recovered from her stroke (I don’t know if anybody ever does), but you would never have known that she’d been a stroke victim only a few years before.
I am so glad Sylvia discovered golf. While it started out as a way for her to recover from a serious health event in her life, she came to really appreciate the game itself. It challenged her both mentally and physically. She met a lot of people and made a lot of new friends. And after being faced with the cruelty of what only a stroke survivor could understand, golf gave her an opportunity to get her life back.
