Maine golfers, spring has finally sprung and boy are we ready to get out and play.

It’s been three weeks since beginning Chip Shots, a new golf-centric segment on the Morning Pitch which airs every Monday at 7:15 a.m. on 92.9 The Ticket. What a great start to a show that celebrates all things golf, from the national scene to our local courses.

I’m happy to be hosting Chip Shots and also excited about adding a few Blog posts each week to complement the show. If you’ve tuned in you have heard me, Dale and Clem discuss The Masters as well as what’s happening on the LPGA and Champions Tour. You also may have heard sports medicine specialist Cameron Trubey, MD, talk about injury prevention or Collin Gillies, co-owner, director of operations, and PGA Professional at Traditions in Holden remind all of us recreational golfers not to neglect our short game.

You may have also noticed that I’ve gone from a “golf enthusiast” in the first show, to “golf specialist” on the second, to “golf aficionado” in the most recent broadcast. I wonder what Dale will come up with next week?! Before diving into this Blog post I want to say that I hope Chip Shots becomes part of the local golf scene and look forward to hearing from folks who share a passion for playing, watching, and talking about golf. As I’m writing this a segment has just come up on Golf Central about the making of the movie, Caddyshack; what a classic. Rat Farts! Anyway . . .

Professional Golf a Weekend after The Masters
The weekend after The Masters I completely expected a let-down on the pro golf scene. Well, I was wrong. We had some great storylines from the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tours. I mean, how about “Kuch” holing out on the 18th hole for an eventual one-stroke win over Luke Donald in the RBC Heritage? And he did it after three-putting on the 17th hole from just feet away from the cup. Kuchar is hot right now and finally got a win after finishing quite high in many previous tournaments this year. It’s hard not to like this guy.

Then we had Michelle Wie, playing in her home state of Hawaii at the LPGA Lotte Championship, winning for the first time in four years. Like Kuchar, she overcame a four-stroke deficit on Sunday and overpowered Angela Stanford for the win. The former wunderkind finally seems to be comfortable in her own skin and is playing well.

The European Tour featured the Maybank Malaysian Open, where Lee Westwood crushed the field to win by seven strokes. All I can think of when writing about Westwood is his commercials for Ping with Hunter Mahan and Bubba Watson.

Okay, I was saving this one for last, because I admit it, Miguel Angel Jimenez is fascinating to me. The “Most Interesting Man in Golf” just turned 50, came in fourth at The Masters, and went out and won his first Champions Tour tournament in Georgia at the Greater Gwinnett Championship. The debonair Spaniard led from wire to wire and had fun doing it. If you haven’t seen his legendary warm-up routine, go to YouTube and prepare to be entertained.

What’s on the Pro Schedule for the Upcoming Week?
The Champions guys are taking a break as they apparently aren’t able to play week after week, but the LPGA has a tournament called Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in Califormia (Swinging Skirts?! Can you see a PGA tournament being called “Rustling Khakis?). Meanwhile, the men are heading to the land of 110-percent humidity called New Orleans for the Zurich Classic.

Local Course Updates
By the time you read this, your favorite course is either open or very close to being open. I played with my buddies Rick and Dan Monday at Hermon Meadow, where all 18 holes are open for walkers. Yes, it was soggy, and yes, we were plugging quite a few balls, but we were playing golf, dammit! At this point I recommend that you simply call your favorite course and check in to find out if they are open or when they will be opening. It’s been a long, cold, winter my friends, but take heart, for the season is nigh upon us.

Next Week’s Chip Shots Guest
Looking forward to Monday morning, April 28, we’ll have special in-studio guest Amy Badger from Bodies by Badger, a fitness expert and professional trainer who has experience working with a professional golfer. She will be giving us average golfers some advice around how to optimize our performance through sports-specific training techniques.

Looking Ahead into the Blogosphere
As I wrap up the premier edition of the Chip Shots Blog, I want to let you know I’ll be posting another entry later in the week that will highlight my participation in the upcoming local qualifier for the ReMax Long Drive Contest on May 3 at Pine Hill Golf Course in Brewer. I’ll be sharing more information on the event and will provide insight into my strategy to not get injured and/or embarrass myself by whiffing off the tee at the competition.

Until then, hit ‘em long and straight, then watch as they disappear from view in the soft spring turf.

Alan Comeau is an Old Town native, golf enthusiast, and Chip Shots host bringing golf-related news and information to The Ticket listeners every Monday morning at 7:15 a.m. 

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