By Tom Rockett
“This shot will be etched in the mind of Martin Kaymer forever,” said the TV announcer, referring to Kaymer’s putt on the 17th hole to set up his win at the players championship this past may. Almost every player at Eastman Golf Links will tell you they, too, have had such a memorable shot.
Several factors make a shot memorable, but in most cases the critical thing is what the shot accomplishes. A great putt or a magnificent fairway wood during a casual game with friends, while a joy at the time, does not necessarily “etch itself in your memory” unless, of course, it is a hole-in-one. Did the shot win a tournament? Did it beat an archrival? Did it set up your best ever round or give you lasting bragging rights at the 19th hole? These are some of the factors that make a shot memorable.
I have the memory of such a shot, and it astounded me that every person I asked, without a nanosecond of hesitation, said they had one also. Eastman member Dick Davis, who has probably made over a million golf shots, told me, instantly, about one single shot that was most memorable to him. Dick further emphasized that, while he had made many difficult shots and some that bordered on sensational, this was a comparatively simple one.
It took place on the par-five 16 hole during the final round of the 1997 class a Flight championship. He was locked in a tight match with Don Kolb, who is still one of the best senior golfers at Eastman. The match was all-square, and they both hit third shots to the elevated green. Don got down in two for a par. Dick’s ball lay just off the green about 12 feet from the pin, awaiting his most unforgettable shot. Using his putter he rolled it in for a birdie to set up his victory.
This past May, Dick “shot his age.” His golf score of 87 equaled his age but, more astounding, he had shot his age when he was 81, on two consecutive Thursdays at his winter course in Florida. Furthermore, on several occasions he had rounds below his age.
Affectionately known by several of his Eastman partners as “the coach,” his accomplishments here include the following: Flight A Champion five times, winner of the Senior Championship seven times and member-guest victor several times. He has played many different courses and considers Eastman Golf Links a very tough course and agrees that, if you can play well here, you can play any course in the country.
When asked if she had a single shot that stood out in her mind, Maggie Sullivan responded, “Absolutely.” It came on the par-three 15th hole which she was playing about 90 yards on one memorable day in 2004. Teamed with Maria Burke, Jean Gaffney and Eileen Holmes in tournament play, Maggie teed her ball and hit a dreadful shot into the front bunker about halfway to the green and roughly 20 feet below the level of the green. She was furious and walked into the sand trap… about to make an unforgettable shot. Enraged, she slammed her sand wedge behind the ball, blasting it out of the trap and up toward the green. Being so far below the hole that she could not see where it landed, the shouts of her partners informed her that the ball had rolled across the green and into the cup for a birdie. Memorable indeed!
When not making great shots on the course, Maggie is the director of the Volunteer Task Force (VTF), a program she created in 2009. They hold several well-attended clean-up days and coordinate the efforts of volunteers, who beautify the tee areas and assist at many special events.
There is an interesting Eastman connection to a shot made at the 1935 masters, which was dubbed by sports reporters, “the shot heard round the world” and which many still consider the greatest masters’ shot ever made. Gene Sarazen holed out his 235-yard second shot on the 15th hole at Augusta to bring him from three behind and set up his playoff victory. Two stokes on a par-five hole is a double eagle or an albatross. One under par is a birdie, and two under is an eagle.
Born Eugenio Saracini, Gene came to New Hampshire, where his daughter lived, and became a frequent player at Eastman in the 1970s and ‘80s. Selected by Golf Digest as one of the greatest golfers of all times, a picture of him in his trademark “plus four” knickers hangs in the Center at Eastman.
Another memorable shot maker is Sonny Demers, who works in the Pro Shop and always welcomes arriving players in his cheerful and charming way. He also runs the cross-country center in the winter and has been on the staff for over 20 years. A superb athlete in his own right, he was preparing for the 1956 US Olympic cross-country ski team but lost the chance to compete because of an injury.
Sonny’s shot came on the 9th hole during a tight match in the Twilight League. after his second shot on this par-four, 395-yard hole, his ball came to rest on the gravel stones just off the cart path, about 100 yards from the green. The score was tied. He was competing against a very good player, was getting one stroke and needed to get this shot near the green to have a chance to win the hole and cement a victory for his team. Because he had to stand on the cart path, he could have taken a drop but chose not to. Sparks flashed as he hit down on his ball in this nasty lie. The outcome was perfect. The ball rolled between the two front greenside bunkers to give him an easy “up-and-down” for the victory.
Kay Smith and her late husband, Ted, watched Eastman being built in the 1970s. They lived in Manchester and had a summer place in Georges Mills. Since they were both golfers, they began playing the course and soon decided this would be a great place to spend retirement. In 1980, they built a house at Eastman and became active in the community, forging wonderful friendships and making joyous memories, not the least of which was her 1996 shot on the 15th hole. Her tee shot soared toward the flag 100 yards away and landed on the green. She knew the shot was good but did not know how good until she walked up to the green to find it had rolled to within eight inches of the cup. For this shot, she won the closest-to-the-pin prize in the “Rally for the Cure” charity tournament. She sank the putt for a birdie, which enabled her to win the event. One can see why among a myriad of shots, this one stands out for her.
The stories of Dick’s, Maggie’s, Sonny’s and Kay’s memorable shots are representative of the many similar tales, which could be told by hundreds of golfers who play Eastman Golf Links. This gem-of-a-course was designed by the world- renown architect Geoffrey Cornish and his partner, William Robinson. It is a special place for embracing nature, for meeting new friends, for enjoying old ones, for testing golf skills and for reveling in healthy competition. Whether it treats you well or badly on a given day, it keeps calling you back for that next round, which may contain your most memorable shot.
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