By Bill Brotherton

Middleton Golf Course, for 53 years a favorite of golfers of all skill levels, closed on March 31. In its last days, hundreds rushed to play the 18-hole, par-3 layout one last time.

The 52-acre site on Route 114 will be reborn as a town center. At a Special Town Meeting on March 19, residents voted to approve the $3.8 million purchase of the course. Plans are to build a fire station, with police headquarters, Town Hall and a senior/community center to follow on about 20 acres. The rest of the land will remain open green space.

The town was eyeing another parcel, about half the size at the same price, behind Angelica’s Restaurant, when the family of Middleton GC founder Bart Brown surprised town officials with its offer.

Initially the plan was to operate the course for two more seasons, but potential legal complications tied to the purchase and sale process forced the Browns to close sooner. Irrigation system issues also might have played a role in the decision to shut down.

Dozens of golfers from the course’s heyday were expected to reunite, play 18, and bid the course and staff farewell on its final weekend, just as North Shore Golf went to press.

While working at Polaroid, Bart Brown, a weekend golfer at Bellevue GC in Melrose, dreamed of opening a golf course. He and his wife, Peg, purchased the Johnson Farm on Route 114 in Middleton in 1965 and hired Geoffrey Cornish to design the course, the North Shore’s only 18-hole par-3 and one of only three in the state. John Theo was brought onboard as head PGA golf pro. The course opened in 1966 and was a success from Day One. At its peak, it accommodated 50,000 rounds a year.

Brown, who retired in 1988 at age 68, leaving his daughters and sons-in-law in charge, was a creative, savvy businessman. He presented clinics by nationally known teachers Bob Toski and Peter Kostis, hosted a yearly NEPGA pro-lady tournament and an annual North Shore junior championship.

Getting young people involved, especially the kids in the neighborhood, might have been Bart Brown’s greatest contribution.

Chris Costa, twice nominated for the NEPGA’s Teacher of the Year Award, started Middleton’s Junior Program, introducing thousands of North Shore kids to the game of golf. Many, including Jane Frost and Cathy MacPherson, went on to become pros themselves. Others, like Wayne Guyer, became excellent amateur players, winning club championships and competing successfully at the state level.

Gloucester native Costa was around for 44 of Middleton’s 53 years. He was working with Ron Ryan at Rockport GC when Brown offered him a job. There were five golf pros on staff at the same time during Middleton’s golden era, early ’70s into the ’80s.

“It was great working with Mr. Brown. He was a Harvard grad, smart, intelligent, with new and great ideas. He helped me so much. He really cared about people,” said Costa, who holds Middleton’s course record, a 7-under 47, circa 1976.

“The course might have been short, 3,200-yards, but it was still a challenge for the good player and a fun layout for the beginner.”

Brown, Costa and the longtime Middleton crew are held in great esteem. “We gave golf lessons, two or three each week, for the kids in the neighborhood. They picked up balls for me for a number of years. There were at least 20 to 25 kids who lived next door or across the street. Some of them became pretty good players.

“We would put notes on all the doors in the neighborhood, asking the kids to join us. That was one of Bart’s best ideas. It got them involved with golf. The kids got to play every day at no charge,” said Costa.

Costa’s daughter, Jennifer O’Connor, is in the business, too, as the owner of Holly Ridge on the Cape, which was formerly owned by the Brown family. Jane Frost has her teaching center close by.

The suddenness of the closing threw Costa and other staffers for a loop. Costa will work in two places this season, at Richardson’s range across the street and at Nahant Golf Club, offering lessons at both places. Nancy Hamson, another familiar face in the Middleton pro shop, will work in Nahant as well.

Wayne Guyer, who delivered a eulogy at Bart Brown’s funeral in 2015, is one of the neighborhood kids who was turned on to golf by Costa and the staff. He went on to win six Middleton club championships, and club titles at both The International and Salem Country Club, where he’s been a member for more than 20 years.

“Middleton has been a huge part of my life. I lived in the Brigadoon neighborhood adjacent to the golf course. I just crossed the street and walked past a couple of holes and was there,” said Guyer. “At least 10 of us went every day. Most of my group was really into it. … From 1972, when I was 10 or 11, I was there from dawn to dusk, almost every day. We were put to work, picking up balls on the range, filling the Coke machine. We got to play free golf. They were happy to share golf with me. Mr. Brown, Bill George, Chris Costa, George Lavoie, Steve Tricca … all solid people.”

Middleton has impacted his life in other ways. Guyer, who owns a successful insurance business in Danvers, insured the course for 25 years. He even met his future wife at Middleton when his doctor, Ed Sirois, showed up one day with daughter Jean in tow. Four years later Wayne and Jean married.

Employees at Middleton have been extremely loyal. Steve Tricca, who has served as course superintendent and/or general manager, arrived at the club in July 1966. Linda Lacroix arrived 37 years ago.

Lacroix, one of those neighborhood kids, said she “started here at 15, and years later my kids worked here. My first job was cleaning the toilets,” said the longtime president of Middleton Golf.

During one rainy Friday, Tricca reminisced: “So many people have come in here since we learned the club was closing, so many people who had played golf or worked here or both. Mr. Brown built a golf business that thought about people first. Through the ’70s and ’80s, it seemed every kid 10-12 years old from the neighborhood came over to play.

“Middleton attracted lots and lots of beginner players,” Lacroix added. Seventy percent of those were female, she said. More than 900 players had signed up for golf leagues. Lacroix worked to find all of them a new home course this season.

“It was a comfortable place. It’ll be missed. Everyone who’s walked through that door lately says it feels like a death in the family. So many people had a connection with Middleton Golf Course. … Special trees were planted by families in memory when someone passed away.”

Lacroix said the thing that most sticks in her head are the crazy events, such as the fall scrambles, when golfers dressed in Halloween costumes, and the glow-ball tourneys held as soon as darkness set in.

Wayne Taylor, an 8-year employee who held myriad jobs, summed up his feelings in two words: “This stinks,” adding he’s going to miss the job, his co-workers and the players.

St. John’s Prep and Masconomet Regional High held tryouts here. Prep golf coach Joe Rocha grew up nearby and played here. Tom Rourke’s North Shore Community College teams practiced here.

Jane Frost, the Beverly native who got her start here and will be inducted into the Ladies Professional Golf Association Teaching and Club Professionals Hall of Fame this fall, is saddened by the course’s closing.

“There is just so much history at Middleton and its place on the North Shore is so unique. For me, I am so connected with Middleton as a player and as a teacher. I started my Ouimet Marathon there and raised a lot of money. That event provided the seed money for the WGAM Scholarship Fund, so I feel that so many good things have happened not just to me but to so many people. I mean, we had one of the most popular pro-ams around with the Middleton Pro-Lady. I’m just heartbroken over this.

“I will always have a very special place in my heart for Middleton. And from some of the postings I’ve seen on social media, I am not alone.”

In a statement, the Brown family (daughters Sarah George, Katharine Brown, Janet Parker, and their children) said they are proud of what their parents and grandparents, Bart and Peg, planned and built. “They retired from active management of the business 30 years ago, in 1988, handing it over to a second generation that has now reached retirement age. For quite some time the value of this property has outpaced its commercial viability as a golf business, and the time has come to close up shop.

“The family is especially proud that Middleton Golf Course has been more than just a business. It has helped to preserve open space, clean air, water and other natural resources, while also being a recreational and educational resource for the community.

“Now, in 2019, the family is very happy that a substantial portion of the land will continue to provide green recreational space, as well as a central location for future municipal purposes. We feel that this would be the best use of the land, and we know our parents would approve wholeheartedly.”

The family had resisted higher offers from developers through the years.

In a letter to his local newspaper, Boxford resident Don Johnson wrote, “Many went to Middleton, young and old, to learn the game of golf. Many of us left with so much more than that.

“Bart Brown’s vision allowed people of all ages to learn the game, but it was the young in particular who learned not only how to “click” a golf ball but so much more, good sportsmanship, playing by the rules, how to conduct yourself on good and bad days, win or lose, high or low scores, lessons that carried far beyond the golf course. … I dare say these graduates of ‘Middleton Golf Academy’ hardly play a round of golf without thinking of the lessons learned at this very special place.

“I thank Bart, Mrs. Brown and the Brown family for what they have provided us over the years. The ‘Academy’ might close, but its spirit will live in many of us for a long time to come.”

By Bill Brotherton

The downright tropical weather of February had golfers and North Shore course superintendents smiling widely.
And then the harsh snow, rain and wind storms of March delivered an unexpected punch.
Nearly every area superintendent, including such veterans as Salem CC’s Kip Tyler, now in his 37th year at the Peabody club, Tedesco’s Peter Hasak, and Jeff Gudaitis, a 30-year vet and head man at Black Swan in Georgetown since 2001, said they’ve never had to deal with such damage.
It’s unlikely any course super faced challenges equal to those of Anthony De Dominicis at Nahant Golf Club, which is mere steps from the Atlantic Ocean.
Toby Ahern, head PGA pro at Nahant Golf Club, who along with managing partners John Moore and De Dominicis are excited about year 2 at the former Kelley Greens, said “That first night in March, we survived pretty good. I learned about tides very quickly. It was the third day, when the effects of the storm hit us pretty hard. Ninety percent of the putting green was covered with rocks. Seventy percent of the ninth fairway had rocks. There was water in the pro shop, and five feet of water covered the patio. It was devastation.”
But all is well now, thanks to the efforts of Nahant staff and an assist from seven men from the state’s Community Service Program. “Those guys did a great job,” said Ahern. “They worked hard and helped us with the cleanup and to get going again.”
All of Nahant’s nine holes officially opened on March 29. Its well-regarded restaurant Seasons has been busy as well. “We’re up and running and really looking forward to year 2,” said Ahern.
Tyler, too, said he was “in great shape until that first n’oreaster (March 2) with all that rain and high winds. We had 17 trees in play come down. Debris was everywhere. It’s been constant clean-up duty ever since. Every tree, it seems, dropped something of substance. We’ve never been involved with this much cleanup this late.”

Players at Wenham Golf Club will notice that that menacing red cedar tree lurking in front of Wenham’s fourth green is no more.
But it’s demise had nothing to do with the March weather. A windstorm a few days before Halloween felled the 40-footer.
Wenham general manager Norm Tarr snapped a photo of a group of golfers standing in front of the tree the day before it fell. “The next day, it was down.”
Tarr said the tree was at least 80 years old. “Years ago, we moved the green to where it is now. It used to be right near the tree and the rock wall. We’re not quite sure what we’ll do there. If we plant another tree, it’ll be at least 30 years before it grows tall. There is ledge there; a trap is a possibility but it’s a distance from the green and might prove to be a difficult up-and-down for many players,” said Tarr. “We’re looking at options now.”
By the way, Wenham is in great shape, thanks to Eric Still and his hardworking grounds crew.

Indeed, most courses have dried out and the storm damage debris has been cleared away.
Time to tee it up!

Gary Larrabee contributed to this article.

By Brion O’Connor

In golf, an overhead or sidearm swing rarely signifies anything good. Typically, the shot pinwheels into a pond or nearby woods. But as more local courses embrace the new sport of FlingGolf, those odd-looking swings will become more commonplace.

“FlingGolf is pretty simple,” said founder Alex Van Alen of Ipswich. “It generally follows the process of golf – start at the tee, finish at the hole. But instead of hitting a golf ball, you use the FlingStick to throw the golf ball down the fairway and onto the green. Then you can use the FlingStick to roll or glide the ball into the hole.”

With a history dating back seven centuries, golf is a game of great traditions. Even though golf remains popular, many courses and country clubs are looking for ways to increase their numbers.

“Golf has taken a beating over the last decade, and the general consensus is because it’s hard to learn, slow-paced – takes too long, and millennials say even boring – and expensive, both in terms of equipment and lessons,” said Van Alen. “FlingGolf solves a lot of those problems because people can learn in a matter of minutes, well enough to get out on the course, and then get better as they go.”

Played with a traditional golf ball and a single FlingStick, FlingGolf is compared in golf circles to the snowboard, which revolutionized the ski resort industry in the 1980s and ’90s (the comparison is generally attributed to foBy Brion O’Connor

In golf, an overhead or sidearm swing rarely signifies anything good. Typically, the shot pinwheels into a pond or nearby woods. But as more local courses embrace the new sport of FlingGolf, those odd-looking swings will become more commonplace.

“FlingGolf is pretty simple,” said founder Alex Van Alen of Ipswich. “It generally follows the process of golf – start at the tee, finish at the hole. But instead of hitting a golf ball, you use the FlingStick to throw the golf ball down the fairway and onto the green. Then you can use the FlingStick to roll or glide the ball into the hole.”

With a history dating back seven centuries, golf is a game of great traditions. Even though golf remains popular, many courses and country clubs are looking for ways to increase their numbers.

“Golf has taken a beating over the last decade, and the general consensus is because it’s hard to learn, slow-paced – takes too long, and millennials say even boring – and expensive, both in terms of equipment and lessons,” said Van Alen. “FlingGolf solves a lot of those problems because people can learn in a matter of minutes, well enough to get out on the course, and then get better as they go.”

Played with a traditional golf ball and a single FlingStick, FlingGolf is compared in golf circles to the snowboard, which revolutionized the ski resort industry in the 1980s and ’90s (the comparison is generally attributed to former Stow Acres owner Walter Lankau).

“FlingGolf can provide a great stepping stone for folks to get out on the course and enjoy the social, physical and competitive atmosphere a golf course can provide and may give people an avenue to transition to the traditional game of golf down the road,” said Richard Luff, owner of Sagamore-Hampton Golf Club in New Hampshire. “As course owners, we have to be receptive to innovative options to attract people to our facilities.”

Unlike FootGolf or Disc Golf, which require separate courses or tee times and additional structures (such as Disc Golf’s baskets), FlingGolf uses the same fairways and greens and can be played simultaneously with traditional golfers.

“FlingGolf is a great alternative to mini-golf,” said Ipswich’s Bill Harrington, who is often joined by his three young sons. “A similar skill level is needed, but it’s much more fun. And it’s good exercise as long as you walk the course. My boys would run the whole course if they could. We could probably play nine holes in 30 minutes, but definitely under an hour.

“No one needs to have any experience to go out and play,” said Harrington. “You can pick it up very quickly and actually have a shot at par. That’s not possible with golf.”

FlingGolf is Van Alen’s brainchild. A Philadelphia native who came to the North Shore to work for the Trustees of Reservations in 1999, Van Alen made a permanent move to Ipswich in 2007. He brought along his love for lacrosse, which he played growing up. On a whim, Van Alen started tossing a golf ball around with a jai alai basket at local fields.

“I got about 80, 90 yards, and was able to shape shots with different throws and spins,” he said. “I decided that I could make a sport out of this if I could design something that could throw the ball 200 yards.”

Van Alen teamed with Fikst in Woburn and Tool Inc. in Marblehead to develop the proprietary FlingStick. The finished product was produced by Somerset Plastics in Connecticut.

“I established my company, PlusOne Sports, in 2013 to promote FlingGolf and sell FlingSticks,” he said. “I did a lot of prototyping at Candlewood Golf Course in Ipswich, so I’d say that was the first course that allowed it, and it’s a fun course to play on.”

After outings at Candlewood and Cape Ann Golf Course, Van Alen knew he was on to something. After unveiling FlingGolf publicly in February 2014 at a National Golf Course Owners Association conference in Florida, Van Alen put on his salesman hat, and started visiting local courses.

He soon discovered that many course owners and managers were eager to explore new ways to increase revenue.

“We have been looking for many new ways and new ideas to keep business growing, and FlingGolf was one of them,” said Kevin Osgood of Sterling Golf Management, which operates Stoneham Oaks and other area courses. “The idea that a veteran golfer could go out and play a round of golf, and bring a non-golfer friend who could play FlingGolf alongside him, was very enticing. I’ve played a few holes and practiced FlingGolf from the driving range, and it’s a new sport that anyone could adapt to very quickly.’

Luff became convinced of FlingGolf’s potential after Sagamore-Hampton hosted a business meeting that drew both golfers and non-golfers.

“The great aspect of FlingGolf is that it integrates so seamlessly with traditional golf,” said Luff. “The FlingStick allowed the non-golfers to get out on the course and play right alongside traditional golfers and still be able to enjoy the beauty of being on a golf course, as well as benefit from the great social aspects of playing golf without the intimidation or frustration that many first-time traditional golfers feel.

“The intimidation factor would have prevented non-golfers from participating in that event in the first place, had the FlingGolf option not been available,” he said. “Likewise, if you’ve ever tried to teach young kids how to play traditional golf, you know how difficult that can be.”

Just as snowboarding broadened the younger demographic on the slopes, FlingGolf is far more appealing to local youngsters than the traditional game.

“We first tried FlingGolf (the summer of 2016),” said 15-year-old Lucas Kubaska of Ipswich, who went out with friends Clayton Manolian and Charlie Eagan. “We were immediately attracted to the sport because of our extensive background in lacrosse, as well as our sub-par golf skills.”

“We loved the fact that it only required one club and a ball – if you’re good enough – rather than a 30-pound golf bag,” added Kubaska. “ We’ve all golfed in the past, and for active teenagers, golf can be tedious. A lot of sitting in a cart, followed by waiting to take your swing. With FlingGolf, the entire experience is much more interactive and lively.”

Van Alen was so intrigued with the FlingGolf/lacrosse connection that his PlusOne Sports has partnered as a sponsor with Major League Lacrosse, including the Boston Cannons.

“I think it is a great fit, because of the rapid growth of lacrosse in the region. And there are lots of local, publicly accessible courses looking for a younger crowd (to play),” said Van Alen. “They have lots of empty tee times these days. Lacrosse players are a natural crossover to pick up the sport, but also hockey and baseball. All of these sports have an element of them in FlingGolf.”

That crossover appeal, however, doesn’t mean that everyone is enamored with the idea of sharing the links. Snowboarding faced the same obstacle, as ski resort managers struggled to find the right balance. Sagamore’s Luff said he was surprised there was a discernable “resistance to change” when he introduced the sport to his staff and customers in 2014.

“Many had no interest at all in learning about FlingGolf, and thought it was a gimmick,” Luff said. “Like anything new, it’ll require those that question the validity of FlingGolf to see the sport in action and see that there is truly no impact on the traditional game or impact on the golf course itself.

“I think the future of FlingGolf is promising, but it’ll take time to gain a foothold,” he added. “Your traditional golfer most likely will not transition to FlingGolf. They enjoy golf as it is, and like the challenge of the traditional game.”

However, more and more courses have introduced FlingGolf and stock FlingSticks for rentals. Van Alen said he’s encouraged by the sport’s growth, both locally and nationwide.

“Our biggest hurdle has been convincing players that golf courses will allow it to be played,” said Van Alen. “People think of golf as what they see on TV, with Augusta and fancy, stuffy exclusive clubs. But the real truth is that the majority of golf courses are pretty laid back and fun. So we’ve spent a lot of time educating players that the courses will allow it, while also educating the courses on the ease of integration with golfers.

“When we started, we weren’t sure how the integration was going to work,” he said. “But because it’s so family-friendly, and integrates seamlessly with golf, we’re seeing a lot of golfing parents buying FlingSticks for their kids, then taking them out to play alongside them.”

For more details about FlingGolf, including North Shore courses that offer the game, go to FlingGolf.com.
Brion O’Connor is a freelance writer. Contact him at brionoc@verizon.net

Spring is right around the corner, and North Shore Golf  is planning its next issue. What would YOU like to see in your magazine? What are we missing? What do we do well? What are our epic fails? Please let us know.

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