Blue Hen Invitational set for Oct. 19-20 at Rehoboth Beach CC

Written by Fritz Schranck. Posted in Golf Column

October 18, 2019

Rehoboth Beach Country Club is once again hosting the Blue Hen Invitational tournament Oct. 19-20. The University of Delaware women’s golf team will compete against NCAA Division I opponents such as the Naval Academy, Georgetown University, and Dartmouth.

The shotgun start for the 36-hole event begins at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. Admission is free and is a great opportunity to watch great young talent on a challenging course.

Brockstedt wins US Kids Tournament

Sawyer Brockstedt turns 13 this month. Apparently she decided to complete her golf tournament record as a 12-year-old with a bit of a flourish.

The Sussex Academy student-athlete won a US Kids regional tournament Oct. 13 at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL. Brockstedt shot even par for the two-day 36-hole event, highlighted by hitting all 18 greens in regulation and playing the last six holes in two under par in the final round.

She plans to play a few Hurricane Junior Tournaments later this fall, as well as the Doral Publix and US Kids Teen Holiday Classic in Florida just before Christmas. 

Cushman/EZGO

The end of the Cape Region golf season nears, which means that local golf course superintendents should soon have a bit more freedom to address the more challenging elements of their responsibilities.

It is frankly easier to work on the golf course when the golfers aren’t there. However, during the season the greens keepers must manage a sometimes difficult balancing act between doing what is needed and keeping the players happy.

At the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show I spoke once again with Brandon Haddock, director of communications for Textron Specialized Vehicles. This time we focused on Cushman carts aimed at the maintenance side of golf course operations.

Haddock showed me their lithium battery powered 800 ELITE Utility Cart. The battery set and motor were almost fully covered under the seat, which he described as a zero-maintenance set up. The covering may have been deliberately designed to discourage any idea of tinkering in the first place. To me the only thing missing when you look under the seat is a printed message saying “Don’t Mess With This.”

The lithium batteries can charge during short breaks, unlike the all–night requirements of prior battery designs, and fully recharge in half the time of other batteries. The lithium batteries require neither water refilling nor terminal post cleaning, like traditional lead-batteries do.

I liked how the rear bed area is slotted to hold a divider in place, making it easy to carry two kinds of material at the same time. In addition, a looped metal top edging on the bed lid provides tie down spots for several hand tools such as rakes or shovels, with less chance of bounce-offs.

We also checked out the Cushman Hauler 4 x 4 heavy-duty cart. It has a 2-ton towing capacity and a bed capacity of 1,500 pounds.

Last year Haddock and I talked about a GPS locator/control system the company offers for its golf carts. The device tells course operators where the carts are out on the course, and can also help prevent an accidental ride into a pond.

This year’s innovations carry that technology into the maintenance carts. The web-based system shows where the carts are and how long they’ve been at a location. That is a very handy management tool when the workforce can be anywhere on a 150-200 acre property. It is similar to GPS systems used for other fleet operations, such as transit agencies or the heavy trucking industry.

Ralph Lauren

For many people, the name Ralph Lauren is synonymous with a certain East Coast preppie style, a sort of homage from the 1980s to the Great Gatsby styles of the 20s.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The Lauren name still has that cachet in various lines such as Polo or RLX, but the fashion options have expanded beyond that initial apparent limitation – in a good way.

At the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show I met Molly Abramson, a merchandising and planning manager for Lauren. We walked into a small subset of the large booth space devoted to what she called “pastels that are grounded in whites and navies.” The woven fabrics include a small amount of stretch fabric, about 4%, and the combination felt very lightweight, a good option for warmer weather.

Abramson referred to this as their Featherweight Airflow. She said their wearable cashmere hoodie has done very well.

Among cooler weather offerings, we looked at the Cool Wool lines, including a poly-quilted full-zip vest. Abramson expected this piece to be used regularly both on- and off-course.

We finished up by checking out some of the women’s wear options, including long sleeve tops featuring asymmetrical color blocking schemes. Abramson called these “fun flirty pastels.” I felt they were a toned-down version of the brighter color options offered by Laura Ashley or Lily Pulitzer, but I’m not the target demographic.