NEWSMAKERS
Golf Show Returns to Hartford March 20-22
T
he Connecticut Golf Show will return to downtown
Hartford on Friday - Sunday, March 20th - 22nd, with
golf courses, club and ball manufacturers, tourism
boards, and the CSGA among those occupying booth space in
the Connecticut Convention Center.
“The Show is growing and getting bigger each year, and that’s really nice to see” said Bill Bigler,
CSGA Director of Club Relations, “We were here for the first time in 2012 and there were just under 7,000
people who visited over the three-day weekend. Last year, the Show nearly topped 10,000 people, and
this year will likely be even bigger. It’s been a long winter and I know people are excited to try out some
new equipment and get ready to play.”
The CSGA will use the opportunity to promote the 2015 tournament schedule and the release of
2015 Connecticut Golf PlayBook, and to hear from many of Connecticut’s most passionate golfers. “This
is a great opportunity for us to meet people and talk about golf,” said Bigler.
The First Tee of Connecticut
Spring Program Registration
The First Tee of Connecticut Impacts, Influences
& Inspires young people across the state
through its Life Skills Curriculum and the
game of golf! Programs are available for ages
5 & above. Spring Programs begin in April and
online registration officially opened on Monday,
March 3rd.
Visit www.thefirstteect.org for more info or to
register today »
Adam Rainaud Wins
PGA Match Play
Adam Rainaud of Black Hall
Club and South Hadley, Mass.
captured the 52nd PGA Match
Play Championship this winter
at PGA Golf Club in Port Saint
Lucie, Florida. At just twentyeight years old, he was an AllAmerican at the University of
Louisville in 2008 and earned
PGA membership last April. He
defeated Rich Berberian Jr. of
Derry, New Hampshire, 5 and 4, in the Championship match.
Rainaud, the reigning Connecticut PGA Player of the
Year, nearly won the Connecticut Open Championship this
past summer. He shot a then course record-tying 64 in the
second round to move to T-2 heading into the final round,
and went on to eventually finish tied for seventh.
A Dream Come True
On April 5th, 2015, eighty junior golfers representing 30 U.S. states and three
Canadian provinces will descend on Augusta National for the second annual
Drive, Chip and Putt Finals. Among the qualifiers is Matthew Camel on
Round Hill Club (Greenwich, Conn.), who scored the most points in regional
qualifying with 169. He was the Northeast Regional Champion in the Boys
14-15 division and one of only ten players in his division to successfully
advance to Augusta National.
Registration for the 2016 Drive, Chip & Putt is now open, and local qualifying
will be held June 23rd at TPC River Highlands, June 29th at The Stanwich
Club, June 30th at Lyman Orchards GC, July 6th at Willowbrook GC. Register
today at www.DriveChipandPutt.com.
6 | CSGA Links // March, 2015
www.csgalinks.org