Concord Monitor – Golf: Concord Country Club hosts the 121st State Amateur Championships this week

For the first time since 2012 and the fourth time ever, Concord Country Club is hosting New Hampshire’s premier golf event.

The 121st New Hampshire Amateur Championship begins Monday morning and will continue throughout the week, with the final round on Saturday crowning the champion. This year, the stakes are higher than ever. The winner of this year’s State Amateur Championship will receive a free ticket to the U.S. Amateur Championship, which will be held in August at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

At 6,449 yards, Concord CC is a shorter course than the 6,856 yard Manchester Country Club course that hosted last year’s State AM, and many consider it a course where your short game is especially important.

“The real challenge of the course is the greens,” said Kate Billings, communications and member services director for the New Hampshire Golf Association. “They are fast and undulating, so being on the right side of the hole will be important.”

Bow High School golf coach Matt Davis and Concord High coach Mark McDonough, both members of Concord CC, agree with that assessment.

“Last year in Manchester, (the competitors) really had the opportunity to extend the golf course,” Davis said. “The big equalizer (this year) will be the greens. I expect they’ll be really fast, and if you don’t hit the approach shot to a decent spot on the greens, it could cause real problems. I think a lot of guys could overpower it (and that will improve their score).”

McDonough agrees.

“The course is not long, so it is less suited to long hitters and more to accuracy off the tee,” noted McDonough. “As with any successful round of golf, hitting the fairways and greens (on a regular basis) will likely produce a good score.

“The greens at Concord Country Club are, in my opinion, its greatest defense. Subtle breaks and not so subtle breaks as well as tournament-quality greens will challenge players.”

McDonough’s Crimson Tide team plays its home games at Concord CC, so it’s a course he’s used to preparing golfers for. Both McDonough and Davis believe there is a home-court advantage to some degree.

“The greens can make for some challenging pin placements. … A good knowledge of the course is an advantage at any course and CCC is no exception,” McDonough said.

Davis added: “Knowing where the pin is going to be and knowing the shape of the planes of the green is pretty important. If you’re in the wrong spot, it’s an easy three-putt. … There are a couple of blind tee shots where you really have to be comfortable (with your shot) because you can’t see the fairway in front of you.”

Billings also noted that the variety of challenges on the course could allow for unique gameplay, stating that “the driver will not always be the first choice on the tee.”

The players

If there is such a thing as home field advantage, then it is good news for the 18 competitors who call Concord CC their home.

It will be especially bittersweet for Bob Mielcarz, the oldest competitor in the field at 74, who is teeing off for the 43rd and final time at the State Amateurs. He has won nine State Amateur Championship titles, more than any other golfer in the history of the competition. He won his fifth title in 1993 at Concord Country Club. Mielcarz did not advance past stroke play last year, losing on a playoff hole that determined the final spots in the 64-player match play tournament.

Other Concord CC golfers participating include Joe Bowker, a 2022 semifinalist, and Ryan Sylvester, who went the farthest of any local golfer in 2023, reaching the quarterfinals. Former Bow High golfer and 2022 NHIAA Division II champion Hunter Duncan (who now plays for Taft School in Connecticut) and his former Bow High teammate and St. Paul’s School graduate Matt Lamy will also participate.

Keller Ramshaw, 17, is one of the youngest players on the field and recently completed his junior year at Concord High. Ramshaw played for the Crimson Tide and helped Concord win the NHIAA Division I team title last fall. His former teammate Cam Brown is also in the mix.

Will McLaughlin, Brian Boylan, Derek Jensen, Dan Doyle, David Perry, Ryan Phinney, Sam Garland, Tim Pratt, Tyler Cole and Matthew Burroughs are the other members of Concord CC who will tee off on Monday morning.

Outside of Concord CC, there are several other local players competing for the title. Lake Sunapee CC member and New London resident Rob Henley finished second in 2023 but lost the championship round after a 37-hole battle to Jack Pepin, and Hopkinton residents Jim Cilley (Laconia CC, 2022 second) and Mark Stevens (NHGA e-Club) are former state champions at amateur level.

Boscawen resident and recent graduate of Merrimack Valley High School Andrew Surprenant (Youth on Course) joins the team after winning an NHIAA Division II individual title last fall.

James Shattuck (Beaver Meadow), Will Beckford (Canterbury Woods), Matt Moore (Canterbury Woods), Ryan Waring (Canterbury Woods), Craig Patenaude (Canterbury Woods), Scott Underhill (Canterbury Woods), Zach Hellings (Angus Lea), Alexander Thompson (Passaconaway), Troy Demers (Pembroke Pines), Timothy Braley (CC of New Hampshire), Roy Shapard (Youth on Course), Jim Jankowski (Baker Hill), Ben Lindgren (NHGA e-Club) and Jeremy Duhamel (Manchester CC) complete the local residents and club members in the field.

Hosting tasks

The State Amateur Championship is not only a challenge for the golfers, it is also a major undertaking for the hosts.

All 156 golfers will compete on Monday and Tuesday, playing a full 18-hole round each day. The field will then be reduced to 64 for the first round of match play on Wednesday, followed by rounds of 32 and 16 on Thursday, quarter-finals and semi-finals on Friday and finally the 36-hole championship round on Saturday.

With 156 players on the first two days of the tournament, plus a caddy each day and an estimated 1-2 spectators per player, the Concord Country Club expects around 1,000 people on site over the course of Monday and Tuesday.

“We are very excited to be hosting this year. This is very exciting for our close-knit club,” said Kim Jensen, Concord CC’s clubhouse manager and event coordinator. “With such a competitive tournament, one of our main goals is to keep players fed without slowing the pace of play. Our facility will feature an outdoor snack station, our on-course snack/beverage hut, and of course our restaurant will be fully operational seven days a week. …As we have hosted many major golf events and fantastic, but hot, weather is forecast, our top priority will be keeping golfers hydrated.”

Jensen, groundskeeper Dave Ousterhout, Director of Golf Brian Moskevich and their staff and volunteers will have their work cut out for them to balance that hospitality with running the tournament and keeping the course pristine. But the NHGA knows Concord CC is up to the task.

“It’s always well maintained,” Billings said. “Concord Club is a great championship course.”