Jul. 9—Concord Country Club members and those familiar with the course among this year’s State Am field consider the greens to be its biggest challenge.
“The greens here help to defend the fact that it’s a pretty short golf course,” said Bob Mielcarz, the third-longest-tenured Concord CC member in his 51st season at the club.
Mark Stevens, a Hopkinton resident and former Concord CC member, said the greens are subtle. It’s extremely difficult to make 10-, 15- or 20-foot putts, he said.
Matt Paradis, a former Concord CC member, said the course’s roughs are very thick, and that puts a premium on hitting fairways.
Stevens, who shot a 5-under 135 (65-70) in stroke play, and Concord CC member Will McLaughlin consider the 10th-hole tee to be the most challenging on the course.
Almost immediately to the left of the fairway is out of bounds, and there are bunkers on the right.
“It just is tight and dogleg left,” said McLaughlin, a Bedford resident. “If you miss left at all, you’re out of bounds so you just have to make sure it doesn’t go left, which is key.”
Stevens, 37, said he has hit the ball out of bounds plenty of times off the tee on the par-4 10th hole.
“Ten is just a survive-and-advance hole, honestly,” Stevens said. “Just get it in play, try to keep it out of the bunkers, try not to snap it left out of bounds then hit it by the green and just make a four and get out of there.”
Paradis, the 2018 State Am champion, considers Nos. 8-13 as “the gauntlet” of the course. If you can get through those, you can do OK.
Paradis, 28, struggled early on Monday, when he began his first stroke play round on the 10th hole en route to a par-70 score.
Stevens and Paradis, who also shot a 70 on Tuesday, both called Concord CC a great match play course.
Stevens said the strategy for Concord CC is completely different in match play — scheduled to begin Wednesday — compared to stroke play. In match play, golfers can afford to play more aggressively, Stevens said, on what he considers to be a course where you typically want to avoid mistakes.
“You try to play the course more strategically, I would say, in stroke play,” Stevens said. “Then in match play, the reins come off.”
Duncan shines again
Concord CC member Hunter Duncan is this year’s Ty Abate award winner.
Duncan was the Day 1 stroke play leader at the 121st New Hampshire Golf Association Amateur Championship after shooting a 6-under 64 at Concord CC on Monday.
Named after a former Union Leader sportswriter best known for his golf coverage, the Ty Abate award is given annually to the golfer age 19 or younger with the lowest score after the two stroke play rounds of the State Am.
Duncan, an 18-year-old Bow High School graduate, finished stroke play with a 6-under 134 after his par-70 round on Tuesday.
He led the field when play was suspended Tuesday around 4:30 p.m. due to thunderstorms.
The State Am switches to match play on Wednesday with the Round of 64 and concludes on Saturday with a 36-hole final.
Duncan, who will attend Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, this fall, birdied the 12th and 17th holes, bogeyed the ninth and 10th holes and parred the rest of the course Tuesday.
