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The 40th renewal of the event that begins with stroke play qualifying Friday and continues with match play Saturday and Sunday is going strong with an influx of younger players.
“It’s bittersweet that some of the people who have played in the event forever are no longer playing,” said Scott Peters, who helps run the tournament, “but there are a lot of young guys who are playing in it for the first or second or third time. They very much look forward to it and put it on their calendar as one of their favorite weekends of the summer.”
Alex Kirk, head professional at Hanover, has been impressed by the renewed interest in the tournament, which features 64 two-man teams sprinkled over four 16-team flights.
“The tournament has been infused with a lot of new energy the last few years,” Kirk said. “This is the most teams we’ve had in my 10 years here, and the field filled out the fastest.”
The tournament, which debuted in 1975, honors Tommy Keane, the Dartmouth golf coach and head pro at Hanover Country Club from 1922-1966. Keane posted a record of 305-176-5 at Dartmouth,
winning the 1934 New England Championship and the 1941 Eastern Intercollegiate Tournament.
“The format is very unique,” said Kirk. “It’s two-man match play with no strokes and no handicaps. It’s just straight golf. With the 18 holes of qualifying your capabilities will usually put you in the right flight, so it’s a very fair competition.
“Whether you are in the championship flight making birdies all day or you are in the fourth flight winning some holes with pars, you are having fun. There will be a wide range of abilities out there and you don’t have to be a scratch golfer to enjoy playing. Some of the higher-handicap golfers might actually enjoy themselves even more than the scratch players.”
Over his decade at Hanover, Kirk has comes to appreciate that the long weekend, which he calls the highlight of the summer at the club, is about more than just golf, with players returning to the Tommy Keane over the years from as far away as Florida and California.
“What is great about it is the camaraderie and the banter between groups, as much as the competition,” Kirk said. “This is the one weekend of the year that some of these guys get together. It’s always good to see people come back, even if it’s just for one weekend of the year, and there are always a lot of funny stories.”
Not to mention some pretty good golf, and some pretty good players.
Former Dartmouth All-American Jerry Daly teamed up with Jim Burnett to win the inaugural Keane in 1975 and was back the next year to win it with Jay Leonard.
Lebanon’s Rich Parker, a former touring pro and now the Dartmouth men’s golf coach, won it while still an amateur in 1981 with Laffy Lahaye.
Peter Williamson, on his way to an eventual top-10 world amateur ranking, won with his father Doug in 2008 and former University of Hartford standout Nick MacDonald has played on the winning team three times in the past five years, twice with his father Shane.
Tommy Keane entrants this year will be both challenged and rewarded by what they discover at Hanover Country Club.
They will be challenged with greens that are faster – but smoother – than they’ve been in recent years.
“The greens are in great shape,” said Kirk. “The are using a roller on them and they are rolling really well. Hopefully it comes down to being a putting contest.”
The Keane field will also benefit from work that has been done on Hanover’s first and second holes. Returnees will be greeted by a new stone wall and landing area designed to address the swampy area down the left side of the second fairway.
“I think the wall makes the player have to be a little more strategic, but I think for even the mid-level player it is going to give a flatter lie and an easier shot to hit to the green,” said Kirk. “There were some drainage issues and cart paths that affected play and with the support of the school and the patience of the membership they’ve gotten the attention they needed.
“We had to be patient while the work was getting done, but the commitment to the club is a very positive sign for Hanover Country Club.”
And for the reenergized Tommy Keane Invitational.
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| The new wall on No. 2. Click to enlarge. |
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