Current News
The Grounds Crew needs to borrow a metal detector.
Several of the sprinkler heads for our course irrigation system have sunk and are now covered by grass and soil. Keith and the Grounds crew have been unable to locate them. This is a real problem for running the irrigation system and keeping the course properly hydrated. If you have a metal detector you can lend Keith, please let him know. Either email him at iccmanager@gmail.com or call him at 348 2379. Any treasure found will be shared.
Willow Weed-Eaton has been named Manager of the Island Country Club.
Willow began her work with the Club last season, manning the Pro Shop afternoons and at Club events. When Annie Ohlrich left for medical treatment in Boston, Willow also began doing the Club’s bookkeeping and other financial operations. During the past off-season she worked closely with Treasurer David Greiwe to improve all aspects of our financial operations, including installing the Club’s first inventory management system. Please stop by and congratulate Willow when the Clubhouse opens May 12.
Tennis court reservations and golf tee times are required
As we have for the past several years, tee times and court reservations will be required all mornings and all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Reservations are highly encouraged every day and will be on a first call, first serve basis. Walk-ons will be allowed at the discretion of the Clubhouse staff and only if there are gaps in reservations. To make a reservation you may call 207-348-2379 or email iccmanager@gmail.com.
Please include your name, the names of people playing, time(s), and a return number. Please remember you must receive a confirmation of time from an ICC employee for the reservation to be secured. Members and Guests are included. All requests will be answered within 24 hours. Please speak clearly in messages and include full names.
Please note that many or our leagues and morning groups play shot-gun starts- this means that tee times directly prior to their official start time may not be available.
The third hole tee is to be accessed from the right-hand side of the tee as you face the green. The cart path to the left of the tee will eventually be marked off and permanently closed. This is to limit cart traffic interfering with members and guests accessing the Clubhouse or tennis courts.
All Bunkers are now in play. You play it as it lies or remove the ball and drop it no closer to the hole behind the bunker with a two stroke penalty. Under the Rules of Golf you may remove loose impediments (stones, twigs etc.) if they would interfere with the swing. Please remember to rake the bunker as you leave it AND replace the rake in the bunker.
The sand in green boxes on the tees is to be used only on the tees. DO NOT use it to fill portable sand tubes. The sand boxes contain special seeds for the tees that would cause problems if used to fill divots on the fairways. Sand for the tubes is next to the bench near the First Tee blackboard.
Please protect our Grounds Crew
With the Grounds Crew taking to the course early every morning two reminders:
1. Do not begin play before 8:00AM. This gives the crew more uninterrupted time to work.
2. Do not hit a ball to anywhere near where a Grounds Crew member is working. If work is being done on a green, don’t hit to it! Wait patiently. A report of hitting a ball at a grounds crew member will result in immediate removal from the course.
Summer Rules
Please do not drive motorized carts or push hand carts through the fescue or up onto the greens. Repair ball marks on the greens, sand divots, and rake bunkers and place rakes back in the bunkers. Don’t Use Bug Spray on the Course, it discolors the grass and slows regrowth. It is important to use bug repellent because of the risks from tick, mosquito, and fly bites. Black Flies are coming soon enough! Please apply bug spray only while on paved or graveled areas.
Great Start to Season 95
The Island Country Club’s 95th Season is underway, and all is going well. We have had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with great weather, a well-attended tournament, lots of visitors and the completion of our licensing for adult beverages. The tennis courts are ready for play, the golf course is greening up nicely, and the Pro Shop is fully stocked with wonderful logoed attire for men, women and children and all of the golf and tennis accessories our players need. Please join us soon as we celebrate summer in Maine.
A few things you need to know:
- Bringing beer, wine or spirits on to Club grounds and consuming them here is a violation of our liquor license. Unfortunately, after the Trifecta, the Clubhouse and Grounds crews found discarded cans and bottles of beers we do not carry in our inventory. We clearly don’t want to and can’t check every golf and carry bag that comes on to our property, so we need your help to make sure that State of Maine inspectors, who do show up from time to time, don’t find evidence that the conditions of our licenses are being violated. Do NOT bring contraband onto Club property. If you see someone consuming an alcoholic beverage not sold at the Club, please ask them to return it to their vehicle. It is truly important. If your favorite beverage is not in our current selections, please let Willow know of your interest in our stocking it. If it’s on the regulated Maine list, we will do our best to add it. And do know that we check our beverage prices with those of similar venues and we are fully competitive. No, it’s NOT grocery store pricing. But grocery stores don’t have to maintain a golf course, tennis courts, a Clubhouse and a large inventory of very complex not to mention expensive equipment. Drink responsibly but drink up well and often at the Island Country Club.
- There has been some confusion about “Course Closings.” We do not close the course easily or often, as offering members and visitors the opportunity to play when they want to is essential to the Club meeting its revenue needs and building good relationships with people who want to experience our Club and course. We do not close the course for Twilight League, Billings League, Ladies Day or any tournament if the number of players in those activities is less than one playing group on every hole. To limit interference with event play, we have instructed the Clubhouse crew not to book advance tee times that will occur during these events. Clubhouse staff will tell walk-ons (whether members or visitors) that they may wait for a suitable gap at the first tee to play, but that it is possible that will not occur during their wait. Turning away members and visitors is bad for business and, more important, it is damaging to the values of being a member of the Best Little Country Club in America.
- If you have GIFT CARDS purchased in the past two years, they must be used by June 30, 2023, after which they will not be accepted. These cards are incompatible with our new Point of Sale register system and maintaining the old system just to handle these is an expense we do not need to maintain.
- The first Wine Wednesday of the Season will be June 7, assuming our food service license is in place, Stay tuned here and through the newsletter for further news about the Social Committee’s great schedule of events for 2023.
Let’s make the 95th Season a Great One!
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Member/Member Golf Tournament July 30th. Details and Signup sheet in the Clubhouse.
One For Stevie- Tribute and fundraiser concert on July 29th. Details in the Clubhouse.
Haddock Dinner August 1st. Details and Signup sheet in the Clubhouse.
Memorable Golf, Outstanding Tennis, A Treasured Island
The Island Country Club, located on an island in scenic coastal Maine, is a golf and tennis club where visitors are welcome to join with members in enjoying our cherished club. Our expanded 9-hole golf course, as featured in the Bangor Daily News, will challenge the experienced player, yet is fun for the whole family. If golf isn’t your game, you can play tennis on one of our 3 newly resurfaced clay tennis courts, take in the view overlooking the course and the eastern mountains from the porch. Come enjoy our “best little country club in America” and the wonders of Deer Isle.