Telegraph photo by TOM KING State Am golfers head down the 18th hole during the first day this past Monday at Nashua Country Club, which had superb conditions all week for the tournament won by NCC' member James Pleat.

NASHUA – The big winner of last week’s 117th State Amateur Golf Championship, obviously, was James Pleat, who added to his family’s rich golf legacy with his first Am victory.

The other winner? Nashua Country Club, which was hosting the event for the 14th time, dating back to 1917.

As New Hampshire Golf Association Executive Director Matt Schmidt said, NCC “was the star of the show.”

“I don’t think there are enough superlatives to talk about the golf course,” Schmidt said, giving NCC course superintendent Greg Hollick and his staff all sorts of kudos. “It was – you think about the fact we’ve been in a drought for the better part of six weeks now. The place is as green as any golf course in the sate. The greens were fast, they were healthy, they were receptive.

“Look at the scores that were shot and the players who were shooting them. It goes to show you what unbelievable condition the golf course was in.”

And stayed in.

“And the way they were able to do it all week,” Schmidt said. “There were 156 players over (the first) two days. That’s a lot of stress on a golf course. And it never showed any wear and tear on it at all. Amazing.”

“This is my third State Am here at this club,”

NCC general manager David Scaer said. “This is the best. The weather certainly helped. The conditions are just unbelievable. What a great field. Everything has gone perfect.”

The pandemic precautions were taken, as many gathered around the 18th hole pavillion wore masks, etc.

“The NHGA is a machine,” Scaer said. “The staff has been here and done that.”

Remember, for a course to hold the event, it basically has to be shut down for a week to the public or members.

“It was a big sacrifice,” Scaer said, “but you know what, I haven’t heard any grumbling, especially with the late start with COVID. There’s a waiting list to get into this club, a lot of people want to play golf. It’s awesome.”

And, of course, as Scaer said, it was perfect for NCC that one of its primary members won the event.

“We’ve watched him, the member and the staff have watched him since he was a little kid,” Scaer said, “to what a great young man he is. He’s a gentleman, and he always has been. That’s who he is.”

Pleat, in accepting the trophy, also congratulated NCC for the job it did.

“I obviously have been here for a little bit,” Pleat said. “I knew Greg and his staff do a great job. I’ve never seen the greens this good in 20-plus years I’ve played here.

“It made me proud to be a member here, to hear the kind of comments were getting from the other players around the state, kind of showcase the course. Absolutely it was a win for the course.”

And NCC is a good course to hold the event, Pleat said.

“It’s a good match play course, too,” he said. “There’s a lot of tight tee shots. But you can make a lot of birdies if you make some putts out here.”

Logistically, everything was perfect. There were plenty of NHGA and NCC staff, plus NCC volunteers, to shuttle players to where they needed to be, be it the 10th tee which is away from the clubhouse or the practice range, etc.

“You worry about everything that could go wrong, but at the end of the day, it was seamless a week as you could possibly have,” Schmidt said.

How well did things go? Saturday a tropical storm was supposed to smother the area with rain, but late in the week word was it would shift to the west. Its only impact on the epic finals match between Pleat and Cam Sheedy were strong winds, rather than having to dodge raindrops or worse, wait a day or two.

“We didn’t have any weather issues, which is luck,” Schmidt said. “But we had no weather issues, no issues getting people out to the 10th tee, anybody out to the driving range, it couldn’t have gone smoother.”

The golf course had to withstand a lot of golf, but the players did too. The State Am is never a sprint, but always a marathon. For example, Schmidt remembered talking to Pleat on Thursday afternoon after the eventual champion had won on the 20th hole in the round of 16, and Pleat looked worn out.

“I said to him, ‘You know, you have two more days of this,'” Schmidt said. “It is a slog. I think you saw both players (on Saturday), there’s pressure, and you’re tired, and you probably don’t want to swing a golf club anymore. But you’ve got 36 holes to get through.

“It really was something special to see (Pleat) win it. For him to write his own chapter, at this place in particular, was pretty awesome.”

Yes, the golfer and the place he calls home were the stars of the 117th New Hampshire State Amateur Championship.

North Conway Country Club, site of the 2021 State Am, has a tough act to follow.

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