After nearly 30 years as a club pro, Hermon native Randy Hodsdon is taking his career in a new direction.

Hodsdon, 49, is the new scorer for the Maine State Golf Association’s Southern Division and also the tournament administrator.

“Nancy [DeFrancesco, the MSGA executive director] has been bugging me for a few years about taking this job,” said Hodsdon.

For the previous 10 years, Hodsdon had been working at Falmouth Country Club – four years as an assistant and six years as the head pro.

“I just came to an agreement with Falmouth that last year would be the last one,” said Hodsdon. “I decided [the MSGA job] is what I wanted to do.”

Hodsdon replaced Dave Richardson as scorer, a job Richardson had performed for more than 15 years before retiring last fall at age 78.

“I’ll be the new rules guru as well,” said Hodsdon, who has been going to more rules schools in recent years.

“In the late ’80s and early ’90s, there weren’t a lot of rules schools and they always filled up fast,” said Hodsdon, so he put that aspect of the game aside for a while.

Then he went to one 10 years ago.

He said he was familiar with a lot of the rules, but “I realized there was a lot I didn’t know.”

He has been going every year since.

Since taking an interest in rules, he has helped 30-year PGA Tour rules official Frank Kavanaugh set up Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Classic in Orlando, Fla., after accepting an invitation from veteran Maine rules official Dr. Leonardo Buck.

“It’s interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes before a tournament,” said Hodsdon.

“And I got to meet Arnie a few times,” he added.

“The last 10 years, it developed into this,” said Hodsdon. “In hindsight, I wish I had done this 20 or 25 years ago.”

Rules officiating a PGA Tour event can be “quite boring,” he said, because the players are familiar with most of the rules. “It’s more exciting and challenging to run a state event.”

Hodsdon said it was a different direction than he anticipated when he took the head pro job at Hermon Meadow Golf Club in the early 1980s.

“I had never seen that side of the business [setting up events, handling rules calls, etc.],” said Hodsdon. “I like it.”

Scoring will keep him busy on Fridays and Saturdays.

“I have a base of 1,500 people who play in my section,” he said. As many as 400 will play over the course of a weekend tournament in southern Maine.

Hodsdon believes he can handle it, though.

“It’s two long days instead of six or seven,” said Hodsdon, referring to the normal club pro job.

That leaves him more time for other things.

“My wife loves it. I’ve done more to my house in the last month than I have in the last six or seven years,” he said, with a laugh.

Maine team wins Match Play title

John Hickson and Bob Darling Jr. teamed up to win the Callaway Golf New England PGA Pro-Pro Match Play Championship on Tuesday at Olde Scotland Links in Bridgewater, Mass.

Hickson, a Hampden native who is the pro at Sunday River Golf Course in Newry this year, and Darling, the head pro at Fox Ridge Golf Course in Auburn, defeated defending champions Paul Parajeckas and Rusty Gunnarson 2 and 1 in the afternoon to take the crown.

Hickson and Darling began by shooting a 67 in qualifying Monday morning.

They defeated Dan Diskin and Jim Sheerin 1-up in 22 holes in the first match, then beat Rick Karbowski and Jeff Martin 1-up Tuesday morning to set up the final.

N.E. Senior Open date change

The 19th New England Senior Open for players age 50 or older will be held June 7-8 at the Country Club of New Hampshire in North Sutton, N.H.

The entry fee is $200 for pros and $150 for amateurs, who must have a handicap of 10 or lower. The field limit is 120, and the entry deadline is June 4.

Forms may be available at local clubs or from The Country Club of New Hampshire, P.O. Box 142, North Sutton, N.H. 03260.

Dave Barber can be reached at 990-8170, 1-800-310-8600, or by e-mail at dbarber@bangordailynews.net.