Len Cole of Hampden is in the process of regaining his amateur status after working for nearly three years toward becoming a PGA teaching pro.

It’s not that he didn’t want to become a pro, it was more that circumstances were changing.

“They were making it tougher and tougher to be in the PGA,” said Cole, referring to the additional business and other courses the group was requiring its aspiring pros to take.

“They were training people more to be [club pros], and that’s not what I wanted,” said Cole. “I wanted to give lessons and play in tournaments.”

Another change in circumstances also occurred to make him rethink what he was doing.

“I took over the bowling alley in June,” said Cole, referring to Heritage Bowling Center in Hermon. Cole already owned XL Golf, which is in the same building.

That meant he had no time for giving lessons.

“If I’m not giving lessons, why go through all this? I never wanted to be the pro at a golf club, so why bother?” said Cole.

Cole applied to the United States Golf Association to have his amateur status reinstated, and he has to wait a little more than a year before the process is completed.

“For me, it’ll be next September before I get it back,” said Cole, “so I’ll miss the [Maine] Amateur at Penoby [Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono] by a couple of months. Bummer.”

While the Amateur is out, Cole discovered he can participate in certain other tournaments.

“I can still play in any event that’s open to both pros and amateurs,” said Cole. “That surprised me because I didn’t think I could play in anything.

“On the shelf for two years is what I thought, but that’s not the case.”

He can’t collect any prizes, though.

To start the process, Cole said, he had to fill out a form detailing his history as a pro.

“I had to tell them what I played in and how I did,” he said. “For instance, if it was a [PGA] Tour event, it might have taken another year.”

Then it was a matter of starting the countdown. In Cole’s case, it was based on his playing in a Maine chapter of the New England PGA pro-am in September 2001, even though he didn’t start the reinstatement process until this year.

“It starts from whatever your last violation [of amateur play] was,” said Cole.

When he’s reinstated, Cole is looking forward to playing in tournaments with his son Ryan, 10.

He’s “starting to show an interest in golf now,” said Cole.

Juniors at Green Valley

Green Valley Golf Course in Enfield appears to have had a successful junior program this summer with more than 40 young golfers participating in the clinic and following tournaments, according to course co-owner Andrew McLaughlin.

A four-day clinic in June covered instruction in golf fundamentals, rules, and etiquette. A series of four tournaments in July offered an opportunity to put that instruction into practice.

Up to 12 players – separated into divisions for grades 6-8 and 9-12 – participated in each tournament.

Congratulations to Green Valley, and other clubs that run junior programs, because the future of the game is aided by the introduction of the game to young players.

Fall package

Sugarloaf Golf Club in Carrabassett Valley and Belgrade Lakes Golf Club are teaming up to offer a fall midweek package that includes a round of golf at Sugarloaf, a night’s lodging at the mountain, and a round at Belgrade Lakes. Carts are included at both courses.

The package price is $169 per person at the Sugarloaf Inn, $189 per person at the Sugarloaf Grand Summit Resort Hotel, plus tax.

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