5/30/2007
Getting to Know Ralph Menton
President of the Ocean Pines Board of Golf Governors
By Dolores E. Pike
A veteran golfer of 25 years, Ralph Menton immediately moved onto the golf scene when he and his wife Carol relocated from Pennington, New Jersey to Ocean Pines in 2000.
Retiring as first vice-president of Merrill Lynch after a 33 year career with the firm, Ralph was ready to devote serious time to his favorite pastime: golf. He plays golf at the Ocean Pines (OP) Golf Club in a foursome every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in a regular group on Saturday and men's day on Thursday. His handicap is 16 and he usually shoots in the mid-80s. "I tend to drive the ball straight and don't get in a lot of trouble," he said.
Ralph is serving in his second year as president of the Ocean Pines Board of Golf Governors. The 12 member board serves only in an advisory capacity to the general manager and Ocean Pines Association Board. Each year three members are elected to three year terms, making a base of nine board members. The other three board members each serve a one year term while he or she also serves as president of one of the three golf organizations in the Pines: the Women's Nine Hole; the Women's 18 Hole; and the Men's Golf Association.
"In the year and one half that I have been president I could not be happier at the attitude of Ocean Pines management and its board. Tom Olson has treated me like an equal partner in running the golf amenity.
"This year a strategic direction has been set on where golf is going in the Pines. For many years we tried to be all things to all people and that does not work in business. In the last year and a half we have significantly improved our effort to attract outside play through the various package groups offered in Ocean City.
"In the last month or so the comments from members with regard to the course condition, the new Terns Grille and the new head pro, Steve Reeves, have all been very positive and I truly believe we are heading the right direction. In fact there are people who have taken their membership and are now reconsidering returning," said Ralph.
He believes that since 2000 the course has continued to improve each year even though it is still subject to extreme weather conditions. Ralph says that as golf course superintendent of maintenance Harland Goldman, has done a great job making improvements not only in the condition of the course but in its beauty as well by clearing out overgrowth and planting a large selection of flowers. According to Ralph with the new drainage system recently approved replacing the 37 year old system, the course will be an even finer test of the merits of the course.
When asked what, for him, is the most challenging hole on the Robert Trent Jones course, he said the 10th hole because it is a long and very difficult green to hit into. He adds that the ball tends to run away from the hole. But for Ralph the beauty of the course is that he never gets tired of playing it, noting that a player can play the holes different ways on different days. "The Ocean Pines course is the finest layout on the Delmarva Peninsula," he said without hesitation.
It is not surprising that when Ralph and Carol go on vacation they seek out places where they can golf. Over the years they have been to Ireland, Scotland, Arizona, the Monterey Peninsula and the list of their tee-off spots goes on. Carol was converted to the game and taken away from the tennis court by her husband and their two golfer sons David and Tim. The Mentons also have a daughter, Julie, and three grandchildren, one of whom lives in St. Augustine, FL which gives the couple a reason to spend a month in Florida in the winter.
Send an Email Letter to Courier Editor - be sure to include your telephone number.
Uploaded: 5/30/2007
