Often, on Sunday afternoons, when the sun is shining, kids ages 6-13 get ready on the Quechee Club Golf Course to play a nine-hole match after practicing with coaches Curt Goldsberry and Dustin Ribolini on Saturdays. The sounds of laughter, shouting, and high-fiving can be heard as the kids hit golf balls far and wide.

This has come to fruition thanks to Quechee Club’s junior golf league – a club led by Goldsberry and Ribolini that introduces kids ages six to thirteen to the competitive side of the sport of golf. Founded in 2017, the Junior Golf League arose from humble beginnings, with only four kids enrolled in the original program. However, with each passing year, more kids began to participate, and in 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic encouraging people to spend more time outside and with golf rising in popularity around that time also, the program exploded and grew to about 40 members. Since then, the junior league has continued to sustain those participant numbers. “Going from four kids to 40 is a testament, not only to us but the kids as well, with their interest and eagerness to learn golf,” says Ribolini.

The league meets every Saturday and Sunday, with Goldsberry and Ribolini leading practices on Saturdays and match days on Sundays. Saturday practices can involve anything from mastering the driving game at the driving range to tinkering with putting on the putting green. Practicing golf can be tedious at times, says Goldsberry, so he and Ribolini keep things interesting during practices, with competitions and prizes during practices to keep everyone engaged. The matches are shotgun starts, meaning everyone shoots their first hole simultaneously. With that many kids playing rounds at the same time, “It’s always a great atmosphere,” says Goldsberry. “It’s really fun for the kids and the parents too, watching their kids play.” Every golfer is fit with an orange and blue jersey of their choice, with their names on the back and a number from 00 to 99, further invoking the team spirit and competitive drive of a match day.

Beni Robledo playing during a junior league match in Quechee on July 28

Despite offering plenty of tips, help, and coaching during lessons, Ribolini and Goldsberry say that they tend to back off during the Sunday matches, leaving it up to the kids to figure out what golf clubs to choose and where to aim. Parents are encouraged to keep their distance as well on match days; aside from a helpful word or two, most of the match is up to the kids to figure out.

“We’re not out there giving strict instructions; rather, we’re letting the kids figure it out on their own,” says Ribolini. “Eventually, it’ll be on [you] to figure out the shots, as golf is a game where you have to police yourself.”

Both Ribolini and Goldsberry have had long histories in golf. Ribolini started golfing at a young age, around seven or eight years old. After continuing to play through high school, he attended Campbell College to continue a career in golf, earning himself a PGA degree. After working at the former Hanover Golf Club, he joined forces with Goldsberry at the Quechee Golf Club in 2021.

Goldsberry was born into a golfing family. Two of his uncles played golf at Division I colleges. Curt also played D-1 golf at Ohio University before earning his PGA degree online. After working at Dunegrass Golf Club, he joined Quechee Golf Club around a year after TJ Anthoine became the director of golf at Quechee Club in 2015.

Quechee Club Junior golf program member Teddy Carroll
on the course during a match in July

For Goldsberry and Ribolini, the motivation to coach youth golf players hasn’t been difficult to maintain. From witnessing the kids’ improvements each week to the joy they experience during and after every match – jumping up and down after an excellent shot, or high-fiving each other after a nice round – the junior league is a highlight of the two coaches’ careers. With young kids of their own who could potentially join the program a few years down the road, the junior league is even more relevant and special to them. Quechee Club also considers the junior league a crucial part of its golf program: It can provide more people with access to the sport of golf, from kids to their parents and relatives, while also growing the sport within the Upper Valley.

The two coaches say that the kids enjoy the matches regardless of their scores, which invites a new perspective on the game that can be refreshing compared to their experiences coaching adults who place more emphasis and pressure on their scores. “They don’t care what they shoot,” says Ribolini. “For them, it’s all about having fun.”

For the children who enjoy the program, keeping up with golf can have significant benefits down the road, says Goldsberry. From playing in high school and beyond to going into golf management, golf can be a pathway to a future career for some. Golf can also be a networking asset in the world of business as it helps foster connections and build rapport, Goldsberry adds.

One former junior league member actually did use his experiences in the program to influence his future career. Dylan Jopp, one of the original members of the program back in 2017, played golf throughout his early education at Hanover High School and now attends Penn State University, where he participates in the Professional Golf Management (PGM) program. Recently, Jopp had the opportunity to intern at Quechee Golf Club, learning the business to potentially be a golf pro himself – a story that Ribolini labels as coming full circle for his former player.

At the end of the day, the junior golf league is designed for youth golf players to have fun and to learn and play golf. That’s what is emphasized during the practices and matches and what brings the two coaches the most joy. “We don’t care what the kids’ abilities are,” Ribolini says when asked about the league. “We just want the kids to go out and have fun, and that’s the number one thing we push.” Despite often having long work weeks, Ribolini and Goldsberry always look forward to Sunday afternoons with their junior league. “It’s a breath of fresh air to see the kids play golf, and it’s really fun to be around. It’s really a cool thing.”

TJ Anthoine Keeps a Timeless Sport Alive at the Quechee Club

Quechee Club’s TJ Anthoine, PGA, received the Golf Professional of the Year and Bill Strausbaugh Award in February, and he headlines the list of the Vermont Chapter Award Winners for the year. Anthoine’s award signifies his passion for golf and also acknowledges his steadfast dedication to keeping Quechee Club golf offerings up and running throughout the pandemic and the widespread flooding in Vermont last summer.

Anthoine, executive director of golf and recreation sports at the Quechee Club, manages all golf operations, including golf lessons, tournaments, tee times, budgets, and ensuring a quality golf experience for players in the community. He also manages the golf staff at the Quechee Club. The Quechee club hosts multiple tournaments and programs every year for golfers across all skill levels and ages. Some notable tournaments include The Tommy Keene invitational (which was previously hosted on the now-closed Hanover Golf Course), the Junior Club Championships, and Vermont Golf Association State Days, as well as member-only tournaments.

The Golf Professional of the Year award recognizes the golf professional with the highest overall performance at his/her golf facility, level of service to his/her Section and to the Association, leadership ability, image, and the ability to inspire fellow professionals and promotion of the game of golf in the state of Vermont, according to the official New England PGA website. For Anthoine, who is entering his 9th season at Quechee Club, the journey to receiving this award has been marked with many hurdles to overcome, but these have made the accomplishment even more special.

Over the past several years, the Covid-19 pandemic presented unique challenges to the Quechee Club. “We had to figure out ways to change without closing the Club completely,” said Anthoine. This included carefully scheduling tee times, limiting golf cart capacity to one person, and other adjustments to accommodate restrictions while still keeping the golf program running. Anthoine also received help from others: “I have good relationships with other golf pros in New England, and their assistance definitely played an important part during Covid,” he said.

Though the pandemic brought many challenges with it, there were also silver linings as it pertained to golf offerings at the Club. The pandemic actually boosted golf’s popularity; not only at the Club, but across America, Anthoine said. “People were forced outside,” he explained. “And golf [was] a really good sport to play during Covid. It’s easy to maintain social distance, plus, you get lots of fresh air and walking in.”

A combination of creative flexibility and the rise of the popularity of golf gave Quechee Club enough push to traverse through the uncertainties of the pandemic with success. But just when it seemed that Anthoine and the Club had climbed that mountain, another one came into view: the widespread flooding during the summer of 2023.

“I remember our team meeting in early July after the floods, which is the start of the prime of the golf season, and saying, ‘How can we salvage something to keep the Club going?’” Anthoine said. In his mind, canceling was not a viable option.

Located adjacent to the Ottauquechee River, the Club’s golf courses suffered significant damage as a result of the flooding. Anthoine and the Club were forced to find ways to restructure and rebuild with the goal of keeping golf operations open. Anthoine was able to re-open nine holes within days of the flooding (down from a normal 36), and eventually a hybrid course with 18 holes as the courses were repaired. Sometimes shotgun starts (golfers starting at the same time on different holes) were the only way to ensure that everyone had a chance to golf.

Whatever it took to keep the Club afloat after the flooding, Anthoine and his team tackled through hard work and flexibility. “There were many sleepless nights, but we handled the flood well, and within a few months we were back to having all 36 holes open for golfing,” he said.

The PGA award feels especially rewarding to Anthoine because it acknowledges the adversity that the Club has faced as a whole over the past several years. “For us, it felt like the award was a culmination of everything we dealt with,” said Anthoine. “It was rewarding to see our peers acknowledge all the work that our team did to keep the Club running.”

From an early age, Anthoine was drawn to the sport of golf and golf management. In high school, Anthoine played and worked at his local golf club, where he “[fell] in love with the sport,” he said. Straight out of college, Anthoine went to work at Brae Burn Golf Club in Newton, Massachusetts. He moved to Quechee with his family in 2016 when a job opening came up at the Quechee Club.

Since Anthoine has managed the golf operations at the Quechee Club, one of his goals has been to make golf fun for more people – for both the avid golfer and the amateurs – and encourage others to give the sport a try. “Our junior program, which in 2016 had 300 kids, was up to 1000 two years ago before the 2023 floods,” Anthoine said.

More younger families have moved into the area and joined the Club over the past few years, so a lot of Anthoine’s time is spent working to make golf more appealing to those newcomers as well, he added. A lot of this is achieved through various golf programs that encourage people to come to the golf course and hit some golf balls. Whiskeys and Wedges is one such program where golfers can enjoy whiskey tastings and then play some golf afterward, and learn about different golf tips to help improve their game. Another big program has been the mentor program, where more experienced women’s golfers teach golf to other women. Programs targeting different demographics are important for the popularization of golf for potential and current members, says Anthoine. “The biggest difference between the Quechee Club and other golf clubs I’ve worked with is the diversity of members,” Anthoine says. “We’ve been trying to create programs that encourage all sorts of golfers – pros and amateurs, kids and adults – to play”.

When Anthoine isn’t managing golf operations at the Quechee Club, he often finds time to golf himself. One bittersweet moment for Anthoine was when he played his last round of golf with a beloved mentor, Ben Boyd, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. In that last round they played, Anthoine shot a 68, an incredible round of golf. Anthoine still has a golf ball from that day in his office.

The Quechee Club and TJ Anthoine have been faced with many challenges in recent years, but they plan on continuing to run the Club to the standard they have set so far. As Anthoine put it, “No matter the challenge, we will do whatever it takes to keep the golf course open and available for all golfers.”

DJ Sean is Bringing the Beat Back to the Upper Valley

The Upper Valley is known for many things, like its beautiful nature and pretty towns, but having a great party atmosphere probably isn’t one of them. Sean Hay, DJ and entertainer, is here to change that.

A ten-year Quechee resident, Sean Hay (also known as DJ Sean) grew up in Freeport, New York in a Jamaican family. His first connection to the Upper Valley came from his mother, who moved to Lebanon for work, and later moved to Quechee, where he visited her several times. Attracted to Quechee’s quiet and relaxed atmosphere, Hay moved here with his then-girlfriend-now wife and son Jayden. Now, he still lives in Quechee where he and his wife are raising three children together. While Hay’s family initially didn’t know how long they were planning on staying, there were few other DJs and entertainers in the area, which Hay recognized as an opportunity. He decided that the Upper Valley could be a great place to put down roots and launch his DJ and entertainment business, Livemixkings.

Livemixkings – spearheaded by Hay but supported by guest DJs and collaborations with other local artists and venues – perform at a variety of events around the Upper Valley, including Dartmouth-College sponsored events, car rodeos, ski events, marriages, silent discos, and more. He often appears to entertain crowds at local venues like Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover, the Lebanon Opera House, the Hopkins Center, and many other locations throughout the Valley. Despite being an introvert, Hay loves the connections he has made through DJing over the years. “[Being a DJ] allows me to be around people and have a good time. It’s basically like a hangout once you learn all the skills you need.”

Music has always played a big part in Sean Hay’s life. “Everything about music, I love,” Hay remarks. During his childhood, Hay’s uncles often threw parties at his great-aunt’s house. Hay’s great-aunt was the first in their family to migrate from Jamaica to the U.S., where she helped other Jamaicans who also made the journey to America. Eventually, Hay’s great-aunt helped so many people that “Saturday nights just turned into a party,” according to Hay. The constant good vibes and music trickled down to a young Sean Hay, who credits his family for giving him inspiration to pursue a music and entertainment career later in life. His uncles, who hosted those first parties that Hay remembers, were important figures in Hay’s life and also influenced his future relationship with music. “My uncles had these sound systems in their cars, and they would produce this loud bass that you could feel in your chest,” Hay remembers. “I tried to go back and make music like that, [but] could never create it.”

Hay developed an interest in the DJ industry at a young age, when he began by experimenting with producing on his clarinet and drum set. “I didn’t know I was being a producer,” he remembers. “I was just recording things that sounded good to me.” Hay recorded snippets of music and brought them to school, where his student peers rapped lyrics to the beats he had come up with. “The cool kids were rapping to my beats, and all of a sudden, I was becoming a cool kid,” Hay says. “And that’s how I knew this is what I want to do.”

In an effort to inspire other young aspiring musical producers and performers, Hay now hosts a “DJ Academy” for teens, where he coaches teenagers in both the technical and entrepreneurial skills required for a successful DJ career. He also teaches a class for adults. Most of these classes take place at the Upper Valley Music Center, but he also holds workshops at other locations in the Upper Valley. Among his students is his 15-year-old son, Jayden. Jayden is doing his own DJing, using the techniques he learned from the DJ Academy to start his own DJing career and assist Hay with his work. Jayden has been the DJ for school dances and even a silent disco held in Lebanon last year. Hay says that nowadays, Jaden often gets requested as a DJ for certain events. “Now people are requesting him and not even me,” Hay reports proudly.

Hay explains that DJing is like inventing a story that complements a playlist of songs for a particular event, which he curates beforehand, leaving some room to improvise and accommodate song requests. “As the event happens, I might veer from the playlist based on the audience,” says Hay. While the songs play, Hay brings in his personal touch, adding “weird but unique” sounds and beats to mix up the pace, feel, and mood of popular songs that everyone knows. “It’s been working,” he says. “When I do a mix, the crowds react well to [them].”

Part of the DJ job is also keeping the party vibe going throughout an event, and Hay describes performing as “being a fun person for four hours.” Energy defines a DJ performance, and Hay says it’s his job to keep the energy up for his guests through both the music and also by keeping the crowd engaged with other techniques, like “shoutouts”, where he calls out special members of the crowd and maintains a fun dialogue between the audience and the DJ/s. However, it’s crucial to balance the excitement of the crowd by increasing the energy in the room gradually. “You can’t come in too hot. You have to bleed into it for certain things, and if you come out too hot on the mic or even start the music too loud, people are going to look at you like you have problems,” jokes Hay.

An often overlooked part of DJing is the promotion that leads up to an event, Hay adds. As a DJ, Hay not only has to perform at events but also needs to advertise them ahead of time through various means, like Facebook or by designing and putting up posters in public. “And this is the thing most people don’t know about DJs,” he says. “We have to be everything. We have to get the word out, do all the behind-the-scenes, and then the party.”

Hay considers his producing to be a vital part of his DJ career as well. “I realized that producing was one thing I needed,” he says. “It definitely separates you from other DJs. If you just play a song that plays on the radio you sound like a radio DJ, but if you play a remix – something you created – it’s something new to everyone’s ears, and it sounds interesting.” In fact, Hay credits his company name, Livemixkings, to his producing within DJing. According to Hay, the name describes exactly what he does as a DJ: “I’m doing a live mix as we’re having [an] event. You’re hearing these beats mesh together that shouldn’t be together.”
Even now, with his DJing job, Hay still sometimes produces and adds new remixes into his DJ performances. “What I’ve been doing is I’ll get a couple of acapella and some instrumentals; I’ll try to mix them together into something that I can add in between songs people know,” he says. “I’ve been blending things not meant for each other and try to make it make sense. That’s the challenge.”

Hay’s Jamaican heritage plays just as significant a role in his life as it does in his career. Jamaica, as for Hay, holds music dear to its heart. Many Jamaicans earn their living through the music industry, says Hay, and events and parties can be the source of income for many different people, from the DJs and event staff to the bartenders and servers. It is also the hustle and grit he sees in people whenever he visits Jamaica – like seeing many of his cousins working multiple jobs at once – that inspires Hay to work hard to achieve his own goals. “Everyone before me had that hustler’s mentality, and so growing up into that, I had that as well,” he says. “Without [my heritage], I don’t know if I could have kept going at it like I did, and my family motivates me to keep on going.”

Bringing his family background from New York and Jamaica with him all the way to Quechee, Hay is here to bring the energy, something that he says the Upper Valley needs. “There was this hole [in the Upper Valley] that needed to be filled out,” Hay says. He sees the potential in the local communities throughout
the Upper Valley, and he notices that they could benefit from some cheer and “party energy” from time to time, and his goal is to bring that fun and energetic atmosphere to others, one party at a time.