John Diller, president of the Sugarloaf Ski Area, presents Sugarloaf Golf Pro shop manager John Debiase with a new fly casting rod for his more than 25 years of dedication to the golf course community. (Laura Dunham photo) CARRABASSETT VALLEY — It seems like only yesterday that I was out on the new Sugarloaf 18-hole golf course taking photos of Peter Webber, Larry Warren and Robert Trent Jones Jr., the course’s designer. But time flies by and the article I did in 1983 and had on display at Saturday night‘s 25th anniversary party was taken when Jones came to visit the proposed golf course location. The golf club opened in 1985.

Webber, who served as the master of ceremonies Saturday at Strokes Grill at the golf course, said he moved to Sugarloaf in 1970 and really what he most wanted to see was a four-season resort. Webber said he was out west at a Jerry Ford golf tournament with the late Harold Alfond and Larry Mehaney and met Robert Trent Jones who told Webber he was looking to design a golf course in the mountains on the east coast where his family was located.

Peter Webber and Larry Warren look over an article describing the construction of the Sugarloaf Golf Club some 25 years ago at Saturday’s 25th anniversary party of the golf club held at Strokes Grill at the resort. (Laura Dunham photo) “Well,” said Webber, “Larry Warren came to town and we started a plan to come up with $5,000 to get Jones to Carrabassett Valley to do a route plan. We got an airplane and flew up the Carrabassett River and Jones said ‘there is where you need to build your golf course.’”

“It was Warren’s vision that got us here,” said Webber. “The worse part was that Larry and I had to drive to Augusta to play golf and we wanted a course here,” said Webber.

So with Webber and Sugarloaf contributing the land, the town came up with the $2 million for the course.

“We (Webber and Warren) asked 50 people to come up with $5,000 apiece which paid for the roads and utilities,” said Webber. The names of those contributors are listed on the wall of the golf club. “The Golf Club at Sugarloaf has changed our culture, we have a tremendous amount of pride in what has happened here in our community,” said Webber.

It is also good to have been named as the #1 Golf Club in Maine by Golf Digest for the past 24 years, said Webber.

It was fun to bring my albums of articles from the 1983-85 days for everyone to enjoy.

There was not only Webber and Warren there, but John DeBiase who has been pro shop manager of the golf club for 25 years and was presented a new fly rod from president of the mountain John Diller. Also given special recognition was Bob Bruce, Superintendent of the Golf Club, who has the course in the best shape ever, said new golf pro Steve Niezgoda who recently moved here from Michigan. “I’m glad to now make Sugarloaf my home golf course,” said Niezgoda.

Also on hand was longtime Sugarloafer Norton “Icky” Webber who gave me a spin around the dance floor, our own well known artist, Marguerite Robichaux, and Walter Hurley, Joanie Blanchard, Russell Morey and Nancy Marshall, to name a few of the old timers.

A wonderful buffet of food was prepared by Johanna Day, chef at Strokes, and served by staff and manager, Laurel Lashar.

Just before heading into the 25th grand celebration, I was treated to a golf cart ride up to the 10th and 11th holes of the course by golf course summer employee Steve Falco of Wilton.

Now, I hate heights, so I was screaming (much to his delight) at Falco to make sure he didn’t loose his brakes as I looked down below with one eye. I was never so glad to get back on flat ground.

Falco told me that he and another summer employee, Will Underkuffler of Farmington, had played 18 holes of golf for 72 hours straight the day before, which they were told no one had ever done before at Sugarloaf from all four sets of tees. I assured Falco “that was amazing.” I liked that kid... I thanked him for the ride and he said “it was an honor to take me.”