Chris Perry Column: Legends Of Miacomet

It’s all about the pelts.

The championships.

The island bragging rights.

And back in the day, it was also about a new sports coat from Murray’s Toggery.

But, if you want to be part of this exclusive champion’s club, you need to bag at least four of them. Earlier this month, Nate Roberts did just that.

He locked down his fourth Miacomet Golf Club Championship (’18, ’22, ’24, ’26), edging out Josiah Newman and securing his spot in a select group of five golfers who have won at least four club championships over the last five decades. More impressively, these five golfers - oftentimes going shot for shot - held the champion’s trophy an impressive 35 times over the last 50 years, cementing their place in Miacomet Golf’s pantheon of champions.

With the help of Mike Haberl, Miacomet’s director of golf, and Nicole Turner, Miacomet’s CFO, I had the privilege of sitting down with the five champions - Brian Secia, Kenny Hammond, Jay McConnell, Steve Visco, and Nate Roberts - earlier this week, and the conversation did not disappoint. Obviously, there was plenty of reminiscing about championship matches and unforgettable shots, but it was the complimentary kibitzing between rivals who were sincerely respectful of each other’s skills that highlighted my morning and made my day.

“My toughest loss was losing in the finals to Secia, but that happened to a lot of us. However, my favorite win was my fourth club championship,” said a chatty Jay McConnell, who won in ’86, ’87, ’93, '13, and ’15.

“We have played a lot of great golf together over the years, but I have to say that beating Secia in the finals in 2000 was probably my most rewarding win because Brian has always been my toughest opponent with a great golfing resume,” said local favorite Steve Visco, who won in ’00, ’17, ‘21 and ’25.

“I think my favorite win was in ’82 or ’83. I beat Steve Lamb and it took 38 holes to do it,” said a smiling Kenny Hammond, who won Miacomet’s Club Championship nine times (’77, ’79, ’80, ’81, ’82, ’83, '84, ’96, ’03) to go along with five Sankaty Golf Club Championships (’78, ’84, ’91, ’03, ’06).

Winning one is quite a feat, but grinding out 14 club championships like Brian Secia has done (’92, ’94, ’95, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’01, ’02, ’04, ’05, ’08, ’10, ’12, ’20) including winning six championships in an eight-year span followed by another seven championships in a twelve year stretch is the island’s benchmark for championship golf at the highest level.

As the roundtable discussion got underway, I went into shotgun mode with rapid-fire questions:

Traditionally, what’s the toughest shot to hit under pressure at Miacomet?

Secia: “2nd shot on 7 - down wind with back pin…”

Hammond: “Approach on 14 when pin is tucked in the back right corner…”

McConnell: “2nd shot on 17 into the wind…”

Visco: “If you’re down in a match, it’s the 2nd shot into 17…”

Roberts: “Ever since I started playing Miacomet, 2nd shot into 17…”

Toughest opponent over the years?

Secia: “Kenny Hammond…he’ll par you to death.”

McConnell: “Secia or Billy Medeiros - he held the course record for a while.”

Roberts: “Visco… he knows how to play Miacomet.”

Hammond: “Jay McConnell… he hits a nice, high shot.”

Visco: “Hands down…Secia.”

Best shot you hit under pressure at Miacomet?

Hammond: “I hit a four iron on #1 with my fanny up against a tree when there were trees along #1, standing on my tiptoes to a few feet for birdie against Peter Benson.”

Roberts: “This year, I hit a stinger four iron into a 20-plus m.p.h. wind about 190 yards to the front of the green and made par.”

Secia: “It was in a match against Billy Medeiros when it was a 36-hole championship format. On 18, I hit a 3-iron about 210 yards to about two feet. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see where the ball ended up but the people around the green started going crazy so I knew it was good."

Visco: “It might not seem like much to most, but I hit an 8-iron on 17 in this year’s tournament in heavy fog to within a couple of feet.”

McConnell: “I don’t care what hole you play, it’s always the last fu**in’ three feet that have the most pressure…”

Toughest golf hole on Nantucket?

Immediately, each one demanded to know the wind, and then responded:

Hammond: “#10 at Sankaty”

Roberts: “#2 at Skinner’s”

Visco: “#10 at Sankaty”

McConnell: “#10 at Sankaty.”

Secia: “#17 at Miacomet.”

And I had to ask, “What was your toughest loss at Miacomet….?”

Secia: “Losing to Nathan Coe in 2011 after he took an unplayable on 16 and then drained a bomb to half the hole. After that, I three-putted 17 and 18 to throw it away.”

Hammond: “I have had so many losses over the years in final matches that it’s hard to pick one. I felt fortunate just getting into the finals.”

McConnell: “Losing to Secia.”

Visco: “Losing to Nate Roberts in 2018. It was his first championship and I knew more would follow.”

Roberts: “Losing to Steve Visco last year. I dug a hole and just couldn’t get out of it.”

After getting some of the specifics out of the way, we took a turn down memory lane.

“You know, John Bennett kicked things off. I think he won the first Miacomet championship in ’63 or ’64,” offered Hammond.

“He did”, McConnelly confirmed, “Then, it was a battle between Roy Ryder, Bill Haddon, and Billy Medeiros for about 10 years.”

“That was the same time when I was about 10 years old. Oswald Tupancy helped me with the basics, including giving me an old hickory stick for a 5-iron. He told me to ‘walk and learn the game’,” reminisced Hammond, who fondly remembers the days of playing Tupancy on Cliff Road.

Visco added, “I was self-taught after playing baseball in college. I first joined Miacomet as a member in ’95 with Al Costa. My wife bought me my first set of clubs, and as Brian Secia always reminds her, it was the biggest mistake she ever made.”

McConnell, who had more than a few stories that needed to remain “off the record,” added, “One guy that I miss is Norm Chaleki. We used to have a weekly tournament on Friday evening called the Chaleki Open where you needed to have two drinks before you teed off. If you came to the first tee and didn’t have two drinks under your belt, you needed a note from a bartender in town vouching for you that day.”

Besides moving the club championship to later in the season, the one thing they all agreed on was something that was taken away.

Back in the day, if you won the club championship, you got a free golf membership the next year, plus a new sports coat from Murray’s in town. However, in ’87, after Jay McConnell won, he went down to Murray’s and requested a new, bright yellow set of rain gear for work instead of the traditional sports jacket. Then-president George Oliver was not amused and killed the practice.

“We’d like to see that tradition come back,” the champs said in agreement.

“Not the rain gear - the free membership!”

Obviously, there’s plenty more golf ahead for these five characters but what has yet to be played is the one final match to determine the ultimate champ. Thanks to Miacomet Golf, which agreed to host the match, Secia, Hammond, Visco, McConnell and Roberts have pledged to play a stroke match in September - details TBD - for the ultimate pelt.

I know betting is frowned upon at Miacomet, but with Hammond bouncing around 6.5, McConnell at 4.5, Visco at 2.2, Secia hovering around 1.7, and Roberts at a +.2, the betting window is now open.

I think McConnell might have lost a yard or two on his drive.

Hammond getting eight shots is a crime, but not enough from the tips.

I have a feeling Visco and Secia will be preoccupied with a head-to-head, side bet rekindling old memories of championships won, and championships lost.

That leaves Roberts…

Book it.