Dr. Ray Lebel’s long and illustrious career as a Maine amateur golfer will be celebrated at Martindale Country Club June 15 to July 7, during which the inaugural Dr. Ray Lebel Open will be played.

This tournament, three years in the making according to Martindale president and co-owner Jim Day, will be unique in that it is being held over a three-week period with A, B, and C flights, along with senior, women’s and junior flights. There will be individual and two-ball championships, plus a player can enter the two-ball event with more than one partner. It is not limited to Maine residents, and players need GHIN cards to enter.

“If you sign up to play on a Wednesday and it rains,” Day said, “you can come back on Thursday and play in the sun, or any time. We are hoping to make this a major open event.”

Older Maine tournament players will understand why this tournament is being held in the Lebel name. Dr. Ray Lebel is a legendary Maine amateur, having won five state titles, finishing as runner-up five times, capturing 12 Maine senior amateur crowns along with three New England Senior Amateur titles. During a 55-year period, Lebel was a member of approximately 50 Maine Tri-State teams, with a break only for military service as a Navy fighter pilot during World War II. Only all-time Maine Amateur championship leader Mark Plummer has won his first and last Maine Am over more time than Lebel (1940-1965).

For Lebel that start in 1940 was special, with him having taken the Maine Am, the Maine Junior Amateur and Maine Interscholastic championships.

Over his distinguished career, having won a total of 65 club titles in Maine — Martindale (14), Portland (32), Falmouth (1) — and the rest in Florida, Lebel’s championship run began in 1938 at age 14 when he won his first Martindale crown, when he was better known at Martindale as a caddy.

Lebel, who never took a formal lesson, was inducted with the first Maine State Golf Hall of Fame class in 1993 and is in the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, was not just a player. He was a rules official and an Maine State Golf Association board member. He was an accomplished dental surgeon and a musician, playing the jazz trumpet.

“He was such a gentleman,” said Nancy Storey, executive director of the MSGA.

Lebel was the father of seven children. One of his daughters, Vicki Koshliek, has won numerous club championships at Portland, and another daughter, Susan Lebel Young, has written a book, “Lessons from a Golfer.”

The family of Lebel, who passed away Sept. 16, 2009, has asked that the proceeds from this tournament go to Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice. Information on the event is available at martindalecc.com.

Noteworthy

• With Father’s Day just a week away, here are a few suggestions on the purchase of some quality golf items: An instructional DVD, “Tom Watson: Lessons of a Lifetime” is available at TomWatsonDVD.com. It includes 44 lessons, each approximately four minutes in length … For golfers who walk, Miura Golf has a “standbag” available at www.miuragolf.com … Antiqua has a “Summer Men’s Performance Collection,” which can be seen at www.antigua.com … A firm called Club Crown is revitalizing club heads with information available at www.clubcrown.com … For shoppers, golf retail outlets in Maine include: Golf & Ski Warehouse in Scarborough, Sports Authority in the Maine Mall and Dick’s in Topsham and South Portland.

• The entry deadline for the New England Amateur has passed but players who would like to be on the waiting list should email Storey at [email protected] … The Maine Amateur entry deadline is today with information available at mesga.org. Golfers are advised to check the MSGA website for entry deadlines to other events.