Last year the Waterville Country Club in Oakland hosted the Maine Women’s Amateur. Beginning Tuesday, the 96th men’s Maine Amateur tournament will be played there. The 54-hole tournament wraps up Thursday.

“We like hosting these tournaments,” said Waterville head pro Don Roberts. “We don’t mind giving up our course for a few days. We have a lot of volunteers for the Maine Amateur. The members are excited.”

The course is lush and ready to welcome 132 of the state’s top amateurs.

“The golf course is in great shape. I think it will be a good week if the weather cooperates,” said Roberts.

The Maine State Golf Association works with the host golf course superintendent in setting up the course. Roberts said the greens will be fast and run true. The rough will be similar to what it is for the member-guest tournament.

“Maybe a tad longer,” said Roberts of the rough length.

Waterville starts off with three benign holes. The first is a straightaway, slightly downhill par 4. The second is a short par 3 and the third is a dogleg right par 5 that is very reachable in two.

“You need to get off to a good start on the first three holes,” said Roberts. “The next three holes are a little tougher.”

The key stretch of the golf course, said Roberts, is holes 10 through 13. The 10th is a long, downhill par 4 that turns slightly left. Nos. 11 and 12 are short par 4s with tricky greens. No. 13 is a downhill, par 3, measuring 228 yards from the championship tees.

“After that you have to hit it straight on the remaining holes. They’re tree-lined and can be birdied,” he said.

Some greens have a lot of slope to them – holes 5, 8, 10, 12 and 15 come to mind

“You have to stay below the hole,” said Roberts.

“If you’re chipping side to side, you’re in trouble. Distance isn’t a factor here but knowing what the greens will do and course management are.”

Waterville is a par-70 that measures 6,442 from the blue tees.

The course last hosted the men’s state amateur in 2007. Eric Higgins of Kennebunk, now a pro, won with a score of one-under.

This will be the 10th time that Waterville has hosted the Maine Amateur, making it the fourth most popular site after Augusta, Portland and Penobscot Valley.

Shawn Warren, who captured the Maine Amateur in 2006 at Portland, was part of a five-man playoff last Wednesday at the PGA Club Professional National Championship for the final spot to get into the PGA Championship next month at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.

Warren dumped his second shot on the par-4 hole into a greenside bunker, missed his par putt and picked up because the worst any of the other players would make was a par.

Brian Gaffney of Monmouth Beach, New Jersey. birdied the hole to get into the PGA Championship.

The top 20 finishers in the tournament held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club gained entry into the PGA Championship.

Warren, an assistant pro at Falmouth, was tied for the lead with a 68 after the first round and then had rounds of 72-72-74 to finish at 4-over 286.

Matt Dobyns of Lake Success, New York, won with a birdie on the 18th hole for a 72-hole score of 279.

TEE TO GREEN: The 15th annual Matt Gaudet Invitational will be held Friday at Dunegrass Country Club in Old Orchard Beach. Entry fee is $150 per golfer. The tournament starts at 2 p.m. All proceeds go to help Gaudet, a former standout basketball player at Mountain Valley High and Colby College, with the high cost of living as a quadriplegic. Gaudet will also be inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame this year on Aug. 8 in Worcester, Massachussets. To play in the tournament go to gaudetgolf.com or e-mail at glennmccrum@hotmail.com.

A reminder that the first Dr. Leon Buck Memorial Golf Classic will be held July 21 at the Bath Country Club. The tournament will feature a dual format of a scramble and a best ball. Buck, who died in January at 98, was the longtime head rules official for the Maine State Golf Association. For more information, contract Greg Page at 751-1641 or spice5858@comcast.net

Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland will celebrate its 50th anniversary Sunday with activities planned from 2 to 5 p.m. There will be a cookout on the deck, music and assorted games. The event is free for Val Halla members and Cumberland residents.

The Children’s Dyslexia Center of Portland will hold its annual charity golf tournament (Teddy Bear Scramble) at Spring Meadows Golf Club in Gray on Aug. 5. Registration opens at 7 a.m. with the tournament beginning at 8:15. The tournament will include cash prizes, contests for the longest drive and nearest the pin, and a chance to win a car, provided by Emerson Chevrolet, with a hole in one. The cost is $70 per person, and includes greens fees, cart and a barbecue lunch with beverage. For more information, call 666-8397 or go to www.cdcp.me.