This week's signature hole is the short par-4 12th at Grassy Hill Country Club in Orange. See how head pro Brian Fitzgibbons played it - and hold all laughter when reading about Average Joe's exploits.

This will appear in Thursday's New Haven Register, along with the story of Meriden's Todd Blosser, the only amputee playing the Connecticut portion of the Golf Channel Amateur Tour.

Stay tuned.

Legendary Shelton baseball coach Ed Marocco passed away early Thursday morning at Yale-New Haven Hospital at the age of 58. He had quadruple-bypass surgery last Thursday.
Marocco had coaced through last Wednesday in what was his 29th season as head coach.
Shelton won the SCC Housatonic Division championship four times under Marocco's direction and the Gaels won the SCC championship in 2000.
Marocco was also the longtime public address announcer at the school's football games.

Calling hours will be Sunday at the Riverview Funeral Home from 3-7 p.m. The funeral will be Monday morning at St. Margaret Mary’s Church on Long Hill Ave. Time is still TBA.

It is officially warm enough to hit the links. Of course, if you read about my alter ego, Average Joe, it might have given you new hope in the sport.

Part of my job this spring and summer is to play the signature hole on several public courses in the state. I have already done two, the 14th at Laurel View CC in Hamden and the 15th at Orange Hills CC. My combined score already is 3-over-par.

Still, it's a good gig if you can get it: playing golf for a living, even for a hacker like myself. Courses to come include Grassy Hill CC in Orange, Gillette Ridge GC in Bloomfield, Lyman Orchards GC, both courses in Middlefield, and Great River GC in Milford.

If you haven't seen it, our new golf pages are in Thursday's edition of the New Haven Register. You can buy ads for those pages or you can suggest holes for Average Joe to come hack up, er, play.