True Spec Golf opens first D.C. location in Clarksburg

True Spec Golf has opened its first Washington, D.C. area location in Clarksburg. The club-fitting studio is located at Little Bennett Golf Course at 25900 Prescott Road, a public course with a view of Sugarloaf Mountain. True Spec's one-bay mobile fitting unit utilizes the industry’s first quadroscopic launch monitor, Foresight GCQuad. True Spec DC Metro also features a "brand-agnostic" fitting matrix of over 70,000 clubhead and shaft combinations. Operating hours are 9:00 AM-6:00 PM on Tuesdays, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM on Wednesdays, 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Thursdays, and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

Taxpayers pay for IMF, World Bank staffers' enrollment at posh Montgomery County country club

Bretton Woods country club at 15700 River Road in Germantown is in the spotlight, after the New York Post reported that staffers for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank enjoy free enrollment there as a job perk. Employees of either institution have the $12,000-$20,000 initiation fee for membership waived at the expense of U.S. taxpayers, who provide the largest financial contributions to both agencies. Two members of the IMF sit on the club's board of directors, the Post revealed. 80% of the club's 1300 members are now staffers from the IMF or World Bank. The Post report suggested that the lavish perk could make the IMF and World Bank juicy targets for President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE spending-cut effort.

Sports merchandise kiosk opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Hello, sports fans! A new kiosk has opened just for you at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. It carries a variety of merchandise and decor for professional and college teams. But the selection is not limited to local teams. In fact, rivals outnumber the Washington Commanders in some of the NFL displays. Kind of like in the stands at Northwest Stadium! 

Look for the kiosk on Level 1 in the Old Navy/The Cheesecake Factory wing of the mall, near Häagen-Dazs - - and be sure to wear your Bob Knight "game face."

Rockville Target offers Prince for Target pickleball collection

Target has added a small pickleball section to most of its stores, in cooperation with sporting goods brand Prince. Called "Pickleball Point," it appears to have everything a beginner needs to get started. The section is an exclusive partnership between Target and Prince, and is planned to be a limited-time promotion. Among the 80 items in the "Prince for Target" collection are retro track suits and pleated skirts, as well as paddles with colors that match the apparel. Target says the merchandise will be available "while supplies last." Pricing starts at $9.99, and most items are under $50. Hopefully they won't be Target-ed by the Rockville pickleball thieves.

Pickleball thieves stock up in Rockville

Rockville City police are searching for three suspects who allegedly pulled off a major heist of pickleball equipment from a store in the 800 block of Rockville Pike last month. The suspects entered the business at 2:24 PM on April 26, 2024, grabbed "a large quantity of pickleball rackets," and fled, police say. 

Detectives describe Suspect 1 as a thin White male with a "dark complexion," black hair and a full beard. He was wearing a black jacket and black pants. Suspect 2 was a thin White female with a "dark complexion." She was wearing a black cardigan sweater over a white shirt, and a long black skirt. Suspect 3 was as equally fit and well-dressed as her alleged accomplices, a thin White female with a "darker complexion." Her outfit was a black dress accessorized with a white shawl.

Police did not provide an approximate age for any of the three suspects. If you have any information about the suspects or this incident, you are asked to call police at 240-314-8900.

Monumental Sports Network to broadcast Old Glory DC pro rugby matches for 2024 season

Monumental Sports Network has reached an agreement to broadcast 13 of Old Glory DC's Major League Rugby matches during the 2024 season. Old Glory DC plays its home games here in Montgomery County, at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown. The season and broadcast schedule will begin with Old Glory DC's road opener against the New Orleans NOLA Gold this coming Saturday, March 2 at 4:00 PM EST. The games streamed by Monumental Sports Network can be watched through your Pay TV subscription on cable TV, on monumentalsportsnetwork.com, or by downloading the Monumental streaming app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV, and using an "eligible TV Everywhere log-in."

"Monumental Sports Network is the ideal partner to carry Old Glory and bring all the action, intensity and elegance of professional rugby to the entire Greater Washington Region," Old Glory DC Chairman Chris Dunlavey said in a statement Wednesday. "Rugby is the greatest team sport in the world, and Monumental is bringing it to your living room."

“We are thrilled to welcome Old Glory to the Monumental Sports Network family,” Monumental Sports Network VP of Content & Programming Caitlin Mangum said. “We are happy to bolster our live programming lineup and offer D.C.-area sports fans the chance to enjoy this exciting and quickly growing sport.”

The schedule for Old Glory DC matches on Monumental Sports Network will be as follows:

Saturday, March 2 at NOLA Gold at 4pm

Saturday, March 9 at New England Free Jacks at 2pm

Saturday, March 16 vs. Chicago Hounds at 4pm

Saturday, March 23 vs. San Diego Legion at 4pm

Saturday, March 30 at Charlotte Rugby at 6pm

Saturday, April 6 vs. RFC Los Angeles at 5pm

Saturday, April 20 vs. Houston Sabercats at 5pm

Saturday, May 11 at Chicago Hounds at 6pm

Friday, May 24 at Seattle Seawolves at 10:30pm

Saturday, June 1 vs. Charlotte Rugby at 7pm

Saturday, June 8 vs. New England Free Jacks at 7pm

Saturday, June 22 at Miami Sharks at 7:30pm

Saturday, June 29 vs. NOLA Gold at 7pm

Old Glory DC pro rugby team to host open training session for fans today in Germantown

Professional rugby arrives at the Maryland Soccerplex at 18031 Central Park Drive in Germantown today, February 24, 2024. Old Glory DC, a Major League Rugby team, will host an open training session from 1:00 to 3:00 PM this afternoon. In addition to a preview of the team in action, fans can meet the coaches and players after the session ends. Team ambassadors will provide "Rugby 101" explanations and provide real-time match analysis, and food and beverages (including adult beverages) will be available for sale from vendors on-site. Admission to the event is free.

Old Glory DC's new head coach is Simon Cross. This season's roster features stars from 11 countries around the world, including Team Captain Jamason Faanana-Schultz (AUS), DC native Jack Iscaro (USA) Rob Harley (GBR) of the Glasgow Warriors, Damien Hoyland (GBR) of the Edinburgh Rugby Club, Axel Muller (ARG), and Perry Humphreys (GBR). 

The team's season will begin March 2, 2024 with a road game against the New Orleans NOLA Gold. Old Glory DC's home opener at the Soccerplex will be on March 16, when the club hosts the Chicago Hounds. Single match and season tickets can be purchased during today's event, or online.

Lids opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Lids is "opening soon" at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The sports merchandise retailer is best known for hats, but carries a wide range of licensed sporting apparel, shoes and accessories. Lids offers 90-day "hassle-free returns" on products. Look for Lids when it opens on Level 1 next to the Lego Store.

Assault at Rockville soccer facility

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a soccer facility Friday night, July 7, 2023. The assault was reported at a youth and adult soccer complex in the 1000 block of Westmore Avenue at 8:27 PM.

Golfdom opens in Rockville

Attention, golfers! Golfdom has opened at 12137 Rockville Pike in the Pike Center shopping center. A sporting goods store for the discerning golfer, Golfdom features all the major brands. The store also sports Launch Monitor club-fitting technology, golf simulators, full-service club repair, major brand fitting carts, and an indoor putting green. This Golfdom location is open 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturdays, and 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays.

Bank orders liquidation of Rockville hockey facility's assets

A bank has ordered the liquidation of a Rockville hockey training facility's assets, according to the Rasmus Auctions firm. First Line Training Center is located at 40-C Southlawn Court in Rockville. Its website appears to be down. Items being liquidated in the bank-ordered auction include 3 skating rinks, over 11,000 square feet of synthetic ice, a skater-trainer treadmill, skate sharpening machines and cleaning equipment, and a variety of hockey and skating equipment. A full list of items being auctioned off is posted on the Rasmus website. 

Golfdom to open Rockville store

Golf megastores come and go, but they always seem to pop up in the Rockville Pike corridor. Golfdom is the latest to take a swing at the Montgomery County golfer market. It will open a new location at 12137 Rockville Pike, in the Pike Center. 

This is the former Pier 1 space, which in the center's current configuration is technically the anchor space for the property. Walmart had sought to open an 80,000-square-foot store at Pike Center twelve years ago, until its plans were blocked by the Montgomery County Council.

Golfdom has an existing store in the region in Tysons, and touts itself as "THE Golfer's Store." The chain's lease at Pike Center was first reported by the Washington Business Journal.

Photo courtesy Golfdom Tysons

Rockville native James Wood joins Washington Nationals in Juan Soto trade

The change of scenery for one of the San Diego Padres prospects obtained by the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto trade will be a familiar one. Rockville native James Wood, who grew up in Olney and attended St. John's College High School in Northwest Washington, is coming back to the DMV in a big way. The 6'7" outfielder was drafted out of high school by the Padres in the second round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.

Wood has shown great power hitting potential in his career so far, with 10 home runs at Class A Lake Elsinore this season. He is also an all-around athlete, having played several sports at St. John's, and now showing speed on the basepaths with 15 steals this season. Athletic skill runs in Wood's family: his father, Kenny Wood, was a star basketball player at the University of Richmond, and is the founder of GameFinder365. James Wood starts his Nationals career this week with the team's Class A affiliate, the Fredericksburg Nationals.

Photo via Lake Elsinore Storm Twitter

ROCKVILLE RESIDENT CRITICIZES CITY "COMBAT SPORTS" CLASSES HE SAYS "ENHANCE VIOLENCE"

Dr. Maynard Moore, a Rockville resident affiliated with the National Association of Recreational Equality, asked the Mayor and Council Monday to add recreational sports programs that promote cooperation, rather than competition.  Referring to Sunday's Super Bowl, Moore said "we can be thankful that apparently no one was seriously hurt. This spring the City of Rockville will be providing classes for teaching...'defeat others' combat sports," sports he said may be "conducive to aggression."

Referring to football, soccer, basketball and hockey, Moore cited research that suggests such competitive, "opponent-oriented" sports are "enhancing violence among young people," and may lead to bullying.

Moore did not suggest the city cancel the traditional sports classes, but asked the Mayor and Council to add one or two classes that would "foster cooperation, rather than aggression," such as bankshot basketball.

Mayor Bridget Newton said the city already has three bankshot basketball facilities.