It's November. Yikes.

Is it just us, or did the 2014 golf season fly by?! In just 15 days, the 'active' season here in Massachusetts will come to an end. But that doesn't mean you stop golfing! That simply means that no rounds played in Massachusetts during the inactive season (November 15 - March 31) can be counted toward your Handicap Index.

Already looking toward
next year!

How about a little season recap in just a few words...

February: Holy moly...it's time for online registration to open!
March: Wait...did every Member Day site just sell out in 6 minutes??
April: The active season begins...start posting those scores!
May: It's Championship time, baby!
June: Wait, slow down...no seriously slow down!
July: Did this month exist? We can't seem to remember.
August: No biggie, we still have about a billion events to get through...
September: #septemberisthenewjuly
October: We made it! Time to relax...kinda

Of course, we're being facetious here - while the season is a total grind, it's also a heck of a lot of fun. There's something about having to squeeze a ton of golf into a relatively short period of time that makes it feel more exciting. Since we're not blessed with year-round warmth like our friends at say, the Arizona Golf Association, we hit the ground running in March and don't slow down until...well, now!

A big thank you is due to our 360+ Member Clubs. We couldn't do it without your support! And thank you to all our Member Golfers, from the Championship players to the guys and gals that go out and hack around on the weekends and everyone in between. Thank you for preserving and promoting this great game in our great state!

But there is still plenty of golf to be played! So get out there!

A great day for a great cause

Click to donate to The First Tee of MA!

We ordered up some great weather this morning for one of our favorite events of the year - the annual MGA Junior Golf Fund Tournament. This event, which benefits The First Tee of Massachusetts, is now in its eighth year and raises crucial funds for The First Tee's youth development programming across the state.

This year is an exciting one, as we have joined the Liberty Mutual Invitational Series, which is the #1 charity event in golf. Thanks to this partnership, we were able to provide all sorts of swag to this year's participants, and we have some great prizes too! And best of all, the winning foursome will receive an invitation to play in the LMI National Finals at TPC Sawgrass! Not bad!

This event is such an important one for The First Tee, as not only does it serve as an important fundraising opportunity, it also brings together our supporters from across the region. Additionally, we are lucky enough to have representation from our great Patrons - Titleist and Liberty Mutual. Without their support as well as the enthusiasm and support of all our golfers today, we wouldn't be able to do what we do for children across the Bay State. A great deal of thanks is also due to Walmart, which, as title sponsor of the Junior Golf Fund Tournament, has been a constant presence at the event since its inception in 2006.

The First Tee of Massachusetts uses a proven youth development program to bring the game of golf and its inherent values to thousands of children across the state. Think about how many times you've had to exercise patience, perseverance, honesty and respect while on the golf course - the game of golf is an incredible vehicle to help children develop into wonderful, responsible individuals. 

We currently operate in four locations in Massachusetts - Springfield, Lynnfield, Norton, and Hyannis. We also impact thousands of elementary school children through The First Tee National School Program, which utilizes physical education classes to teach kids the game of golf. The National School Program is now offered in 54 elementary schools in Massachusetts.

The support of the local golf community through this event has allowed so many The First Tee participants to take part in national opportunities like The First Tee Life Skills and Leadership Academy, The Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, and The First Tee Future Leaders Forum, among countless others.

So we have a beautiful day, an amazing golf course - TPC Boston - a very worthy cause, and some fun...not bad for a Monday!

Click here to view photos from the event

If you'd like to get involved with The First Tee of Massachusetts, we'd love to have you! Please feel free to contact Joe McCabe to inquire about how you can help out, whether it's by donating some old golf clubs and golf balls, volunteering at an event or clinic, or hosting an outing at your club to benefit The First Tee of MA.

So let's offer a big THANKS again to all our golfers today and especially to the countless volunteers and supporters who make our programming possible throughout the year. Looking forward to another great year of Junior Golf in 2015!

Coming back down to earth

Well you may have noticed that we haven't posted in a hot minute - ya know, we were just planning a nice little gala, no biggie.

In all seriousness, though, we couldn't be happier with how the first ever Mass Golf Hall of Fame Gala turned out. And a lot of its success is thanks to YOU! That's right, without the support of the golf community here in Massachusetts, we couldn't have done it. So many MGA Member Clubs stepped up to support the Hall of Fame, either through purchasing a table at the event, donating to the Hall of Fame, or helping promote the event.

There were ten groups that signed on as Ring of Honor level event sponsors and we cannot say enough about their support and preservation of the game of golf and its rich history here in the Commonwealth. Thanks to these sponsors, and the countless other clubs and individuals who have supported the Hall of Fame thus far, we have set the foundation for many years to come.

And the event! The event was just fantastic. We had the privilege of inviting family members of all inductees (both the original class of 2002, and this year's class) to Blue Hill to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our golf greats. It was a powerful, emotional, and enjoyable night for all. We had the incredible good fortune of meeting Bob Toski, Joanne Goodwin, and Pat Bradley, all of whom had wonderful stories to share.

Paul Harney's son Tim mentioned something during his acceptance speech that resonated with everyone in attendance - golf brings good people together. When he said that, we looked around the room and realized that that simple statement was spot on. The golf community here in Massachusetts is full of warm, generous, and interesting people that we are so grateful to be able to work with every day! Thank you everyone for all the support, and more importantly, for preserving this great game.

Check out the video that was shown at the beginning of the Gala last Thursday:



We also have to thank Cramer Productions for helping our vision come to life. Cramer, based in Norwood, is class all the way, from the video production to the event audio/visual. The company is a great friend to the golf community in the Bay State.

The proud Harney Family with Paul's HOF plaque

And although the Gala was just one night, there is a lasting piece of it that will be preserved in the Massachusetts Golf Museum here at TPC Boston. Thanks to the incredible work of Allison Abreu at Swallows Nest Custom Framing in Norton, we had beautiful frames made for each inductee. One was given to a family member of each honoree (see right), and one will stay here at the Museum to commemorate our Hall of Fame classes for years to come.

And the biggest, most emphatic thank you goes to our host, Blue Hill Country Club. The staff of the club calmly rolled with it as the event grew bigger and bigger, and didn't bat an eye to any challenges that arose during the event planning process. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the way everything turned out. From the food and beverage, to the event space itself, to the staff, Blue Hill was a wonderful host for the first ever Mass Golf Hall of Fame Gala.

What a night it was. Read more event highlights here.  Can't wait for the next one!

Small world!

We received an email from our friend Mike Macklin of WBZ Radio. While playing at Old Head Golf Links in Kinsale, Ireland a couple weeks ago, he ran into another friend of ours, the one and only Pat Bradley!

I was there on a buddies golf trip with Tony Athanas, Kevin Hannaway, Bill Crane, Paul MacDonald, Bob MacCauley, and Nolan Previte.  I'm a member at North Andover Country Club. The other guys are members at Tedesco Country Club in Marblehead.

While at Old Head I ran into Pat Bradley, the LPGA hall of fame golfer, originally from Westford, now living in Hyannis.  

Pat was with her 5 brothers and their mother, Kathleen Bradley of Osterville, celebrating their Mom's 90th birthday.  Pat and her brothers were playing behind my group.

There are two photos that include me, Pat and Pat's mom and a group photo with me, Pat and Pat's brothers, including Keegan Bradley's dad, Mark Bradley.  Mark was set to travel Ireland to Scotland this week to watch Keegan in the Ryder Cup.

The group photo line-up is: Tom Bradley (San Francisco, CA), Mark Bradley (Jackson Hole, WY), Mike Macklin (Boston, MA), Pat Bradley (Hyannis, MA), Chris Bradley (Chelmsford, MA), and John Bradley (Williamstown, MA).

Pretty neat! Thank you, Mike for sharing this with us!

Pat, who is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, will be joining us in two weeks at Blue Hill CC, as she gives a special welcome address at the inaugural Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame Gala. We are so honored that she is joining us!

Brrrr

Hard to believe that the season is winding down, but if you were outside this morning, there was a definite fall chill in the air. Luckily the season isn't quite over yet and we have some pretty big events yet to come.

From now through Wednesday we are at Blue Hill Country Club for the 31st playing of the MGA Mid-Amateur Championship. We have a really strong field playing this championship layout - who do you think will win? We do have 9-time champion (and defending champion) Frank Vana, Jr. in the field...but there are a handful of guys poised to take the Ted Bishop Cup this week. Stay tuned! Keep up with live scoring here.

Speaking of Ted Bishop, we will be back at Blue Hill in just a month for the first ever Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame Gala. Things are really coming together for what is going to be a fantastic night celebrating the rich history of golf in Massachusetts. If you haven't purchased your ticket yet, there is still time! Mike Dowling, who has been a great friend of the MGA and supporter of golf in Massachusetts, will serve as our master of ceremonies. Click here to learn more!

And next week, we get to go down the Cape for the MGA Senior Amateur Championship at the incredible and historic Oyster Harbors Club. Fall down the Cape is great, and add in a beautiful course - what could be better? Franklin CC's Keith Smith hopes to defend his title, but will have a strong field of golfers to contend with.

And we really must be gluttons for punishment because we have also teamed up with the GCSANE and USGA to present a unique on-course educational seminar at the end of September! The half-day event will take place at Dedham Country & Polo Club and is the perfect opportunity for green committees and superintendents to get out on the course and build their knowledge base on the issues that affect them every day throughout the course of the season. It's only $50 to attend and will provide a wealth of information. Check it out!

Additionally, the Course Rating season is heating up. Our Course Rating team, led by fearless leader Scott Whitcomb, is hard at work getting a LOT of courses rated this fall. Course Rating is a crucial, albeit behind the scenes, part of the golfer experience. Without effective course rating, the Handicap System would be a mess! Ok, that's a little dramatic. But you get the point - it's a hugely important part of what we do!! Click here to check out a little video primer we put together to better explain the rating process.

The end of season push is on! We hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather and getting as many holes in as possible before...I don't even want to say it...SNOW.

A super day!

Scenes from the first ever MGA Super Senior Amateur Championship at beautiful Cohasset Golf Club - what a perfect day! Check out more photos from New England Golf Images.

Fall is coming!

Check out Brae Burn Country Club looking great in Tom Brady's newest UGG commercial! Doesn't this make you excited for fall golf?! There's nothing like getting out on the course on a crisp fall afternoon.