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!