Successfully Shipped Up to Boston - Thanks For the Memories

Nearly eight months ago, Barry McNulty from the PGA Tour made a visit to Golf House in Norton. Joe McCabe, the executive director of The First Tee of Massachusetts and our junior golf leader, had a chance to speak with Barry that day and learned the exciting news.

The  Constellation Senior Players Championship was coming to Boston!

This was exciting news and – quite frankly – news that we did not expect. The buzz through our office was palpable. The PGA Tour was going to host a FedEx Playoff event (the Deutsche Bank Championship – our Labor Day Tradition) and a Constellation Senior Players Championship in our state in 2015.

We later learned that the Symetra Tour would be hosting an event at Thorny Lea GC in August. Such developments earned a feature story in our spring issue of MassGolfer magazine (click here to read that story).

The MGA was fortunate and honored to work with the operations team at the Constellation Seniors Players Championship. As the weeks and months passed, we connected with them to see how we could help. Whether it was securing volunteers, helping to organize the Tuesday kids' clinic or letting the public know that tickets were available… we were able to see first hand how much work and effort go into hosting a major event on our soil.

The end result was something for the record books. The world's top golfers came to Belmont Country Club last week and put on a show. Defending champion Bernard Langer was nothing short of brilliant with his six-shot victory.

In honor of such a monumental event, we would like to highlight just some of the other "winners" from the 2015 Constellation Senior Players Championship.

Belmont Country Club and its membership for opening its doors to a major event and making everyone feel welcome.

Joe Rotellini, executive director of the event, and his entire team for their incredible efforts managing this event. Kudos also go to Katelyn DiCristofano who was responsible for securing and organizing the 600+ volunteers.

Mike Rose, the golf course superintendent at Belmont Country Club, and his entire staff for having the course ready to go and in prime condition even after the challenging winter of 2014-15.

Brad Faxon for giving 6-year-old Ryan McGuire a putting lesson on the eve of day 1 of the event. McGuire is looking to raise money for Golf Fights Cancer at MGA Links on June 17 in memory of his kindergarten friend Danny Nickerson.

The Ouimet Fund caddies who proudly walked stride-for-stride with each professional player during Wednesday's Pro-Am.

Bernard Langer who became the first player since Arnold Palmer (1984-85) to win consecutive Constellation Senior Players titles.

The FANS who came out each day to celebrate professional golf played on a historic layout.

The local, regional and national media that converged on Belmont Country Club last week to cover such an amazing event.

The PGA Tour for making charity a key part of all of their events. The Constellation Senior Players Championship will be making critical donations to many local charities, including The First Tee of Massachusetts.

Although the event will not be returning to the Bay State in 2016 (they are off to Philadelphia), we were honored to be a part of such an incredible experience and we hope that Boston will be a future destination.

In "A Commonwealth of Golfers", John English penned that, "the introduction of golf in Massachusetts apparently took place on July 13, 1728…"

Our state has a history that is matched by few. We hope that major Tours will continue to help us create more memories.

In the meantime, we thank you for Shipping Up to Boston in 2015.

Posted by Becky Blaeser, who is now a Champions Tour fan for life.

Watching the Future of the Sport - Part II of II

It is yet another windy day here at Black Rock Country Club. The wind has died down a bit which means - in Black Rock Country Club land - that the gusts are only topping the high 20s. It is a unique experience for everyone.

Here is the second installment of fun player tidbits.

Nick Drago is from Marshfield and cites winning back-to-back high school state championships for Marshfield High School as his best golf moment. His best score ever was a 62 at Plymouth Country Club.

Philippe Gariepy from Quebec has a very unique putting stroke. Check out the video to the right from the par-3 15th hole.

Alex Jeffers is the assistant general manager at Cape Cod National Golf Club. His best finish at the Massachusetts Open Championship was T29.

Shuvam Bhaumik is the managing director at Stone Toro Wealth Management and is playing in his first-ever Massachusetts Open Championship. He started playing golf in high school because he was “too small to play any other sport.” He grew up playing golf in Brooklyn, New York because it was “a safe haven for me and kept me out of trouble.”

Hunter Stone’s greatest golf memory is playing in the 2006 Junior World Championship and the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. His aunt was the 2014 USA Olympic ice hockey coach and his dad played professional baseball.

Greg Farland was quarterback for the University of Rhode Island football team from 1984 to 1987. He scored his first ever hole in one at the 2014 New England Open.

Nicholas Chakalis is a caddy at the Boston Golf Club He was a member of the Boston College High School class of 2014.

Kip Webber is an environmental engineer for GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. He attended Acton Boxborough Regional High School and then the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he was a Division I gymnast.

Josh Biren recently received his MBA at Babson College and is about to start working for Fidelity Investments. He attended Lincoln-Sudbury High School where he was the 2005 Dual County League Champion. At Trinity College,  he was captain of the golf team.

Michael Willock is a senior vice president at Asset Allocation Technology at Fidelity Investments, and most recently won the 2014 Southeastern Amateur Championship. He attended  Rockland High School and then Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he was a Second Team GTE All American.

Dylan Newman started playing golf when he was three years old and turned pro last December. When not playing on the pro circuit he is a DJ who specializes in bar/bat mitzvas and sweet 16 graduation parties.

Mark Purrington’s nickname is simply “pure” and has his own web site, markpurrington.com. In addition to playing golf, he is a professional drummer.

Lucas Cromeenes’ hometown is Metropolis, Illinois but he currently works in Maine were he serves as the assistant golf professional at Boothbay Harbor Country Club.

Billy Walthouse is from Longmeadow and was an Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team selection and the University of Rhode Island Player of the Year. He was a two-time Western Massachusetts High School Champion from Longmeadow High School.


It is yet another windy day here at Black Rock Country Club. The wind has died down a bit which means - in Black Rock Country Club land - that the gusts are only topping the high 20s. It is a unique experience for everyone. Here is the second installment of fun player tidbits.
Nick Drago is from Marshfield and cites winning back-to-back high school state championships for Marshfield High School as his best golf moment. His best score ever was a 62 at Plymouth Country Club.
Alex Jeffers is the assistant general manager at Cape Cod National Golf Club. His best finish at the Massachusetts Open Championship was T29.
Shuvam Bhaumik is the managing director at Stone Toro Wealth Management and is playing in his first-ever Massachusetts Open Championship. He started playing golf in high school because he was “too small to play any other sport.” He grew up playing golf in Brooklyn, New York because it was “a safe haven for me and kept me out of trouble.”
Hunter Stone’s greatest golf memory is playing in the 2006 Junior World Championship and the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. His aunt was the 2014 USA Olympic ice hockey coach and his dad played professional baseball.
Greg Farland was quarterback for the University of Rhode Island football team from 1984 to 1987. He scored his first ever hole in one at the 2014 New England Open.
Nicholas Chakalis is a caddy at the Boston Golf Club He was a member of the Boston College High School class of 2014.
Kip Webber is an environmental engineer for GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. He attended Acton Boxborough Regional High School and then the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he was a Division I gymnast.
Josh Biren recently received his MBA at Babson College and is about to start working for Fidelity Investments. HE attended Lincoln-Sudbury High School where he was the 2005 Dual County League Champion. He attended Trinity College where he was captain of the golf team.
Michael Willock is a senior vice president at Asset Allocation Technology at Fidelity Investments, and most recently won the 2014 Southeastern Amateur Championship. He attended  Rockland High School and then Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he was a Second Team GTE All American.
Dylan Newman started playing golf when he was three years old and turned pro last December. When not playing on the pro circuit he is a DJ who specializes in bar/bat mitzvas and sweet 16 graduation parties.
Mark Purrington’s nickname is simply “pure” and has his own web site, markpurrington.com. In addition to playing golf, he is a professional drummer.
Lucas Cromeenes’ hometown is Metropolis, Illinois but he currently works in Maine were he serves as the assistant golf professional at Boothbay Harbor Country Club.
Billy Walthouse is from Longmeadow and was an Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team selection and the University of Rhode Island Player of the Year. He was a two-time Western Massachusetts High School Champion from Longmeadow High School.

Watching the Future of the Sport - Part I of II

These photos have nothing to do with the blog, but they are still neat. Above is the artwork of the MGA Championship staff directly in front of the clubhouse.

Here is MGA Rules Official Doug Mitchell (left) with Black Rock CC Owner George McGoldrick, Jr.

Check out the cool MGA hat that was made just for this event! The red one is only for volunteers, however.

So here we are at the 106th playing of the Massachusetts Open Championship. We are surrounded by one of the most breathtaking modern classics in Black Rock Country Club. We gaze around and keep thinking... am I looking at a future PGA Tour or Champions Tour star?

The answer might be yes if you take a look at the list of past champions and consider that many of these touring pros are just waiting for their big break. Just think about Jon Curran and Jim Renner. Just a few years ago they were in this field and wondering what their future might hold.

The future held a PGA Tour card as both competitors made the show and used this State Open as a stepping stone. In fact, I clearly remember sitting across from Jon Curran when he said that his game was "almost there." He has already made $800,000+ during his rookie PGA Tour season... I believe that he was 100% correct in his assessment.

Since it is impossible to cover every single competitor (all 150 deserve a feature story of two, believe me!), we decided to give you a glimpse into the lives of just some of them who graciously took a moment to tell us about themselves. This will be Part I... Part II to come tomorrow following the second round of play.

Read and enjoy...

James Smith is a Dartmouth College graduate who notes the following as his most favorite courses to play – Black Rock Country Club, Kittansett Club and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. 

Benjamin "Ben" Conroy finished T3 at the 2015 Cape Cod Open. He turned pro in 2013 and didn't take long to make his mark as he fired a course record 65 at Torrington Country Club during the 2013 Connecticut Open. He finished tied for second in that event. In addition to golf, he is also a skilled pianist!

Eric Dugas has plenty of frequent-flyer miles as he currently competes on the PGA Tour Latin America where is stands in the top 15 on the money list. One year ago, Dugas was one of four who advanced to a playoff at the Massachusetts Open Championship. His best score posted was a 61, and he turned pro in 2005.

He may be an amateur on this day, but Chris Wiatr just graduated from the University of Connecticut and is planning to turn pro this coming fall. His best finish in 2105 thus far was an impressive third place at the Russell Palmer Cup held in Connecticut.

Chris Gentile is playing in only his second career Masachusetts Open Championship, but one year ago he advanced to the Round of 16 at the Massachusetts Amateur Championship. The Lowell native said that he picked up a club at 11 months old and started playing in tournaments at 9 years old. He currently works at the pro shop at Mount Pleasant Golf Club.

Kevin Gately has scored two holes in one in his career, one at the age of 10 and then his second six years later. He is a Ping DIV 2 All regional standout for St Thomas Aquinas College where he competed at the 2014 NCAA Div II Championship.

Charlie May graduated from Masconomet Regional High School in 2013. He was named the 2012 Division 2 Boston Globe Golfer of the Year. He currently attends Elon University, but cites his best moment in golf as winning the 2011 MIAA Division 2 High School Individual State Championship by making a 10-ft birdie putt on the 1st sudden-death playoff hole. He is very interested in numbers and statistics and keeps several Microsoft Excel documents on his computer that keeps track of his golf performance, including one that has every round he has played since 2009.

Brian Higgins won the 2010 New England Amateur Championship, but says that the most important fact about him is that he is the father of three beautiful daughters ages 13, 11 & 6. He is also a small business owner who enjoys the time he gets to spend with his family and on the golf course competing in tournaments.

Jason Short is not only a fine golfer but he finished in the top 10% of his graduating class at Marlborough High School, who will be playing for the University of Rhode Island in the fall.

Brandon Parker lives in Auburn and he is the current head men's and women's golf coach at Assumption College. He turned pro in 2011, but is currently in the process of applying for a reinstatement of his amateur status. His best golf moment in golf was making five birdies in a row during Monday qualifying at the 2012 Web.com Tour Miccosukee Classic. He is writing a book.

Pete Weatherby is an assistant golf professional who claims that he currently lives in a haunted house in Plymouth. His highlight from 2015 is that he has "yet to break a club", and he would rather "be fishing".  Pete will be here all week, folks.

Dan Woodbury is from Upton and currently attends Virginia Tech University. He has scored two holes in one, but one was at 9:00 p.m. in the pitch black back in 2012.

Dave Houghton is the oldest competitor in the field at 70 years old. He is also a retired US Navy Captain (thank you, Dave!). He was a member of the Brown University men's golf team from 1963 to 1966, was a professional golfer from 1993 to 1995. One year ago e won the 2014 Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championship.

Michael Carbone is from Brewster and currently is a pro golfer and a caddy at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, FL. A graduate of Nauset Regional High, Carbone has been a pro for 13 years and has claimed many impressive titles including the 2009 Rhode Island Open, 2011 Maine Open and 2014 Brooklyn Open champion.

Chip Johnson is the head golf professional at Hatherly Country Club whose best finish at this event is second. He has been married to Pamela Kerrigan, LPGA Tour Player for eight years. His brother  
Kevin Johnson is also in this week's field.

Philip Cardwell is a teaching professional at Sankaty Head Golf Club. He is a testament of courage as he is blind in his right eye. He has survived three brain tumor surgeries.
There are many more player highlights to come tomorrow... what a group!

Posted by Becky Blaeser, whose hoping these articles will be printed in Sports Illustrated when these guys make it big.

Hail to Our Seniors

On Tuesday afternoon, the temperatures had dropped into the mid-40s and the rain which had begun nearly 36 hours previously was still coming down as if a faucet was left wide open in the skies above.

From the comfortable perch of the MGA media center at Pembroke Country Club, we watched as more than 100 dedicated senior amateurs made it around the course. The same was happening 10 miles away at the sister course of Indian Pond Country Club.

Each competitor walked to the scoring table one after another with rain still dripping from every part of their rain suits. They feverishly tried to find a dry spot on their paper scorecards to write in their final scores.

Meanwhile on the 12th green, I saw two MGA officials taking turns standing alongside the green. When there was a break between groups, they would run to the green surface, push any standing water over the back of the green so that the next group could proceed. They began this tag-team operation during the early morning and did not stop until late afternoon.

Throughout the entire day, there was not one complaint or one foul word uttered. In fact, it was amazing how jovial and downright positive the atmosphere was. A total of 118 teams – many of whom traveled upwards of two hours to compete at the MGA Senior Four-Ball – came prepared with everything including great attitudes.

Instead of going home or asking for another tee time, we heard the following.

“You can’t change the weather.”

“It could be worse.”

“Tomorrow will be better.”

“The courses held up great.”

And remember that each and every one of those players and rules officials had taken a day off of work or a day away from their home and loved ones to be there. It’s not what you would think of when you envision a free day but there they were… wet, cold and playing and officiating golf in some of the worst conditions possible.

But what happened at the MGA Senior Four-Ball was special. And special is a perfect word for the sport of golf.

Regardless of one’s age, gender, skill level or even the weather outside… golf brings people together and unites them in a way that helps build lasting friendship and true character.

I did not have the opportunity to play golf when I was young, but I did play plenty of soccer. I can honestly say that memories of the days playing in what felt like puddles up to my knees and snow covering my cleats are clear today as they ever were. I have no recollection of being cold or unhappy. I just remember enjoying the game I love.

Golf is our game and the love for it was evident this week.

It seems only fitting that we take a minute to watch a fun video produced by the USGA called, "A Lot to Love About Golf”

So we could not go one more minute without saluting the competitors, the rules officials and the staff at every club that was open on Monday and Tuesday. Your heart and love for the sport is inspiring, and we hope that everyone will look back with a chuckle and say “Remember that day when we played in the…”

Those are memories for a lifetime. Thank you for letting us be a passenger on your journey this week.

Posted by Becky Blaeser, who marveled at the toughness of the competitors but was comfy under her eight layers!