Already In Full Swing

OK, so I have to do a little better than once a month. The Masters has come and gone and I think most of us felt a little badly for Kenny Perry.

April was a busy month at the MGA as we prepared for the start of the season. The Ouimet Banquet in Boston was another huge success. No doubt people came out for Tom Watson, but even in this economy the Ouimet Fund still has such strong support across the state. It was heartwarming really and it speaks both to the passion that people have for the game and for the Fund.

A group of about 20 MGA committee members and officials visited the USGA Museum last month for a day or so. Everyone went down on their own dime and were treated to a tour of the test center and the museum. If you haven't visited the USGA Museum before it is worth the trip. Last year the Museum reopened after a $22 million renovation which included an addition to the main building. The new wing is named after Arnold Palmer and features and entire room dedicated to The King. The focal point of the new wing is the Hall of Champions, a large wood-paneled room with plaques on the walls listed by year and all the champions for each year beginning in 1895. Of course, there were only two championships in 1895 - the US Amateur and US Open. In the middle of the Hall of Champions sits all the USGA Championship trophies, all proudly dsiplayed in glass cases. It's an impressive sight. If you haven't been, you need to go - www.usgamuseum.com.

The Four-Ball was not exactly the perfect start to the season that we'd hoped. After an uneventful day-1 at both Crestwood and Ledgemont the weather turned bad last Tuesday. We tried to play on and all the players were great sports about it, but the courses became unplayable. We ended up declaring co-champions for the event, the second time this has been done in several years. Let's hope the weather cooperates a little better from here on out.