Off to the Races

It's officially busy time here at the MGA. After Herb Aikens and Ryan Riley lit it up at the Four-Ball to win by six, we had a US Open Local qualifying round the next day at Pinehills where Herb continued his great play to become one of the qualifiers and move on the Sectional Qualifying.

This past week we had five sites of Mass Open qualifying. The beautiful weather has been welcome break from much of the bad weather we've fought through in previous Mays for Open qualifying. This is the first bona fide spring that I can remember us having in a long time. I won't even complain about the early season summer heat.

The final field of 150 is now set for the Open to be played next month at Wellesley CC. And the pairings are all set for Mass Amateur qualifying which will begin on June 7th.

This past Tuesday we held our first-ever MGA Member Day at Crestwood Country Club in Rehoboth. Meant to give access to an MGA event for higher handicap players, the day was a great success. About 80 players experienced a beautiful day (highs in the 80's) on a beautifully manicured layout. Many players let us know how much they enjoyed playing in something sponsored by the MGA. Most had never played in an MGA event because their handicaps were too high. Several wanted to play the course where Dana Quigley was the longtime head pro. Some drove from as far away as Springfield to play!

We treated the players to a similar experience that they might encounter at a qualifier: starter's tent by the 1st tee, starter's box and an official announcing them. Each player also received an MGA logo hat which was a big hit. The tournament was a Stableford competition, but the emphasis was on providing a fun environment at a nice course at an affordable price. It was a success on all fronts, and based on reactions by the players, it's likley that we will continue to grow this program. We have another one scheduled next week at Foxborough CC on June 2nd.

Here are some highlights of the day: http://www.mgalinks.org/about-us/news/2010/news_2010_052510a.html

I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day weekend. More nice weather - go tee it up!