NORTON, Massachusetts – For more than a decade, Mass Golf Member Days have provided one-day social golf outings for thousands of golfers of all ages and abilities. Friends, families and colleagues alike join other players from across the Commonwealth for 18-holes of golf at premier private courses all across Massachusetts. With the focus on the experience rather than the scorecard, many consider these events the highlight of their summer.
The 2022 Member Days schedule has been released and as always features an exceptional list of golf clubs. It kicks off May 2 at the recently renovated Ocean Course at The Club at New Seabury in Mashpee and concludes October 24 at Scituate Country Club. But in between are renown venues such as Whitinsville Golf Club, Blue Hill Country Club, Plymouth Country Club, and many more.
“I think we’ve got a really good mix of Member Day courses and a lot of great tracks that people are going to enjoy,” said Kyle Sherman, Mass Golf’s Manager of Member Events & Services. “You really get to see what golf is like around the state in an enjoyable, casual atmosphere.”
Member Days registration is conducted through a lottery system. All lotteries will open for online entry on March 3. Member Days are open to anyone who holds an active GHIN® number affiliated with a Mass Golf Member Club. The cost for each event is $90 and includes greens fees, cart, and access to the range prior to the start of the event.
Since Member Days were added to the Mass Golf schedule in 2010, they have been a bridge to introduce golfers to new courses as well as provide an organized event for its participants.
Koreen Shorham made her debut in Member Days last year. A former rower at Boston University, Shorham took to golf after college and has been playing for the past four years. Aside from the occasional scramble event, the Foxborough Country Club Member Day last year was her first organized golf event, and she walked away with the Net title.
“It was really well-executed, well-organized,” said Shorham, who played in a group with her fiance’s step-father. “We knew where it was supposed to be, we knew how to [keep] score. The round moved, and it was a great day.
“After Foxborough we made it a point to get a few others to play with us.”
One person who’s been back year after year is Harvey Ford, who has been hooked after playing in his first Member Day event back in 2011.
“It’s nice to get out there to play courses you haven’t played or those you’ve driven by where you say ‘I’d like to play that,'” Ford said. “It’s fun meeting new people of all ages and skill levels. I try to be as helpful and encouraging as I can.”
Harvey Ford has been playing in Mass Golf Member Days for over a decade. (David Colt, file)
As for the schedule, Foxborough is featured this year (June 20), as are Oak Hill Country Club (July 18) and Plymouth Country Club (June 27). Oak Hill hosted the 111th Massachusetts Open last year, and Plymouth held the 118th Massachusetts Women’s Amateur.
Thorny Lea Golf Club (August 22), which hosted the 2021 Fall Cup Championship, is also on the summer portion of the schedule.
There are several nine-hole courses on the schedule this year led by Whitinsville Golf Club. Considered one of Donald Ross’ finest works, Whitinsville received the No. 2 ranking on GOLF.com’s inaugural list of the top 50 stand-alone, nine-hole golf courses in the world in 2020. Several outlets have ranked the par-4 9th as one of the top 100 holes in the U.S.
Cohasse Country Club is another nine-hole Ross gem tucked away in Central Massachusetts. The July 5 event will be one of two events taking place on a Tuesday. The majority will take place on Mondays, with two others taking place on Wednesdays.
Two South Coast 9-hole standouts on the schedule are Acoaxet Club in Westport (September 28) and Reservation Golf Club (October 4) in Mattapoisett. Reservation, which hosted the 2020 Massachusetts Young Golfers’ Amateur Championship, will be a first-time Member Day host.
“A good portion of our Member Clubs are nine-hole courses, so it’s good to see that kind of representation in our events,” Sherman said.
For the latest information and schedule for Member Days, visit MassGolf.org, scroll under the “PLAY” tab at the top of the screen, and click “Member Days”.
Monday, May 2
The Club At New Seabury – Ocean Course (Mashpee)
Monday, May 9
Indian Pond Country Club (Kingston)
Monday, May 16
Blue Hill Country Club (Canton)
Wednesday, May 25
Mt. Pleasant Golf Club (Lowell)
Monday, June 6
Ferncroft Country Club (Middleton)
Monday, June 20
Foxborough Country Club (Foxborough)
Monday, June 27
Plymouth Country Club (Plymouth)
Tuesday, July 5
Cohasse Country Club (Southbridge)
Monday, July 11
Whitinsville Golf Club (Northbridge)
Monday, July 18
Oak Hill Country Club (Fitchburg)
Monday, July 25
Pawtucket Country Club (Pawtucket, RI/Seekonk)
Monday, August 1
Walpole Country Club (Walpole)
Monday, August 22
Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton)
Wednesday, September 28
Acoaxet Club (Westport)
Tuesday, October 4
Reservation Golf Club (Mattapoisett)
Wednesday, October 12
LeBaron Hills Country Club (Lakeville)
Monday, October 17
The Ridge Club (Sandwich)
Mass Golf is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing golf in Massachusetts by building an engaged community around the sport.
With a community made up of over 100,000 golf enthusiasts and over 360 member clubs, Mass Golf is one of the largest state golf associations in the country. Members enjoy the benefits of handicapping, engaging golf content, course rating and scoring services along with the opportunity to compete in an array of events for golfers of all ages and abilities
At the forefront of junior development, Mass Golf is proud to offer programming to youth in the state through First Tee Massachusetts and subsidized rounds of golf by way of Youth on Course.
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