By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
HARWICH, Massachusetts (September 3, 2024) – Under the early September sun fairways and the light breeze at Cranberry Valley Golf Course, golfers returned from their holiday weekend to a course that offered no holiday of its own—demanding precise shot-making at one of Cape Cod’s premier public golf facilities.
Tuesday marked the opening round of the 41st Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship, but there was nothing mid about the opening round from Central Massachusetts native Joe Macaulay (Cyprian Keyes Golf Course). He fired a terrific 31 on the front nine and capped it off with a birdie on the final hole, posting a 4-under-par 68 to lead the pack in this treasured event, open to players aged 25 and up with a Handicap Index® of 4.0 or lower.
Hot on his heels are past champions Matt Parziale (2015, 2016, 2021) and Mike Calef (2011), who both carded 69, alongside Daniel Bukoff (Foxborough Country Club), who matched Parziale’s six birdies. The second round gets underway at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, with the field of 119 players set to be trimmed to the low 30 and ties for Wednesday’s final round.
Joe Macaulay has been counting down the days to making his return to a statewide amateur golf championship. After years playing on the Adams Tour and a recent re-entry into the amateur ranks, Macaulay placed in the top 10 in this year’s Worcester County Amateur and qualified for this event at Gardner Municipal Golf Course. Playing in the second group in the afternoon way, he was nearly flawless off the tee early on, making birdie on the first two holes as well as five, eight, and nine to surge to the top of the leaderboard.
“The front nine off the tee was great—just hitting wedge as close as I could. The back nine was more of a grind, but the putter stayed hot and kept it together.” His performance was a testament to a short game that never wavered, with wedge shots and tap-in birdies propelling him to an early lead. “I took advantage of the par-5s,” he noted, describing his methodical approach. “A two-putt birdie here, an up-and-down birdie there, and on 9, I stuck a 130-yard 50-degree wedge to about five feet to cap it off.”
Labor Day weekend has usually been reserved for winning local club four-ball events, including his former club of Holden Hills. A recent semifinal loss in the Cyprian Four-Ball had Macaulay eager to hit the reset button. “I was ready to start a new tournament after that rough weekend,” he said.
Having regained his amateur status just last summer, Macaulay has spent the past year sharpening his game, competing daily with his close-knit group of friends back home. “I’ve had a good summer,” he said. “I worked on my game all year to stay ready.”
Macaulay slipped back with bogeys on the 13th and 14th, but he scrambled well on the par-3 14th to avoid a worse outcome. After hitting the trees off the tee, he hit his second to the front of the green, chipped to about 12 feet, and made the putt. After getting up and down on the 16th for par, the 18th hole at Cranberry Valley provided the perfect exclamation point to Macaulay’s round. “Everybody I’ve asked has talked about 18,” he said with a smile. “I smoked a drive and ran up. Hoped to go for it in two, but hit a good wedge in and rolled in a 4-footer.”
Joe Macaulay in for the clubhouse lead with this closing birdie & past champion Matt Parziale comes in on his tail just one stroke short after his birdie⛳️#MassMidAm #MassGolf pic.twitter.com/Zj3jRmsD4E
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) September 3, 2024
Mike Calef joked that his grouping would’ve been considered a feature group…a decade ago. Playing alongside Ben Spitz (George Wright Golf Course) and Brian Higgins (Franklin Country Club), he proved there’s still plenty of pop in the swings of these seasoned competitors and champions. Calef, who played in the final group last year, was solid with a 3-under-par 69.
“I’m playing really well, and I’m happy with how I’m playing,” said Calef, who earned the No. 5 seed in this year’s Mass Amateur. “I haven’t had the results I wanted, but I’m playing as good as I’ve played in a long time, so I’m confident in that regard.”
One of the highlights—and challenges—of Calef’s day was navigating the tricky final stretch of holes. “No. 17 (par-3) bummed me out because I love to play bogey-free golf. It shouldn’t have been in my head, but it was. I was thinking, ‘Just get this up and down.’” Despite the minor setback, Calef made birdie on the closer. “That’s a really good finishing stretch. I played them even par, so it’s fine in the end.”
Matt Parziale, the three-time champion, turned on the jets late with birdies on holes 14 and 15. Stepping to the 18th, his tee shot rested a few inches into the right rough, and with about 214 yards to the hole, he hit a 5-iron over the trees to reach the green and two-putt his way to a closing birdie.
Parziale missed last year’s Mid-Amateur to play in the Crump Cup at Pine Valley (NJ) and most recently finished runner-up in 2022. Earlier this year, he was a semifinalist in the Mass Amateur and later qualified for the U.S. Amateur. Later this month, he’ll compete in the U.S. Mid-Amateur in Virginia, an event he won in 2017. He’ll compete alongside Christian Jensen (Sagamore Spring Golf Club), who finished the day 1-under. Fellow U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifiers Ricky Stimets (Worcester Country Club), the defending champion, and Nate Davis (Segregansett Country Club) shot 1-over, while Ben Balter (Weston Golf Club) was 2-over.
Joe Harney (Charles River Country Club) finds himself in a six-way tie at 2-under, while former Mass Open runner-up Ryan Gendron (Falmouth Country Club) is among five tied at 1-under.
Cranberry Valley Golf Course was ahead of its time when it opened in 1974. Municipal courses back then were typically designed with strict budget considerations and an emphasis on getting players around the course with little hassle. But Cranberry Valley, a spectacular 18-hole course designed by Geoffrey Cornish and Bill Robinson, set itself apart early on with challenging holes and distinct vistas, earning the distinction as one of Golf Digest’s top public courses.
The course occupies 185 acres, which the Town of Harwich acquired by eminent domain in 1972, though the land was initially taken for reasons unrelated to the golf course. In 1973, local golf supporters secured a 78% approval vote at a town meeting to proceed with the golf course project. The town allocated $746,000 for the construction of the 18-hole course, with an additional $27,000 to complete the project. Its name was a given — the course is located across from one of the region’s many lush cranberry bogs.
The course quickly gained popularity, drawing locals from across the region as well as summer vacationers. It has averaged more than 50,000 rounds annually, as has one of Cape Cod’s premier practice areas, complete with a short game section, bunkers, and a chipping zone. This is ideal for the Harwich Chapter of the First Tee – Massachusetts program, which teaches golf and its core values to youth throughout the state. In recent years, local architect Mark Mungeam led a significant redesign and restoration of the course’s bunkers, moving several to improve playability while maintaining a suitable challenge for golfers of all levels.
As far as championships, the club has hosted a pair of Mass Amateur Public Links titles, won by Phil Miceli (2005) and Herbie Aikens (2014), while Jack O’Donnell won the 2020 Mass Junior Amateur prior to beginning his journey at the University of Michigan.
At 6,745 yards, Cranberry Valley may not be particularly long, but its par-72 layout includes several dogleg holes that require strategic play. The course provides plenty of excitement throughout the round. It concludes with a demanding par-3 17th and a thrilling double dogleg on the 18th, considered by many to be the signature hole and the best finisher on Cape Cod.
Picture perfect day for the #MassMidAm 📸 pic.twitter.com/igUDT8FC0E
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) September 3, 2024
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