MARLBOROUGH, Massachusetts (09/20/2024) — Special Olympics Massachusetts (SOMA), in partnership with the New England PGA and Mass Golf, is excited to announce a first-of-its-kind award in honor of long-time PGA Professional Bob Beach. Bob had the unique ability to bring three sports organizations together through the goal of making his favorite sport accessible to as many people from as many backgrounds as possible.
Beach has spent a lifetime advocating and supporting people with disabilities, including Special Olympics athletes, our Veterans, our senior citizens, and more. Bob has spent countless hours in his career making the sport of golf more inclusive and finding creative ways to teach the sport to people with a variety of abilities. For his lifetime of advocating for the mission of Special Olympics and to enhance the lives of people with disabilities, SOMA, Mass Golf, and NEPGA have partnered to honor Bob for his life of service and have created the Bob Beach Award. Each year, in collaboration with NEPGA and Mass Golf, SOMA will award the Bob Beach Award to someone in the Golf world: a Coach, a local PGA Pro, a Course, etc., that embodies the values of Bob Beach.
“Bob is exactly what we look for in a champion of the Special Olympics values of acceptance, accessibility, and inclusion. He not only grew the sport of Golf in Special Olympics, he did so through partnerships bringing these three great organizations together. We are proud to establish this award in his name and look forward to shining the light on even more individuals and groups in the Golf community,” said Special Olympics Massachusetts VP of Sports Matt Ruxton.
“The New England golfing community, especially our PGA of America Professionals, have long revered Bob Beach, PGA, and his unwavering commitment to making the great game of golf inclusive. Our Section is very fortunate to collaborate with great allied associations to recognize others who champion the cause that Bob so passionately established, and we’re honored to celebrate this award each year in his name,” said Michael Packard, New England PGA Foundation Director.
“Bob has been a fixture within the Massachusetts and regional golf community for several decades. The passion and dedication he has to support golfers of all abilities is second to none,” said Jesse Menachem, Executive Director/CEO of Mass Golf. “He has served as a true ambassador, giving his time and talents to golfers throughout the Commonwealth. It is a special honor to continue this award in his name.”
On December 4, 2023, Bob Beach was honored when the award was announced. Nominations for the second annual Bob Beach Award are now open. Nominations should include information about the following:
Nominations can be made here: specialolympicsma.jotform.com/241964044595868
Special Olympics Massachusetts provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for over 14,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities across the state in over 900 sporting competitions each year. Using sports as the catalyst, the Special Olympics movement promotes inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities in all areas of life. We’re investing in the idea that everyone belongs and invite all of Massachusetts to join us to experience inclusion. http://www.specialolympicsma.org.
The New England PGA Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of the New England Professional Golfers’ Association.
Founded in 2016, the New England PGA Foundation has and will continually work to promote the game and improve the lives of thousands of children, veterans and their families, as well as diverse populations through golf programs across New England each year.
Our mission, to positively impact the lives of youth, veterans, and diverse populations through the creation and utilization of golf programming that supports education, health and wellness, and player development.
Mass Golf is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing golf in Massachusetts by building an engaged and inclusive community around the sport.
With a community made up of over 130,000 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.
