NORTON, Massachusetts – While Mass Golf is known for many of its top championship and women’s championship events that focuses on top individual performances on the golf course, the organization also provides several opportunities to bring together individuals for team-based competition, where competitors must not only rely on their own performance to achieve victory, but also that of their teammates.
Throughout the calendar year, Mass Golf offers six opportunities as part of their Team Tournament schedule for such events, focused not only on golf, but the camaraderie that comes along with the game. One such benefit of the team tournaments, all of which were run by either the previous Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts or the Massachusetts Golf Association prior to this year’s merger that created Mass Golf, is that these events bring together families – allowing them to not only spend time together, but to do it on the golf course in a competitive and fun environment.
In August alone, Mass Golf will offer four tournaments specifically formatted for families, including the Mass Golf Father & Son Tournament (August 13-14 – Ledgemont Country Club), Mother & Daughter / Member & Junior Tournament (August 15 – Highfields Golf & Country Club), Mother & Son Tournament (August 16 – – LeBaron Hills Country Club) and the Father & Daughter Tournament (August 20 – Renaissance ). The four tournaments will all be held at member clubs across the Bay State.
These tournaments, which all have long histories within the Bay State, continue to be treasured by participants of all ages and has continuously brought back competitors year after year.
“It’s a great family tradition,” said Kathleen Natale, who has been participating in the Father & Daughter tournament since its inception, and even won two tournaments in 1993 and 1998 respectively. “For us, we look forward to that tradition just like we look forward to Easter and Christmas. For me, my children are adults now and I know for sure that I will spend time with them every year. It’s a guaranteed golf date. We always get to play beautiful courses and get to travel together to them and we always end up having dinner or ice cream after them. It’s just a way to spend the whole day together.”
The team tournaments are open to golfers of all ages and for some of the tournaments, such as the Father & Son and the Father & Daughter, different divisions exist based on both age and tee preference.
Sons who have reached their 14th birthday and will not reach their 19th birthday by August 14, 2018, for example, will be placed in the junior division of the Father & Son tournament, while those who are above that age would compete in the Senior Division.
In the Father & Daughter tournament, divisions are separated into the Championship & Forward Divisions, based solely on which set of tees the daughter of each team will play from.
For Gene Gonzales, of Charles River Country Club and an active participant in the Father & Daughter tournament who won last year’s Championship Division title, the experience to not only play golf with your daughter, but the chance to win is something he truly enjoys.
“It was incredible,” said Gene on the opportunity to play golf in the tournament with his daughter Jackie, a rising junior at Holy Cross. “We have been playing for a bunch of years and have missed out winning by a shot twice. Then at the Ridge Club last year, we got hot and birdied four of the last five holes and ended up winning by one shot. It doesn’t get much better than winning something with your daughter. It’s the best.”
Sue Curtin, who has won the 13 and under division of the Mother & Son Tournament with her son, James, in each of the past five years, shared why she believes families should come out and take advantage of this unique experience
“I would recommend all levels of players to consider participating in something like this because it is more than just a score you are putting down on the card,” said Curtin. “It is being able to spend the day together, the camaraderie. One of the most special things has been making a lot of new friendships out of these events and it always gives you something to look forward to next year.”
Other team tournaments, such as the Mother & Daughter, extends beyond just family requirements and can even include teams of member and member. This means that a current Mass Golf female player may pair with a junior girl, aged 18 or younger, who resides in Massachusetts.
With deadlines approaching for several of the Team Tournaments scheduled for August, the time is now to sign up and avoid missing the opportunities to partake in what will surely be one of the most memorable events of the summer.
For additional information on team tournaments and the tournament entry close dates, please visit https://www.massgolf.org/play/team-tournaments/
