NORTON, Massachusetts – With its flashy clubhouse and breathtaking terrain, GreatHorse in Hampden has been a feted venue for both Mass Golf and New England Golf Association championships since the Antonacci family purchased the club in 2012 and transformed it into a world-class venue.
The club has hosted six such championships and several qualifiers over the past decade and is set to host the Massachusetts Amateur Championship in 2025. On Wednesday, Mass Golf announced that the club has signed an agreement to host three additional championships over the next few years, highlighted by the Massachusetts Open in 2027.
“Ever since purchasing GreatHorse we knew we wanted to renovate it into a championship golf course that we could host Mass Golf events,”
said Guy Antonacci, President of GreatHorse. “They have been a great partner since the beginning and we are excited for what the future holds.”
Along with its second-ever Mass Open (first in 2018), GreatHorse will also be the site of the 2024 New England Junior Amateur Championship and the 97th New England Amateur Championship in 2026. The club previously hosted the 2019 New England Women’s Amateur Championship, with Shannon Johnson taking home her second consecutive title.
GreatHorse, whose current design is credited to New England-based architect Brian Silva, provides a par-72, 7,600-yard layout from the championship tees with a staggering 207 bunkers and over 200 feet of elevation change. The course has been previously selected as the 2019 New England Golf Course Owner’s Association Course of the Year and listed as one of GolfWeek’s Top 200 Modern Courses.
The club not only possesses a fantastic golf course but has turned out some highly accomplished players as well. The 2023 Mass Amateur at Essex County Club featured a final match of two players who cut their teeth at GreatHorse — Ryan Downes and Matthew Naumec — with Downes, 17, becoming the youngest winner in event history. This year’s New England Junior Amateur may be Downes’ final junior golf event before heading to college. Recently, he won his second straight MIAA Division 1 individual crown at his home course.
When Jason Thresher won the 2018 Mass Open at GreatHorse, he became the fifth person to win the event for three consecutive years, joining Dana Quigley, 1982-84; Paul Harney, 1967-1970; Harold McSpaden, 1936-38; and Alex Ross, 1906-10).
Jacquelyn Eleey, who turned pro in 2018, won the first championship held at GreatHorse — the 2016 Massachusetts Women’s Amateur, earning a 2&1 victory over Jennifer Keim in the final match.
Future Mass Golf/NEGA Championships at GreatHorse
Mass Golf/NEGA Championships at GreatHorse
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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 110,000 golf enthusiasts and over 340 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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