As the calendar has flipped to a new year, Mass Golf announced the majority of the dates and locations for its 2021 championship events on Wednesday. While the organization managed to contest a sizable chunk of its 2020 tournaments despite COVID-19, the expectation is that the 2021 slate will re-institute the events that were canceled due to the pandemic.
According to Kevin Eldridge, Mass Golf’s Director of Rules and Competitions, about 60 championship events, including 18-hole qualifying rounds, are being scheduled over 63 different Mass Golf member clubs. In total, more than 4,600 registrations are expected.
“As we enter into what we plan to be a full season of Mass Golf events, we remain committed to maintaining the level of care and attention put towards keeping our competitors, volunteers, host club personnel, and staff safe,” said Jesse Menachem, Mass Golf Executive Director/CEO. “Statewide and nationally, golf was recognized as a safe recreational activity during times of great restriction and we are confident that we will keep this positive momentum surrounding the sport going into the 2021 season.”
Online registrations for 2021 Mass Golf events will begin in early March. Additional details surrounding the new registration platform and the registration open dates will be provided in the coming weeks.
The 113th Massachusetts Amateur Golf Championship, the calendar’s biggest event each year, is slated to run from July 12-16 and will be hosted by Brae Burn Country Club in Newton for the 11th time in history and first since 1991. Qualifying will begin June 3 at Brookline Golf Club and will continue throughout the month.
The 118th Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship is slated for competition at Plymouth Country Club from August 9-12. The tournament is the longest-running event in Mass Golf history.
The tournament schedule will feature a few Western Mass. stops throughout the year. The Massachusetts Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship will take place July 20-21 at The Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, while the Amateur Public Links Championship is set for August 17-18 at Westover Municipal Golf Course in Granby.
As has been customary in the past, the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship will lead off the championship season when the competition takes place May 11-12 at The Golf Club at Turner Hill & Ipswich Country Club, both located in Ipswich. The popular two-person stroke-play event dates back to 1981, and since it was canceled last year due to COVID-19, this year will mark the 40th playing of the event. Teams must have a combined Handicap Index not exceeding 6.0.
Another popular event, The Ouimet Memorial Tournament, will take place July 28-30 at Charles River Country Club and Woodland Golf Club. Charles River will host the first two rounds, and the final round, as always, will be played at Woodland.
Other key dates and sites, as well as qualifying tournaments will be announced in the near future.