Hey Everyone,

I got a few texts from friends this week that were all along the same lines. They hadn’t really missed golf all that much during this winter, but each of them had just hit golf balls, and the itch was returning.

To be honest, my desire to play golf over the winter wasn’t super high. I didn’t feel compelled to visit simulators or book a trip to warmer weather. Maybe it was the cold and snow that crushed my spirit. Maybe I just needed a break.

However, the itch returned to me this week, too. I visited Vanguard Golf, a new indoor golf facility with a pretty sweet short-game area and simulators. It’s a member-only setup, but they are planning some public events in the coming weeks so people can scrape off the rust, have a bit of fun, and check out the facility.

On Monday, I drove down to Harmon Golf. I didn’t hit a golf ball, but I talked about golf with Tom Layman on his Level Par Podcast (watch here). It was fun sitting down and chatting in person. Tom recently released a novella called Level Par, about golf, mental health, and friendship. You can get the book here.

It’s been an interesting past few years for Easton CC. They nearly closed a sale with Toll Brothers, but the land wasn’t buildable due to the wetlands and marshlands.

So Stonehill College swept in and purchased the course this week. It will remain an 18-hole semi-private course, and Mark Lombardi is going to continue as the General Manager. They also announced they are starting a Division 1 men’s program in 2027, and having a course could be a nice draw for the new program. It will be the fifth men’s Division 1 team in the state, joining Boston College, Harvard, Holy Cross, and Merrimack.

The purchase offers some new, exciting opportunities for the school, students, and community.

South Coast Today published an article this week that said the town of New Bedford is “poised to sell 95 acres of the Whaling City Golf Course for development into a high-tech business park that will create an estimated 800 to 1,000 permanent jobs

This has been a rumor for a while now, but the wheels seem to be in motion.

The first three holes and the driving range will be lost to the development. The clubhouse won’t be touched, but the access point will change. According to the article, the course will be reduced to nine holes during the construction phase, and then they will try to build new holes to return to an 18-hole course.

Here’s some free advice for New Bedford.

Be Different.

Build a cool 12-14 hole course. It would be way better than cramming 18 holes into the remaining land that is now surrounded by a landfill, highway, and industrial park.

ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL: Michael Thorbjornsen shot 70 (-2) in the first round. Keegan Bradley shot 71. Daniel Berger leads at 9-under par. Live Scoring

PUERTO RICO OPEN: Davis Chatfield shot 70 (-2) and is T21. Live Scoring

CHILE CLASSIC: Chris Francoeur and Rob Oppenheim both shot 70 and are T58. Live Scoring

CABO COLLEGIATE: Ryan Downes (Longmeadow, Mass.) shot 75-71-73 to finish 46th, and John Broderick (Wellesley, Mass.) finished 64th with rounds of 75-75-74 down in Mexico. It was a tough week for Vanderbilt, as the team finished in 12th place. Results

LADY LUCK INVITATIONAL: Molly Smith played a key role in helping UCF win out in Las Vegas. She shot 77-69-71 (+1) to finish in 5th place. Results

HUNTSVILLE INTERCOLLEGIATE: The Merrimack women finished in 9th place. Ericka Redmond (Concord, Mass) came in with the best score for the team, finishing in 30th place. Jillian Johnson (Hingham, Mass.) finished 51st. Results

SAM RYDER INTERCOLLEGIATE: It was a tough showing for Rhode Island. They finished T11 as a team. Tyler Bruneau (Concord, Mass.) finished 20th, and Aidan O’Donovan (Somerville, Mass.) finished 43rd. Results

Coming up this week:

MassGolf opened registration for its Member Day lottery. There are 20 different private courses on the schedule, a great way to play a private course. Here’s the entire scoop from MassGolf.

Massachusetts Amateur registration also opened this week. Four sites filled up within a few hours, but some venues still have spots available. Information here.

I played Westminster CC and Monoosnock CC in a day last August.

This week, the USGA announced a bevy of future sites for its championships. At this point, the USGA has some venues locked up for 2051 championship - Saucon Valley will host the U.S. Amateur that year.

The winner of that event probably (definitely?) hasn’t been born yet. Last year’s U.S. Amateur winner, Mason Howell, is currently a senior in high school.

Inverness CC in Toledo, Ohio, won three future events, including the 2045 U.S. Open, a massive coup for the Midwest Donald Ross design that had seemingly been set aside along with other Golden Age designs that couldn’t keep up with how far the pros hit it now.

Inverness CC hosted the 2021 Solheim Cup and looks like an awesome place to play golf. No Laying Up played it ahead of the Solheim Cup if you’d like a peek at the place.

The announcements of all these future sites got me thinking… what if the USGA picked some off-the-radar public courses for events that are 20 years away?

Imagine if Ponkapoag knew it was hosting the 2045 U.S. Amateur.

Yes, it takes a lot of imagination to get there. I get it.

What would an announcement like that do to the golf course?

Would it help bring about changes?

Would the USGA partner with MassGolf and the state to get those 36 holes ready for the tournament?

Listen, I know that Ponkapoag is the extreme example here, but I do think there is some merit to wondering why the USGA isn’t picking potential championship venues that are absolutely not ready now but could be ready in 10-20 years.

Could Ponky close in 20 years? Maybe.

Could the USGA find a site that could replace it? Yes.

If someone told you in 2005 that Franklin Park and George Wright were going to co-host the Massachusetts Amateur, you would have called them crazy.

But in 2018, that’s what happened.

The next year, they went to The Country Club.

What an incredible combination.

And now, after prepping George Wright and Franklin Park, those courses have remained in stellar shape even with the massive amount of traffic it sees during the season.

In 2028, George Wright will host the Mass. Amateur and Franklin Park will host the Mass. Women’s Amateur.

There’s no reason that the USGA couldn’t do the same thing for public golf all over the country. It doesn’t have to be Ponky or any course in Massachusetts. But why not take a chance with a few of these championships to bring attention to courses that could use a boost and are capable of hosting a national championship?

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