Active Score Posting Season Off To Wet Start, But Brighter Days Lie Ahead
By Steve Derderian sderderian@massgolf.org
Whoever came up with the saying “April showers bring May flowers” either was coping or just hadn’t spent much time around New England in spring. Around here, April remains a mystery, much like many of our swings that may have been dormant since last year.
After one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recent years, April 1 came around with the promise of a proper opening act. Temperatures pushed into the low 70s, the kind of warmth that certainly calls for a midweek tee time.
It didn’t last for too long.
By mid-afternoon, a steady, soaking rain rolled through, dragging the mercury down so quickly that at one point a group may have lost 15 degrees from tee to green.
Still, the arrival of April marks something definitive for golfers in Massachusetts, a fixed point in an otherwise “wait and see” season. It’s the start of active score posting season, the first rounds played here since November 14 that count toward one’s Handicap Index.
With over 70 public courses already open for play statewide, and many more set to join them this weekend or soon thereafter, it serves as the game’s version of Opening Day, minus the pageantry of full rosters lining each baseline and the high price of admission.
Up at Norton Country Club, woodland neighbors with TPC Boston for the past quarter century, the scene felt familiar. A cluster of regulars gathered in an L-shape around the bar, not so much celebrating as just picking up where they left off. Among them was Dave Scott, 75, a longtime member and fixture at the club, typically walking, playing several days a week, and still holding a Handicap Index in the mid-teens.
Dressed in a white Ryder Cup pullover, Scott was quick to post one of the day’s first scores. He had it going early before a few late duck hooks caught up with him.
The specifics may have varied, but the feeling carried elsewhere, too.
Up closer to the city at Furnace Brook Golf Club in Quincy, the stone tower on Forbes Hill greets you at the top, a familiar silhouette both on the skyline and on the club’s logo. On most days, the course opens to wide, sweeping views, with neighborhoods fanning out below like a patchwork, but on this one, a foggy horizon obscured the farthest reaches.
Just as you entered the clubhouse, the chalk sign read: “T-1 Day Until Tee-Off.” The timing felt oddly aligned with something bigger, too. With the Artemis II launch looming later that day, there was that same sense of countdown far beyond the golf course. Different scales, obviously, but still something we can all look forward to and admire.
By the time the 5 o’clock hour arrived, the clubhouse offered a welcome refuge after walking off the 9th green and into the newly reconstructed area known as The Loft. Inside the 12,000-square-foot space, dozens of golfers lined the circular bar, while others settled into tables in the dining area. Along the back wall, a full-course flyover image stretched upward, drawing the eye toward the towering cathedral ceiling.
Back on the surface, there was little talk of the rounds themselves, the details already fading like soft spike marks smoothing out behind them.
By the end of the day, the rain had done what April often does in New England, keeping you on your toes and reminding everyone that early spring is hardly a flip of the switch.
But the scores were in. And across Massachusetts, golfers had taken that first step back into a rhythm they know well, one round closer perhaps to whatever they are chasing, perhaps a number they’ve been pursuing for some time.
A group finishes up play on the 9th hole at Furnace Brook Golf Club in Quincy. (Mass Golf)
About Mass Golf
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.
With a community made up of over 145,000 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.
