Our new SOCIALIZE. LEARN. PLAY. program was designed for women who are interested in golf but didn’t know where to get started. This program offers on-course experience, education, and community. This new initiative has also been designed to continue to share the golf course with those around us, and for some women, that looks like the men in their lives who enjoy the game.
Earlier this summer, Mass Golf hosted a Co-ed Scramble at Tree House in Tewksbury, which drove interest from those looking to pick up the game and others looking for a chance to get out and play together.
While the event itself was a success, drawing strong interest and participation, what happened afterward is an even better example of why the program was created: to bring people together through golf and create opportunities that extend well beyond a single event. David Pickles and his girlfriend, Julie Stampfle, are the perfect example. Their Thursday evening scramble turned into an even bigger golf experience, one memorable enough that David wrote to us to share the story.
David’s personal reflection has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
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My girlfriend, Julie Stampfle, and I played in the Birdies and Brews Co-Ed Scramble at Tree House in Tewksbury in May of this year, and one of the benefits was being able to sign up for a free GHIN Handicap Index®. I’ve had my handicap for a while now, but Julie, who is fairly new to the game, took advantage and signed up using the code provided. We played in that event, had a great time and finished near the top five. We continued to play 9 at my home course throughout June and near the end of June received an email from Mass Golf about the potential to play TPC Boston for free. It needed to be a co-ed team with both players needing a GHIN Handicap and a Delta SkyMiles account. Luckily, Julie and I each had a SkyMiles account, and thanks to the co-ed scramble back in May, we both now had a GHIN as well. So, we signed up quickly and luckily got into the tournament.
We were just excited to play a beautiful course, but little did we know what was in store for us. We were greeted by Delta flight attendants at check-in who gave us a Delta tote and said to make our way around the gifting tables. We were able to take one of everything, which included a ton of great giveaways. At brunch, we were able to meet some YouTube golf influencers (Bob Does Sports & Barstool personalities).
After warming up at the driving range, we went back to our carts near the clubhouse where a special guest would kick off the tournament, that special guest being … Tom Brady! We kicked off the tournament and played pretty well. Our playing partners were a blast to be with as well which made the tournament that much more enjoyable. Every hole had a Delta airport code in letters on the tee box, and every few holes would host a food or beverage event unique to that area. On the “Boston” hole, we had lobster rolls and clam chowder, in “Mexico” we had tequila tastings and walking tacos, it was incredible. Unbeknownst to us in the middle of our round, we were surprised by Tom Brady coming to our group, meeting us individually and taking a picture with us.
We finished playing, submitted our scores in the app and headed to the clubhouse for dinner and awards, not expecting much. Our Delta attendants were back to go over the awards from the day. I was fortunate enough to win the closest to the pin contest for men and much to our surprise, Julie and I won the overall tournament…simply an incredible day with an unbelievable ending!
Julie was able to show Mass Golf a little love by wearing the hat she got from the Birdies and Brews tournament the month before. Below is our winning picture and I just wanted to be able to share how one of your events turned into something unforgettable.
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