The Oakley Country Club hosts the 37th annual Stephen P. Mugar Golf Tournament to raise money for the Watertown Boys & Girls Club.
Young girls and boys who want to learn about and to play golf can sign up for PGA Jr. League at the Oakley Country Club in Watertown, and dozens of other courses around the Boston area.
The PGA Jr. League sent out the following announcement:
PGA and LPGA Professionals in the Boston area are offering PGA Jr. League,
a game-changing way for kids to learn and play golf. The program brings friends and family together around fun, team golf experiences with expert coaching and instruction from PGA and LPGA Professionals.
Boys and girls of all background and skill levels learn and play together in a supportive, two-person scramble format that encourages mentorship, builds confidence, and promotes sportsmanship. PGA Jr. League is primarily for boys and girls ages 13 and under, though some facilities offer 16-and- under programs (included in the online program description).
Below is a list of facilities hosting open registration, meaning that families don’t have to have an existing relationship with the golf course in order for their kids to participate, in the Boston area. Parents can visit PGAJrLeague.com to search with their kids for a team by ZIP code or facility, and register online. •
• Bedrock Golf Course (Rutland)
• Blackstone National Golf Club (Sutton)*
• Bradford Country Club (Bradford)*
• Brookline Golf Course (Brookline)*
• Country Club of Halifax (Halifax)
• Cyprian Keyes Golf Club (Boylston)
• Fresh Pond Golf Course (Cambridge)*
• Groton Country Club (Groton)
• Haverhill Golf & Country Club (Haverhill)
• Highfields Golf & Country Club (Grafton)*
• Hillview Golf Course (North Reading)
• Ipswich Country Club (Ipswich)
• LeBaron Hills Country Club (Lakeville)
• Maplegate Country Club (Bellingham)*
• Nahant Golf Club (Nahant)
• Newton Commonwealth Golf Club (Newton)*
• Norwood Country Club (Norwood)
• Oakley Country Club (Watertown)
• Patriot Golf Course (Bedford)*
• Pinehills Golf Club (Plymouth)*
• Quail Ridge Country Club (Acton)
• Rowley Country Club (Rowley)
• Sagamore Spring Golf Club (Lynnfield)*
• Sandy Burr Country Club (Wayland)*
• Shaker Hills Country Club (Harvard)
• Squirrel Run Golf & Country Club (Plymouth)
• Stow Acres Country Club (Stow)
• Tatnuck Country Club (Worcester)
• Tewskbury Country Club (Tewksbury)
• The Back Nine Club (Lakeville)
• The Bay Pointe Club (Onset)*
• Twin Springs Golf Course (Bolton)*
• Wayland Country Club (Wayland)
• Whitinsville Golf Club (Whitinsville)
• Woburn Country Club (Woburn)
*Offers 16 and under teams
Last year, PGA Jr. League reported record-setting numbers with 42,000 boys and girls playing on 3,400 teams nationwide— a 16-percent year-over- year increase. Of those players, 80 percent were beginner or recreational golfers, demonstrating the developmental nature of the program and its inclusivity to youth of all skill levels.
Some of the PGA Jr. League key highlights for 2018:
• National Car Rental Support
National Car Rental has been an Official Partner of the PGA of America since 2012. Starting in 2018, National Car Rental is excited to expand its support of PGA Jr. League. In addition to serving as the Presenting Partner of the PGA Jr. League Post-Season and Championship, National will be recognized as the Official Partner of PGA Jr. League all season. National’s enhanced role helps provide multiple benefits, including new home and away jerseys, an improved post-season experience, and the launch of the Emerald Club All-Star program celebrating the support and success of the players, families, and Captains on and off the course.
• New Team Gear
National Car Rental’s support of PGA Jr. League has helped provide each player with two high-quality Garb jerseys to represent home and away games (one orange and one blue), available in boys and girls sizing. Players will also receive a performance t-shirt, bag tag, stickers, hat and drawstring bag.
• New PGA Jr. League Online Store
Those who register for PGA Jr. League will have access to an online merchandise store, allowing family and friends to order additional team gear.
• Scholarship Program
Through PGA REACH’s partnership with DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation Sports Matter grant, scholarships are available to players who meet financial need requirements and apply for assistance. The scholarship program launched in 2017, and nearly 400 under-resourced youth were able to participate because of it.
PGA Jr. League also has the support of some of the biggest names in golf –including Rory McIlroy, Michelle Wie, Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson—who serve as Ambassadors for PGA Jr. League.
PGA Jr. League is the flagship youth pillar program of PGA REACH, with the goal of making the program accessible to all interested kids in the United States and around the world.
About PGA REACH:
PGA REACH is the 501 (c)(3) foundation of the PGA of America. The mission of PGA REACH is to positively impact the lives of youth, military and diverse populations by enabling access to PGA Professionals, PGA Sections and the game of golf. For more information on PGA REACH, visit PGAREACH.org, follow @PGAREACH on Twitter and find us on Facebook.
About the PGA of America:
The PGA of America represents the very best in golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.org, follow @PGAofAmerica on Twitter, and find us on Facebook.
FYI – Oakley only offers this league to their members, it is not open to others. The article is very misleading.
Thanks for the heads up
Oakley CC does not offer this unless you are a member. They are not offering this to the community at large. But then when does Oakley participate in their community?
Dear Shelby,
Oakley Country Club has supported the Watertown Boys & Girls Club financially for decades. They allow Special Olympic golfers to play and practice weekly. They also allow Watertown Police & Fire Fighters access to the course. Many local youngsters initial job was a caddy, lifeguard, or waitstaff at Oakley and yearly 2 or 3 of them receive a prestigious Ouimet Scholarship worth thousands of dollars.
Oakley in its 120th year in Watertown is an active and proud member of the Watertown Community, as are many of its members.
If all the other clubs offer this program to young people in their surrounding communities — and that appears to include the notoriously insular Country Club in Brookline — how about having a reporter speak with Oakley directors and find out why exactly they choose to not welcome young area residents to the PGA Jr. League. Are they the only participating club that closes the door on its community? Are the various sponsors, including a scholarship program, aware of Oakley’s policy? Do the sponsors assume they are contributing to community participation in the PGA Jr. League? Does PGA REACH know of Oakley’s policy? A bit of investigative reporting, please.
FYI, The clubs above are public, municipal or semi public. Brookline Golf Course AKA Puterham, isn’t the same venue as “The Country Club” in Brookline, which like Oakley is Private. You’re comparing public golf courses to Oakley Country Club, which is private. If you want to compare to Oakley take a look at Belmont , Charles River, Woodland, Winchester, PineBrook, Brae Burn Wellesley, Wollaston, Dedham, Cohasset, Marshfield, Thorney Lea, Worcester, etc
Thanks for the correction, I see that I did indeed conflate the two Brookline organizations. Mea culpa.
So are you saying the Oakley is the only participating club that gets to benefit from the community-oriented PGA Jr. League, and PGA REACH without opening their program to local youngsters? All the new team gear, scholarship programs, etc. go to members’ children only?
“PGA REACH is the 501 (c)(3) foundation of the PGA of America. The mission of PGA REACH is to positively impact the lives of youth, military and diverse populations by enabling access to PGA Professionals, PGA Sections and the game of golf.”
How does Oakley sign on this 501 (c)(3) mission statement and not include participation beyond members’ families? What do they have to say about that?
Marilyn, No, I’m not suggesting that at all. I think the whole story of who is and isn’t participating needs to be confirmed. What I would suggest to solve for that is to ask whomever “By Guest Writer | March 28, 2018” is? Perhaps they made a reporting error? I don’t know and I don’t belong to Oakley or anywhere else.
The information was a press release from the Jr. PGA program.
Thanks Charlie!!