2020 NEW ENGLAND SERIES SCHEDULE
Steve Foley doesn’t miss many opportunities to play golf. In the first nine weeks of 2020 he logged 15 rounds, “and I have not gone south,” he adds.
Steve usually plays about 200 rounds per year and keeps it interesting by mixing in some of the finest and most exclusive courses in New England. Belmont Country Club, Weston Golf Club, Shelter Harbor Golf Club, TPC Boston, Myopia Hunt Club, and Worcester Country Club are among his annual appointments.
That lineup naturally turns some heads at his home course, New England Country Club. When fellow members ask how he gets on all those exclusive courses each and every year, his answer is simple: The New England Series. The New England PGA’s amateur tour annually boasts more than 25 events at the finest and most exclusive courses in New England.
“I get that question all the time,” Steve said. “I’ll tell them how I get on and I say ‘listen, this is open to you too! You have the time, you can play one, you can play 20, whatever you want to do. If you’ve got a little vacation time and a little slack time, hey, there’s probably one that will work to your favor. I stress that all the events are on private tracks that most of us are not going to get on. There isn’t another tour out there that has the quality of courses or the amount of courses that are offered.”
The New England Series is as competitive or as laid back as each individual golfer makes it. Men and women ranging from low single-digit to 20-plus handicaps are active on the tour, and tournaments include men, women and senior divisions, each with gross and net competitions, and a net stableford competition, providing a competition level for every player.
“I’m competitive by nature, but I’m 72 years old and I’m not going to keep up with the 30 year-olds,” Steve said. “I have a 7 handicap and I feel very fortunate that I’m at that point in my life. I enjoy the fun. If my day is going sideways, it’s going sideways. What can I do about it? I make the most of it.”
In 2020, the New England Series will host its second annual Players Invitational. The Invitational is a season-long competition culminating in a championship round at Essex County Club, Golf Digest’s #73 course in America. Exemptions into the event are given based on members’ season-long Player of the Year points in Gross and Net divisions, and through a participation exemption.
Individual New England Series memberships cost $125 and include unlimited guest privileges, personalized stat-tracking, and some outstanding New England Series merchandise. Corporate memberships are also available. Discounts are offered for Police Officers, Firefighters, EMS employees and active & retired military personnel.
The 2020 season begins April 20 at TPC Boston, which reminds Steve of his only complaint about the tour.
“I just wish they would start two weeks earlier,” he said. “I’m ready to go. Come on, step on it.”