Headline: Waubeeka Golf Links Set to Host Historic Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship; Event Scheduled for August 7-8 in Williamstown
For Immediate Release: August 6, 2016
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Waubeeka Golf Links will be the first Member Club to host an MGA Championship Proper on a Sunday. |
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Williamstown, MA — He won’t be posting any course records and he probably won’t even compete in the club championship, but there is no more admired golfer in the Berkshires than Mike Deep.
The businessman turned passionate golf course owner has become the heart and soul of an 18-hole gem nestled in the Berkshire mountains and in one of the most pristine and historic Bay State towns of Williamstown.
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35th MGA APL Championship Links
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All one has to do is rewind to the early spring of 2014. Waubeeka Golf Links was about to be closed. There were some interested buyers but the majority were looking to turn the Rowland Armacost designed course into a development and perhaps something else.
Enter Deep who was a North Adams developer and the owner of Deep Associates Insurance Agency at the time. When he heard that the latest deal for the 18-hole championship layout was falling apart he stepped in and, according to Deep, they finalized a deal in “less than five minutes” over the phone.
Fast forward to August of 2016 and Deep has effectively turned the soon-to-be-closed course into the host of a major MGA Championship event.
It is also the site of a revamped golf shop, a top-of-the-line restaurant and the future home of a country inn that will draw visitors from across the country.
Deep will no doubt be the first person that many of the 120 competitors who will make up the 2016 Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship will see upon their arrival at Waubeeka Golf Links on Sunday morning.
After all, the Williamstown course will be hosting the MGA Championship event from August 7-8. It represents the first time in MGA history that a Championship Proper has started on a Sunday.
“For the first time in event history the Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship will be held on a Sunday and Monday instead of on a traditional pair of weekdays,” said Kevin Eldridge, the MGA’s director of rules & competitions. “We are grateful to Waubeeka Golf Links for providing these competitors with an opportunity to enjoy the weekend in Williamstown as well as take part in our event.”
Launched in 1982, the Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship was introduced in order to give bona fide public course players who do not hold membership at a private club a chance to shine. Although the USGA discontinued its Amateur Public Links Championship two years ago, the MGA has remained committed to providing this unique opportunity.
“We are happy to continue the tradition of the amateur public links competition,” said Jesse Menachem, the MGA’s executive director.
Here is more information to help competitors and spectators (from near and far) prepare for what should be a very special Championship Proper.
The 18-hole "Waubeeka" course at the Waubeeka Golf Links facility in Williamstown, Massachusetts features 6,500 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. The course rating is 70.6 and it has a slope rating of 126 on Blue grass. Designed by Rowland Armacost, the Waubeeka golf course opened in 1966.
Club Type: Public
Region: Berkshires
Founded: 1966
Architect: Rowland Armacost; Renovated in 2008 by Mark Mungeam
General Manager: Victoria Richardello
Club Manager: Eric Harrington
Golf Professional: Drew Keaffaber
Superintendent: Greg Tudor
Sunday, August 7
Round 1 - 18 holes
***The low 60 scorers and ties after 18-holes will continue play on August 8
Monday, August 8
Round 2 - 18 holes
*** Any tie for first place will be decided immediately by a hole-by-hole play-off.
The following players have been victorious at this event, which dates back to 1982.
Average Age: 36.60
Most Common First Name in the Field: Mike (8)
Most Common Last Name in the Field: Clancy (2) & Mckenna (2)
Average Handicap: 2.67
Youngest Player: Nathan Ingram (15)
Oldest Player: Dave Houghton (72)
Total Number of MGA Member Clubs Represented: 70
Most Represented MGA Member Clubs: Tour of Greater Boston, (5), Highfields G&CC (5), Granite Links (5), George Wright (5), Dennis Pines (4), Meadow at Peabody (4), Brookline (3), Crumpin Fox (3), Cyprian Keyes (3), Holden Hills (3), Hyannis GC (3), Norton CC (3), Presidents GC (3), Swansea (3)
Total Number of Towns Represented: 89
Most Towns Represented: Boston (5), Brookline (3), & Dorchester (3)
Breakdown: Greater Boston (32); Greater Worcester (22); South Shore (18); North Shore (16); Cape Cod (13); Greater Springfield (10); Non Real Estate (7); Berkshires (2).
