Headline: Former MGA Champion and 2014 MGA Senior Player of the Year Don Reycroft Using New Regimen Towards Goal of Another MGA Title

For Immediate Release: March 13, 2017

Don Reycroft is hoping that a new exercise and diet regime will help him secure another MGA title in 2017.

Norton, MA — Even at 61 years of age, Norfolk resident Don Reycroft is a man of firsts – not letting his senior status, a status only determined by the USGA Rules Committee to allow competitors into age-restricted events, prevent him from trying new things.

In the golf scene, Reycroft was the first ever player to win the Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship back in 1982, an MGA Championship dedicated to competitors who are bona fide public course players who do not hold membership at a private club. He was 26 when he first hoisted that MGA Championship trophy at Leo J. Martin Golf Course in Weston more than 35 years ago.

Fast forward to two years ago at Berkshire Hills Country Club, where Reycroft succeeded at another first, taking home the title of Massachusetts Senior Amateur champion, a feat he accomplished after tallying a two-day score of 5-under 139, a three stroke margin of victory over The International’s Doug Crawford, the event’s runner-up.

But for the 2014 George M. Cohen MGA Senior Player of the Year Reycroft, this past off-season marked another first – the first time that Reycroft didn’t have his usual off-season – thanks to the decision to spend the winter months at his secondary residence in Chandler, Arizona.

“For the first time since purchasing a home in Arizona back in 2003, I am in Arizona for the winter” said Reycroft. “I have had great weather and wonderful sunshine to work on both my physical well-being and my golf game in the off-season.”

Additionally, it has allowed him the opportunity to put his attention towards an off-season program that he implemented for the first time this year.

With the focus centered on three specific areas – his diet, exercise and practice – Reycroft has begun preparing for the 2017 MGA season, which begins for him at the Senior Four-Ball Championship at Red Tail Golf Club & Shaker Hills Country Club with playing partner Paul Heffernan, Jr.

From his diet standpoint, the now Lebaron Hills CC member Reycroft has paid special attention to what kind of food he is putting in his body.

“I decided to eliminate bread, pasta and starch from my diet while focusing on protein and green vegetables” said Reycroft.

With his target calorie intake between 1,300 and 1,500 per day, he has looked to fish and chicken to complement his protein sources for both lunch and dinner meals, with a newly added protein shake added to his breakfast menu.

Reycroft has continued the upper body strength and conditioning that he learned following the shoulder surgery he had in 2009, while adding modified rowing, stretching and a new 8-mile per week trek to his schedule. This has all led to him shedding 15 pounds on the scale and becoming a fitness guru, with exercise as routine as waking up, getting dressed and brushing his teeth.    

Coming off an appearance at the 2017 Gasparilla Invitational at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa late last month, where he made the cut to the tournament’s final round, Reycroft’s off-season change in address has also allowed him to enhance his practice routine.

“In the winter of 2016, my son-in-law put a wood burning stove into my garage in Massachusetts," said Reycroft. "That led me to setting up a hitting mat and net there where I would routinely hit 300 balls three or four times a week focusing on rhythm and tempo.”

Now, with the warm weather in Arizona replacing the months that Reycroft was used to dealing with the cold and snow, he has joined a driving range that has allowed him to practice upwards of seven days a week.

“I have taken advantage of this opportunity to work on all aspects of my ball striking, focused on distance control with each iron and consistent ball flight,” added Reycroft.

While his play on the course will be the ultimate determinant, Reycroft seems poised to add another trophy to his collection. With his eyes set on another USGA Senior event as the major objective for the 2017 season, he says his goals include another run at both the MGA and New England Senior Amateur titles.

With this new regimen, the question surrounding Reycroft seems to be rather when, not if, that he’ll accomplish his next goal. For that, only time will tell.