TALKIN' GOLF: Eligibility rules at State Amateur

One of the joys of golf writing is that you basically cover man?s successes, not his failures.

You write about champions, not the guy who shoots a 102.

But you are a reporter and it is your job to ask, not only the hard questions, but also the right questions.

Tom Gorman, a freelance golf writer from Dedham, asked questions that had to be asked last week at the Massachusetts State Amateur and because of it, he has been lambasted on the social media pages.

Gorman wanted the Massachusetts Golf Association to explain why defending champion Mike Calef was eligible to enter the State Amateur.

Calef, you see, is from West Bridgewater and was Brockton Country Club?s director of golf. He wasn?t a professional, but he ran their tournaments and operated the pro shop. He maintained his amateur standing and two years ago won the State Mid-Amateur Championship at Pocasset.

The victory earned Calef an exemption into last year?s State Amateur.

In the meantime, his wife got a great job in Texas and he and is family moved down there.

Come last summer, Calef and his family scheduled a vacation to the area and since he was here for a couple of weeks, he decided to play in the State Amateur.

And wouldn?t you know it; he won the darn thing and more exemptions into the State Amateur.

So he left Texas last week and returned to Massachusetts and successfully defended his championship.

Gorman?s contention is that Calef is a Texas resident and shouldn?t qualify for entry into the tournament and he wanted to know why the MGA allowed him to play.

And he wrote just that in New England Golf Monthly and since then many of Calef?s friends and fellow golfers crucified Gorman with ugly Internet posts.

Even Gorman?s editor/publisher, Tim Branco, distanced himself, posting:

?The opinions of freelance writers who contribute to New England Golf Monthly are solely independent views expressed and not the opinions of NEGM/New England Publishing Group Inc. Our management staff supports the decisions and policies of both the Massachusetts Golf Association and all golf associations in New England regarding rulings and determinations of player eligibility.

?We support these organizations and their mission to improve and grow the game of golf and provide a fair and competitive platform for all.?

First of all, I know Mike Calef and consider him a friend. I?ve known him since he was a precocious junior. I am happy for him and rooted for his back-to-back State Amateur victories.

He is a good person, an honest person and shouldn?t be in the middle of this controversy.

But Gorman has a legitimate question and good for him for having the guts to ask it.

He is being a better reporter that others who covered the tournament who entirely dismissed the situation.

Ironically, Calef wasn?t the only golfer in the field who lives out of state.

There is another ? and I won?t mention his name ? who has a membership at a Massachusetts club, but lives in Georgia and has handicap cards at four clubs in the Peach State besides his membership to an MGA course. He is an airline pilot and makes the Boston to Atlanta run and plays golf in both states.

Both Calef and the golfer mentioned above can play in the Massachusetts Amateur because of a clause in the tournament application that reads:

?Entries are open to amateur golfers who hold membership in an MGA member club and have an up-to-date MGA/USGA GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 4.4 (as determined by the May 1 Handicap Revision), or who have completed their handicap certification as defined on the Entry Form.?

Calef?s old club, Brockton CC, gave him an honorary membership and he maintains a handicap there, so according to the MGA, he was eligible to play.

Today?s tournament application doesn?t say anything about where a person lives.

However most state golf associations, in their tournament application, say you must be a legal resident of the state, such as the neighboring New Hampshire Golf Association. It?s to keep Massachusetts golfers, who might belong to a Granite State club, from competing in their state championship.

In fact, Texas, where Calef now lives, has that clause in its rules of competition.

The Massachusetts Golf Association should add that to their tournament applications and that would end any future controversies.

It?s the right thing to do.

Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/holbrook/sports/x1808714563/TALKIN-GOLF-Eligibility-rules-at-State-Amateur?rssfeed=true

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