By John Orrell
Newton – The game of golf continues to be a favorite national pastime despite indications that show a decline in participation and closure of more than 160 golf facilities in the United States from a high of 14,600 in 2006, according to the April 2015 edition of The Economist.
But don’t point out negative statistics to one group of over-55 golfers who call Newton Commonwealth Golf Course their home. The Newton Senior Golf League (NSGL) is alive and stronger than ever, said League coordinator Ted Korelitz, with a roster of 55 players who tee off every Tuesday for nine holes, weather permitting, from April through October.
“Everyone who plays in our league loves it,” said Korelitz. “We’re more of a social group than a competitive one, but that’s okay. We have golfers of all abilities and we have fun which is what golf should be all about anyway.”
The league’s origin dates back approximately 10 years although there is no formal debut recorded. Nancy Scammon, “Over 55” director for the Newton Parks and Recreation Department, is credited with jump-starting the program by promoting it with Korelitz’s assistance. Ages run from 50 to 101, with the latter age belonging to Gertrude Brown who passed away recently, but was a regular participant for years.
“She wouldn’t hit ‘em long, but she’d hit ‘em straight,” said Korelitz of Brown. “She really loved the game and was pretty good at it.”
To add a spark of competitiveness, the league hands out prizes to closest-to-the-pin drives on some of the par-three holes. There are also tournaments held during the season that are capped off by a year-end event in October with a dinner and relax-time for all participants.
Korelitz spurns the term “commissioner” in favor of “coordinator” in his role, but titles aside, he is the person who does the bulk of the coordination of activities. Each week, he receives emails from league members indicating whether they will be playing the following week. From there, he sets up tee times, doing his best to coordinate pairings that players request.
“We try to rotate each week,” Korelitz explained. “Friends like to play with friends so we do our best to accommodate. In any event, people all like one another so that’s never a problem.”
