Announcements - Golf For All

Golf For All’s Fred Corcoran Honored with 2024 Bob Beach Award

Golf For All with Special Olympian friend after receiving the 2024 Bob Beach Award.

Golf For All is proud to announce that Co-Founder and Executive Director Fred Corcoran has been named the recipient of the 2024 Bob Beach Award. This prestigious honor, awarded annually by Special Olympics Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Golf Association (Mass Golf), and the New England PGA, recognizes exceptional service in enhancing the lives of people with disabilities through the game of golf.

Fred was honored at Special Olympics Massachusetts’ Celebration of Inclusion on December 9th at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. The event brought together community members from across the state to reflect on the year’s accomplishments and recognize those who have been instrumental in advancing the mission of inclusion.

About the Bob Beach Award

The Bob Beach Award, named after its inaugural recipient and dedicated volunteer Bob Beach, celebrates individuals who go above and beyond in promoting inclusion through sports. Bob Beach, co-founder and chairman of Golf For All, has been a driving force in making golf accessible to individuals of all abilities. Since its inception, the award has honored inspiring advocates for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Recognizing Fred Corcoran

“Special Olympics Massachusetts was honored to highlight the contributions of Fred Corcoran with the 2024 Bob Beach Award. Fred’s connection to the cause of providing access to golf to underserved populations made him an easy pick. We thank Fred for all he has done to support our mission of inclusion through sports and congratulate him on this award,” said Matt Ruxton, Vice President of Sports at Special Olympics Massachusetts.

Fred has profoundly impacted the golf community, continuing a family legacy of serving the game and creating opportunities for players of all abilities. His work has been instrumental in fostering inclusive programs and ensuring golf remains a welcoming sport for all.

“Fred Corcoran has and continues to make an incredible impact on the local and regional golf community. He follows many of his family members in serving the game of golf and giving back to support golfers of all abilities. He is most deserving in receiving the 2024 Bob Beach Award on behalf of Special Olympics Massachusetts, Mass Golf, and the New England PGA. We applaud him for his tireless dedication and commitment,” said Jesse Menachem, Executive Director and CEO of Mass Golf.

Words of Appreciation

Fred expressed his gratitude, saying, “Special Olympics Massachusetts is working every day to improve the lives of people facing physical and developmental challenges. I am honored and humbled to be recognized by Special Olympics Massachusetts, Mass Golf, and the New England PGA for the work we do at Golf For All in growing the game. I am especially grateful to work with Golf For All’s Bob Beach, who has devoted decades of service in coaching and instructing people facing challenges from all walks of life.”

Reflecting on Fred’s contributions, Bob Beach shared, “I am very proud of Fred Corcoran. He is very deserving of this award. The Special Olympics is all about volunteering. I can’t remember a time that Fred said no when I asked him about helping the Special Olympics. After the awards ceremony on Monday, several of the Special Olympics athletes asked Fred if they could get a photo with him. I loved that.”

About Golf For All

Golf For All relies on contributions to support its programs and expand access to golf for individuals of all abilities. To support our mission, visit www.golfforall.org/ways-to-give.

For more information about the Bob Beach Award or Special Olympics Massachusetts, visit www.specialolympicsma.org.

GOLF FOR ALL Awarded $5,000 Grant

GOLF FOR ALL Selected to Receive Funds Through Industry’s ‘Make Golf Your Thing’ Grant Program

GOLF FOR ALL one of 81 Organizations Across U.S.Receiving Grant through ‘Make Golf Your Thing’ DEI Initiative

Wellesley, Mass. June 28,2024 – Golf For All (Northeast Accessible Golf Association) has been selected to receive $5,000 through a dedicated grant program operated by the golf industry’s DEI campaign, Make Golf Your Thing. As one of 81 designated organizations across the U.S., Golf For All was chosen for its efforts to increase golf participation among underrepresented populations of the sport.

Golf For All is dedicated to transforming the lives of people facing emotional, physical, and developmental challenges or who are experiencing traumatic/stressful hardships, including veterans and their families, by providing free golf accessibility and instruction.

Initially introduced in 2021, the grant program – through its latest round of funding – has now issued 318 grants to 166 unique organizations overall, totaling $2.5 million to-date.

“We are very grateful for the support of this program,” said Fred Corcoran, co-founder and executive director, Golf For All. “We are committed to bringing hope and positive change to people facing emotional, physical, and developmental challenges through the game we all love. This financial support will help us help more golfers.”

The grant program was established to support organizations or programs dedicated to increasing golf participation among underrepresented populations in the sport (i.e., Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous communities, as well as women, LGBTQI+ individuals, veterans, and individuals with disabilities). The program is being financially supported by industry partners committed to helping make the game more welcoming and inclusive for all.

Since its inception in 2011, Golf For All has hosted over 1,200 clinics and 10,000 participants in Massachusetts and New England. Each clinic is run by a PGA club professional and volunteers who work one-on-one with each golfer on a foundation of respect, compassion, and a commitment to providing best-in-class instruction.

Formally launched in May 2021, Make Golf Your Thing is an industry-wide movement to accelerate golf’s evolution, strengthening its inclusion of people from all backgrounds. The movement is organized into three strategic focus areas for increasing diversity: Make Golf Your Game (participants), Make Golf Your Career (industry employees), and Make Golf Your Business (industry suppliers).

The grant program is being administered by the American Golf Industry Coalition, a partnership among golf’s leading organizations to promote and advocate for the collective interests of the sport. Funding for the program is led by a contingent of industry supporters committed to making the sport more welcoming and inclusive for all.

For more information on Make Golf Your Thing, visit https://makegolfyourthing.org.

Join Golf For All at the 2024 Ridge Club Charity Classic!

Please join us for a day filled with meaningful experiences, camaraderie, and support for two incredible causes! Enjoy an afternoon of golf followed by a reception and silent auction. Proceeds from our Charity Classic will support Golf For All and the Invited Employee Care Foundation.

Click here for tickets and sponsorship opportunities.

Format:
18 Hole | 4-Person Bramble
Shotgun Starts at 10 a.m.

Cost:
$225 Individual | $900 Team
The Ridge Club
70 Country Club Road
Sandwich, MA

Format:
18 Hole | 4-Person Bramble

Cost:
$225 Individual | $900 Team

Schedule of Events:
9 a.m. Registration on the Range | Demonstration
9:45 a.m. Ready in Carts | Announcements
10 a.m. Shotgun Start | Bramble
1 p.m. Afternoon Reception with Lunch and Auction

If you have any questions, please contact Jillian Cotter at jillian.cotter@invitedclubs.com. Registration for this event is nonrefundable. If you cannot attend, your registration is transferrable, or it will be credited as a donation to the benefiting charities.

Golf For All Welcomes Dr. Christopher Robinson, MD, PhD to Board of Directors

Golf For All is excited to announce the addition of our latest board member, Dr. Christopher Robinson, MD, PhD.

“Dr. Chris” attended Georgetown University, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. He completed his MD-PhD at the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program at Weill Cornell Medical College, Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where he discovered in collaboration with Dr. Charles Rice, the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine, and Dr. Shuibing Chen a new anti-viral medication for Zika virus during the Zika virus epidemic. He is now completing his training as a chronic pain physician-scientist at Harvard with research focused primarily on developing new chronic pain therapeutics.

Though Dr. Chris is no golf expert, he loves how being on the green can be healing and calming for all. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Chris hopes to provide better pain relief to all, especially for our Veterans who made his dream of becoming a physician-scientist true because they fought for his freedom. He wants not even physical pain to limit anyone from getting on or back onto the green so they all can enjoy the beauty of Golf and the outdoors. He is honored to be a member of Golf For All.

“Chris is a tremendously valuable addition to our board,” said “Fred Corcoran, Executive Director for Golf For All. “We are incredibly grateful for his contributions and we look forward to our continued growth as an organization with the help of his guidance, insights and support.”

Golf For All Recognized by the Flutie Foundation with a $7,500 Grant

Golf For All is pleased to announce that we are a recipient of a $7,500 grant from the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.

Former NFL Quarterback, Doug Flutie, and his wife Laurie started the Doug Flutie, Jr. Flutie Foundation for Autism in 1998 after their son, Dougie, was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Their personal experience of raising a son on the autism spectrum inspired them to help others on an equally long and challenging journey. Over its 23-year history, the Flutie Foundation has distributed over $14 million to schools and organizations that provide clinical therapies, respite services, recreational programs, social skills training, job supports and more for people affected by autism.

The Flutie Foundation also provides education technology tools, adaptive camp scholarships, safety equipment, and direct family support through its special programs.

“The Flutie Foundation recognizes not-for-profit organizations who share our mission to help individuals and families with autism live life to the fullest,” said the Flutie Foundation.

The organization’s autism community impact grants “help fund programs and projects showing potential to make an impact in the community and align with the Flutie Foundation priorities as stated in our Seven Key Dimensions described below.”

Golf For All Has a New Magazine!

Golf For All has a brand-new magazine that tells our story in words and pictures.

You can download a PDF of our 2022 annual report here: Golf For All 2022 Annual Report.

If you’d like a print copy, please email us at info@golfforall.org. As always, consider making a donation to Golf For All to keep our programs running strong.