North Shore Golf Spring 2022

16 >>> SPRING 2022
The Meadow at Peabody celebrates 20 years
BY ANNE MARIE TOBIN
The City of Peabody will celebrate the
platinum anniversary of The Meadow
at Peabody Golf Course in style with a
20th Anniversary Golf Tournament on
Monday, May 16.
Golf professional Peter Cronan said
the goal of the tournament is to give back
to the community that has helped build
and support the course during its first
two decades. The club opened initially as
a 9-hole course on September 20, 2001.
The full 18-hole course opened for play
on May 18, 2002.
Peabody Mayor Edward A.
Bettencourt Jr. said "The Meadow at
Peabody consistently ranks among
the best municipal golf courses in the
region. We are forever grateful for Mayor
(Peter) Torigian's vision in developing
what would become such a beautiful and
popular destination for local golfers."
Cronan remembers the September day
when Torigian launched a ceremonial
first drive that split the fairway to the
delight of the crowd. He said he still has
the original ball and club the mayor used.
They are displayed in a trophy case in the
foyer of the clubhouse.
"I don't know if had ever played
golf before but he was an athlete, so I
wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the
first, if not the first, balls he ever hit,"
Cronan said. "Maybe he went to the
range to prepare, that wouldn't surprise
me either."
Bettencourt said he will be hitting
a ceremonial first drive to open the
afternoon shotgun, adding he may have
to follow Torigian's lead and do some
rehearsing.
"I hope to play with my dad, but I'm
going to have to start practicing to make
sure I don't embarrass myself on that
first drive," he said.
Proceeds from the event will benefit
The ceremonial first golf ball hit by then-Mayor Peter Torigian and a portrait of Torigian rest in the trophy
case at The Meadow at Peabody Golf Course.
Jeff Meisser of Revere tees off on the first hole at The Meadow at Peabody Golf Course.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
the No Child Goes Hungry in Peabody
and Citizens Inn charities.
The event features a double shotgun
scramble format with the morning group
teeing off at 8 a.m. and the afternoon
group teeing off at 1 p.m.
The cost is $100 per player ($400 for
foursome) which includes green fees,
golf cart, complimentary gift bag and a
boxed lunch.
There will be prizes for the top team,
longest drive, straightest drive and
closest to the pin as well as a hole-in-one
prize.
To register or view sponsorship
opportunities go to www.
peabodyrecreation.com. You can also
download the form and mail or drop it
off at Peabody Rec headquarters,
50 Farm Ave., Peabody, 01960.
The Meadow was one of a handful of
North Shore courses to start the 2022
season early, opening on St. Patrick's
Day. Business was light that day, but the
following day’s tee times were nearly
booked solid from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Seattle resident Kevin Harris, in
Peabody on a business trip, got a full
round in on opening day. He said he
simply Googled "courses near me" and
The Meadow popped up at the top of the
list.
"I'm always prepared to play on any
day," he said. "I made sure to call first
and make sure they had a rental set, so
that's all I needed to hear."
Ryan Train settles in at Tedesco
BY MIKE ALONGI
Ryan Train is settling into his new
role as head golf professional at Tedesco
Country Club as he looks back on his 16
years in the golf industry.
He says the journey to this point was
fairly winding.
"This will be my 17th year working
in private country clubs, but to be
honest I was never really a golfer," said
Train, who is in his third year overall at
Tedesco. "I came into this business in the
food and beverage sector, and I worked
there for 10 years. I probably played golf
two times a year back then."
Train got his start at Springfield
Country Club, working food and
beverage there for seven years before
making the move to Brae Burn Country
Club and working the same post there.
But at Brae Burn something changed.
Employees were allowed to play the
nine-hole Highland Course on property
as much as they liked.
"I went from playing twice a year to
six times a week just like that, and I
absolutely fell in love with the game,"
said Train. "I got pretty good over time,
took a player ability test on a whim and
eventually told Brae Burn that I wasn't
coming back the following season and I
was going to pursue an assistant golf pro
job."
Train spent two years at Oakley
Country Club under Peabody resident
Scott Johnson and then another year
at Belmont Country Club under John
Fields. He arrived at Tedesco just before
the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was a pretty big shock with that
whole year in general, but to be honest
it really got me involved with the entire
membership because so many people
were out here every day playing and
spending time at the club," he said.
Train really appreciated the
community aspect of the club, which was
a driving factor in his decision to move to
Marblehead.
He was named first assistant last
season, and in September he was
officially promoted to head golf
professional.
"Being named head pro at the end
of the season like that was a really big
help, because it gave me a taste of what
to expect in this role now coming into
Ryan Train has been named head PGA pro at
Tedesco Country Club in Marblehead.
PHOTO: SPENSER HASAK
my first full season. This is a club with
tremendous member camaraderie and
member involvement, and a club with
a very robust tournament and event
schedule each year."
He's not kidding. Tedesco boasts some
680 members and marquee events like
The Tedesco Cup, the Bob Green Tedesco
Invitational Four-Ball, and the Tedesco
Women's Invitational. A number of other
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