HAMPDEN — The tournament itself may not have gone the way Belchertown’s Zach Lebeau had wanted, missing the cut at the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship at GreatHorse with a total score of 12-over par. But as he stood atop the hill on the 18th green alongside his dad, Keith, the two were all smiles.
For last week’s opening rounds, Keith hauled Zach’s golf bag through the steaming sun, rain showers and strong gusts of wind. The two grins outside of the clubhouse were proud looks from the father and son after completing the mental and physical challenge the 7,600-yard layout of GreatHorse provides.
Lebeau finished his second round 7-over par (79) after shooting a 5-over 77. But none of that mattered. They were just happy to share their passion in such a prestigious event.
“The whole reason why I wanted to play is that I knew he was going to carry my bag and be here with me,” Zach said. “I know I’m not going to compete with the top guys and all that, but he gets to carry my bag and we get to hang out for five hours two days in a row at a place like this, looking at all the views. The scores are irrelevant at the end of the day.”
Keith got Zach and his brother, Sean, into golf as kids. He used to drop them off at Mill Valley Golf Links in the morning and pick them up later in the evening. Zach and Sean would swim and play golf all day, and patiently wait for Keith so they could tell him they once again broke 40 over nine holes.
Dad didn’t believe it — at first.
“‘What are you guys, playing three holes?’” Keith joked. “They lived at the golf course, and they just kept playing and playing and eventually you get good. But I’ve been playing 40 years and I’m nowhere near that good. [Zach] hit some crazy shots the last couple of days that I would never be able to hit. To come up here and watch him play, we had a lot of fun.”
Ever since Keith began playing golf 40 years ago, he always carried his clubs over his shoulders. He never took a golf cart, and most certainly didn’t use a push cart. Whether he’s caddying for one of his sons or playing himself, clubs will be carried.
On Day 1, the high temperatures and extreme elevation of GreatHorse got the best of him. Keith had to call it quits about halfway through the round, so Zach lugged his own bag the rest of the way. That wasn’t the case on Day 2.
Keith wouldn’t be denied.
He mustered up the strength and energy to carry Zach’s clubs all 18 holes, helping his son finish with a par on the final green. And even after struggling on Day 1, there was no thought of a push cart — from either of the two.
“My one rule is you strap that thing on your back and you go,” Zach said.
Dad shared a similar mindset
“I carried my bag at Westover [Golf Course] in that league for over 30 years,” Keith said. “I carry it all the time. I don’t take a cart, not even a push cart. It’s just one of those things. I love carrying the bag.”
He may love it, but he did admit it wasn’t easy — especially considering Zach loaded up his bag with a ton of golf balls and other essentials.
Zach could only laugh as he realized during the first round that the sunscreen he put in his bag was no longer there.
“When I picked up the bag [the first day] and realized he’s got about four dozen golf balls, I’m like, ‘You don’t need that many golf balls,’” Keith said. “I took the sunscreen out, too. It was adding too much weight. On one hole [Zach] asked me for the sunscreen and said he had some in the bag. I said, ‘No you don’t. I took it and threw it in the truck.’”
With the high school football season fast approaching and summer practices on the horizon, the two football coaches cherished their time together on the picturesque course.
Zach, the former offensive coordinator at Amherst Regional High School and new OC at Simsbury High School (Conn.), noted that once the fall season begins, he likely won’t see his father until Christmas time. Not only is Zach busy, Keith, who is the head coach at Belchertown High School, certainly is, too.
Just as they always do, sports gave Keith and Zach a lasting memory — this one coming at the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship.
“Once football season starts, we’re basically just texting each other at that point,” Zach said. “We don’t see each other much in the fall, and probably won’t until Christmas. So it’s really cool to be able to spend two days out here.”
“Agreed,” Keith added.