Until recently, Massachusetts had banned alcohol from being served directly on the grounds of golf courses, a restriction that was widely ignored by many courses that offered beverage carts at various holes. The state was one of two, along with Alaska, that still maintained such a restriction. But thanks to a determined group of golf course owners, Massachusetts has now officially lifted the ban.

“It’s not a financial thing, it’s a control thing,” explains Bob MacDonald, President of Brookmeadow Country Club, a public course in Canton, Mass. MacDonald, who has worked for years to get the alcohol ban lifted, spearheaded the successful campaign for repeal by holding a meeting at his course’s clubhouse. He also reached out to the local chapter of the National Golf Course Owners Association for help.

“If owners are allowed to sell alcohol on their course,” MacDonald notes, “workers can keep track of how many drinks each golfer has consumed. In the previous ‘system,’ players would sneak beer or liquor onto the course in their bags.”

Moreover, he continues, alcohol is routinely served at sporting events and gun ranges in Massachusetts – environments that can easily be classified as potentially more dangerous than a golf course.

Next to the matter of safety, the extra cash flow from the sale of alcohol will be helpful in tough economic times, MacDonald and supporting clubs stressed in lobbying for the change. Brookmeadow, for example, had been losing business to other nearby states such as New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Connecticut, MacDonald says, because directors of golf outings and tournaments often prefer to play where they are allowed to drink anywhere on the premises.

“Will it be a financial benefit? Yes,” MacDonald now says about the new law, which took effect November 7. “It will put money in our pockets, no doubt about that.”