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Massachusetts golf instructor claims Jayson Tatum among Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins he's teaching

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Massachusetts golf instructor claims Jayson Tatum among Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins he's teaching


Dan Boisvert has given golf lessons to a lot of people, but one of his students stands out even though he’s not known for golf.

He’s Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who is known more for driving to the basket than driving a golf ball.

Boisvert worked with Tatum for a few years while he was a teaching pro at KOHR Golf Center and more recently at Pin High Golf, the indoor golf facility he opened in North Grafton, Massachusetts, in February 2022. Tatum’s most recent lesson at Pin High was late last summer just before Celtics training camp began. Boisvert also has given Tatum lessons at the simulator that Tatum installed in his Boston area home.

The two have played about 15 rounds of golf together at such clubs as Worcester Country Club, Old Sandwich Golf Club in Plymouth and Belmont CC.

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Tatum doesn’t take golf lessons during the Celtics season, but Boisvert keeps in touch with him year round. Tatum texts Boisvert once in a while to offer him Celtics tickets, usually at the last minute.

“I have to rearrange my whole schedule, but I don’t miss out on those,” the 36-year-old Worcester resident said.

What’s it like teaching an NBA star?

“It’s easy,” Boisvert said. “When you have an athlete who plays at that level, they’re understanding of movements and work ethic, and the process of getting better at something is just better than the average person.”

So who wins when Boisvert and Tatum play golf?

“I crush him,” Boisvert said with a laugh.

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Boisvert said the best score he’s seen Tatum shoot is an 85, but he estimates that the Celtics star has played only 40 rounds in his life. Boisvert’s best round was a 7-under 65 at the Legends Golf Course in Parris Island, South Carolina.

Boisvert carries a handicap of a plus 1.8 even though he plays only about 20 rounds a year. He plays in the qualifiers for the U.S. Open and Massachusetts Open to get a feel for tournament competition and to relate to his students. He hasn’t qualified yet, however, and he’s never wanted to play professional golf.

What is Tatum like on the golf course?

“He’s awesome,” Boisvert said.

Tatum parks his Mercedes Maybach in front of Pin High, but Boisvert said no one has seemed to notice.

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Boisvert also has taught Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, former Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, former Bruins forward Ryan Donato, former Red Sox outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr., former Celtic forward Grant Williams and former Patriots nose tackle Carl Davis.

Boisvert also taught several members of the Paul Fireman family. Fireman is a former owner of Reebok and owns several golf courses, including Willowbend CC.

Dan Boisvert

Dan Boisvert of Pin High Golf in Massachusetts. (Photo: Bill Doyle/Special to the Telegram & Gazette)

Boisvert said he doesn’t ask his famous students for autographs or photos, and he thinks that’s one of the reasons they continue to see him.

Boisvert grew up on Chester Street in Worcester and graduated from Holy Name High School in 2006. He pitched, played shortstop and majored in criminal justice at Anna Maria College, but left after his sophomore year and moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina, to try to make a career out of golf.

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That was quite a leap of faith for someone who played golf only about twice a year until the previous summer.

“I just took a huge risk,” Boisvert said. “My dad (Paul) was very supportive. My mom (Nancy) was nervous.”

He got hooked on the game that summer after his freshman year of college while lowering his average score from 95 to 75 at such courses as Wachusett CC and Kettle Brook GC. He’d hit about 300 balls three days at Wachusett, Tatnuck Driving Range or Auburn Driving Range.

While working towards a two-year degree in golf management at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, Boisvert volunteered at anything golf-related he could find. He assisted a junior golf academy conducted by Hank Haney, Tiger Woods’ former coach, and offered his services to Andrew Rice, another renowned golf instructor. He helped run junior golf tournaments, he was a starter and a rules official, and he marked up courses before tournaments. He wasn’t paid anything, but he learned a lot about golf.

After earning his degree, he went to work for Bill McInerney at McGolf driving range in Dedham for three years. There he spent time with Tom Brady’s sons Benny and Jack. The Patriots great would hit balls to the side and sometimes he’d ask Boisvert to critique his swing.

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“He was always more worried about his kids than himself,” Boisvert said, “which I thought was great. Super focused on what the kids were doing and them having fun.”

Then Boisvert worked at McInerney’s KOHR Golf Center for seven years before he opened Pin High Golf in the former Trek Stop Bicycles shop two years ago.

Boisvert taught many top golfers from the Boston suburbs, and they followed him to North Grafton. He figures his average student has been with him for eight years. Among his many students are 37 in college and 50 or 60 in high school. The college students include the last two Worcester County Amateur champions, Weston Jones, a Rutgers junior from Sudbury, and Sean Magarian, an Assumption senior from Worcester, as well as Matt Quinn, a Lehigh freshman from Holden.

Ever since he began working at McGolf, Boisvert has taught reigning New England Amateur champion Joey Lenane, a Dedham resident and North Carolina State junior who tied for eighth in the ACC championship last Sunday.

He also teaches Shannon Johnson, the Norton resident who won the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and captured the Mass Golf Women’s Player of the Year for the fifth time last year.

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“I just want to work with people who are committed to getting better,” Boisvert said. “If they’re just coming in to do a one-off, it’s not really for me.”

Boisvert spent about $150,000 to renovate the building and install two Trackman golf simulators on the first floor and 1,500-square feet of chipping and putting space on the second floor. He even hung a basketball hoop a few weeks ago. Tatum hasn’t seen the hoop yet, but he is aware of it.

“I’m sure he will get a few shots off next time he’s in,” Boisvert said.



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Massachusetts

Body part found in Shirley, Massachusetts pond, police suspect foul play

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Body part found in Shirley, Massachusetts pond, police suspect foul play



A body part was found in a pond in Shirley, Massachusetts and investigators said foul play is suspected.

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It was discovered around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday as a group of people were walking along Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.

Police said the group noticed something suspicious in the water of Phoenix Pond. The Middlesex District Attorney confirmed that the item was a body part, but would not elaborate.

Police shut down the road and divers could be seen exploring the pond late Wednesday. Authorities were back at the scene Thursday morning.

No other information is available at this point in the investigation.

Phoenix Pond connects to the Catacoonamug Brook, which flows into the Nashua River. It’s also connected to Lake Shirley.

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Shirley, Massachusetts is about 44 miles northwest of Boston and around 13 miles from the New Hampshire border. 



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Foul play suspected after human remains found in water in Shirley

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Foul play suspected after human remains found in water in Shirley


Human remains were discovered Wednesday in the water in Shirley, Massachusetts, and authorities suspect foul play.

Police in Shirley said in a social media post at 7:15 p.m. that they responded to “a suspicious object in the water near the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.” Massachusetts State Police later said the object was believed to be human remains.

The bridge crosses Catacoonamug Brook near Phoenix Pond.

The office of Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said a group of young people was walking in the area around 5:30 p.m. and “reported seeing what appeared to be something consistent with a body part in the water.”

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Foul play is suspected, Ryan’s office said.

Authorities will continue investigating overnight into Thursday, and an increased police presence is expected in the area.

No further information was immediately available.



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Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”

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Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”


It was a treacherous commute for drivers across Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Ice on roads and highways caused several crashes during rush hour.

In Danvers, 22 miles north of Boston, the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars. Three people were taken to local hospitals.

In Danvers, Mass. the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars on March 4, 2026.

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CBS Boston


In Revere, just seven miles north of the city, two tractor-trailers collided on North Shore Road. Police said it will be shut down for most of the day. It’s unclear if this crash was caused by icy conditions.

Forty-four miles west of Boston, a tractor-trailer ran off the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westboro. One person was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with what were described by the fire department as “non-life threatening injuries.”

The ice wasn’t just a problem for drivers. People walking around Boston were also slipping and sliding Wednesday morning.

“I almost fell at least five times but I didn’t. I don’t know how. I screamed and caught edges,” Swapna Vantzelfde told CBS News Boston about her walk to work in the South End. It took longer than usual.

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“The internal streets they just don’t get plowed, the little ones that people live on and then these arteries, the big streets, they’re cleaned a lot better,” she said.

Those on two legs and four were all stepping gingerly across slick spots.

“A little treacherous. Very slick and icy out here,” said a father pushing a stroller. “Sometimes you have something to hold on to, which helps.”

With plenty of snow piled along sidewalks and between parking spots, most people are done with winter.

“I’m over it. I’m ready for the thaw,” said one man. 

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