If you’ve followed the amateur golf scene in Massachusetts for the past 15 plus years, one name consistantly atop many a leaderboard is 43 year old Ryan Riley. A fierce competitor with a soft-spoken edge, Riley’s swing has become synonymous with success. But behind the crisp drives and championship trophies is a story as rich in heart as it is in hardware.
Ryan’s Backstory.
For years, Riley has been a fixture in what I like to refer to as the Thorny Lea “Band of Brothers (and Sisters),” a tight-knit crew of elite amateur players out of Thorney Lea Golf Club in Brockton that have literally dominated tournaments across New England time and time again. This grouping made up of players such as Matt Parziale, John Hadges, Steve Tasho to Shannon Johnson and Megan Buck are familiar faces in prestigious MassGolf, USGA and National tournaments.
Click to Listen! WATD SPORTS AUDIO EXTRA: Ryan Riley talks Thorny Lea Golf and Summer Schedule
So, when a Facebook post back in January teased his new venture “Links & Drinks” inside LTP Pickleball in Easton, MA, I scrolled further. Riley, known for striping 3-irons, was launching a bar-meets-bay Trackman facility?
Links & Drinks is every golfer’s dream: two Trackman IO simulator bays, cold beer, hot bar bites, and wall-to-wall flat screens. Prepaid packages, lessons and a limited number of memberships are available. Open seven days a week, it’s where data-driven practice meets tons of fun. Swing, Sip and Socialize.
Looking further, I realized that Links & Drinks was only one part of Riley’s golf success in his hometown of Easton. His flagship junior golfer development facility, the Golf Academy of New England (GANE), has quietly become a powerhouse for developing young regional talent over the past few years. For those not in the junior category, GANE welcomes golfers of every age and skill level for clinics and lessons.
Click to Listen! WATD SPORTS AUDIO EXTRA: Ryan Riley’s Golf Academy of New England (GANE)
I caught up with Ryan on Good Friday, he and his wife Joanne, a nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, were en route to NYC for a weekend getaway. Ryan had gifted Joanne tickets to a Broadway show. “She’s always been my biggest fan,” Riley said of his high school sweetheart and wife of 20 years. “We started our family young, younger than most of my peers. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. The struggle of balancing work, family, and tournament golf were the best years of my life.”
Their son Lucas, now 19, is a freshman pitcher on Merrimack College’s baseball team and a scratch golfer, naturally. Daughter Brianna, 18, is following in her brother’s footsteps as an incoming freshman at Merrimack College this Fall.
Riley Family (L toR) Brianna, Lucas, Joanne & Ryan
Back on the course, Riley has quietly been stacking wins and mentoring the next gen of talent. Since 2017, he’s helmed the Oliver Ames “Tigers” High School golf team, coaching his son Lucas and dozens of juniors from his academy. Prior to that, he led Norton High School to nearly a decade of dominance.
Riley’s coaching résumé? Check it out:
190+ high school match victories
6 League Championships
Multiple MIAA South Sectional Titles
2023 Hockomock League Champs
2017 Boston Herald Division 2 Coach of the Year (undefeated regular season + sectional win)
Inside “The Attic” — the upstairs training space at GANE
But Riley’s path to PGA status started on baseball, football and soccer fields, not fairways. At Boston College High, an ill-timed broken toe ended his soccer season and nudged him toward golf. That twist of fate launched a stellar collegiate career at Sacred Heart University, where he was part of their first D-1 recruited class and team Captain for 2 years. He still stays tight with his SHU teammates, including his college roommate who owns a golf facility on Long Island.
It wasn’t easy giving up his amateur status, but with Joanne’s creativity and support he has discovered a love for teaching golf to players of all levels. Riley passed his PGA Playing Ability Test and made it official. Now a New England PGA Assistant Professional, Riley is the defending champ at this season’s 2025 NEPGA Assistant Match Play Championship. Closing in on over 75 total competitive wins, not including club events, he shows no signs of slowing down and with the healthy summer schedule of competition he rattled off to me, is looking to add more hardware!
Click to Listen! WATD SPORTS AUDIO EXTRA: Ryan Riley’s golf career highlights
From competitor to family man to golf coach and golf tech, Ryan Riley’s story is a masterclass in balance, hustle and heart.
And now, with one foot secure within the PGA of America and the other firmly planted in his hometown of Easton, one thing’s for sure …
Ryan Riley is just getting warmed up.
Carry on, Ryan. We’ll be watching.
Sports Reporter Liza “Goldie” Churchill has been covering the golf beat for 95.9 WATD Sports since 2009. She’s a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and Association of Women in Sports Media.