Golf In New York City Blog

The Sybase Classic, which has been played since 1990 at Wykagyl Golf Club in New Rochelle, is relocating to the historic Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ.
The opening for the move occurred only late last year when tournament planners learned that current renovations at Wykagyl would not be finished by May.
The tournament signed a two-year contract with the club, but expectations are that it will be extended if the club finishes some renovations scheduled to begin in 2008.
“We are expecting the Sybase Classic to be at Upper Montclair for many years to come,” said tournament director Michael Ryan. “The support that we have received from the club and its members has been fantastic.”

Ryan, who was the tournament director at Wykagyl for the past two years, is very excited about the move. “I believe the tournament will really see lots of growth given the timing of the event and its close proximity to Manhattan.”
“We could have moved the tournament dates to later in the summer, but there really wasn’t anything acceptable. We love the May dates because there will be no other local professional tournaments around that time,” said Ryan.
“For years we were competing for the same ticket buyers and volunteers as the PGA Tour’s Barclays Classic and now we can move out of their shadow.”
The 72-hole tournament is scheduled for May 17-20, with various additional events planned during tournament week. Sybase will continue as the title sponsor, and Shop Rite has joined as the tournament’s presenting sponsor. Lincoln Mercury is the event’s official car. The Sheraton Meadowlands in East Rutherford will be the host hotel.
Lorena Ochoa is expected to defend her 2006 Sybase title. Following last year’s Sybase Classic, she won five additional LPGA events and swept several major LPGA honors and was voted the AP female athlete of the year.
“This will be the only full-field LPGA event in the New York metropolitan area so we are expecting a great response from the LPGA players,” said Ryan. A better idea of the tournament field will be available in a few weeks.
Amanda Blumenherst, the Duke University sophomore who won the recent UCF Invitational by a twelve-stroke margin, was given a sponsor’s exemption. It was the fifth collegiate victory for Blumenherst, who was the 2006 ACC Player and Freshman of the Year.
Upper Montclair has a long history of hosting professional golf events. It is one of the only golf courses to have hosted PGA, LPGA and Senior PGA event. Past winners at the course have included Arnold Palmer (1967), Lee Trevino (1993 and 2000), Ray Floyd (1994), and Nancy Lopez (1980).
Daily tickets can be obtained through the tournament website, www.sybaseclassic.com or calling the toll-free ticket center at (800) 444-LPGA. Single day tickets are $20, and full-week ground passes are $50. All children under 18 are admitted free.
Spectators will find Upper Montclair extremely accessible. There are seven holes within 500 yards of each other. Another spectator benefit will be parking directly at the golf course.
The tournament is also seeking additional volunteers. If you have an interest in working at the Sybase Classic presented by ShopRite, contact Julie Howell (212-841-7033).
Volunteering is a great way to get a “behind the scenes” view of the workings behind a professional golf tournament.
Watch this website for more last minute information on the tournament, the best viewing spots at Upper Montclair and some player profiles. 

It’s a perfect, sunny morning and you’ve just reached the first green in regulation. You feel great and you know you’re within birdie range. Then, you see them, those little holes in the green. Arrrgh! They’ve just aerified the course, and it’s going to ruin your round, right?

Well, maybe not. Consider the fact that PGA Tour legend Tom Watson shot a sizzling record 58 at his then-home course, Kansas City Country Club, just days after the greens had been aerified.

Consider also that aerification is merely a short-term disruption that has long-term benefits for the course. When you see them, remember that without those little holes, the greens would eventually die.

Like so many things, the quality of a good putting green is more than skin deep. In fact, the condition of a green has a lot to do with what goes on below the surface. In order to keep grass growing at 3/16-inch you have to have deep, healthy roots. Good roots demand oxygen. In good soil, they get the oxygen from tiny pockets of air trapped between soil and sand particles.

Over time, the traffic from golfers’ feet (as well as heavy mowing equipment) tends to compact the soil under the putting green - particularly when the soil contains a lot of clay. When soil becomes compacted, the air pockets on which the roots depend are crushed, and the roots are essentially left gasping for air. Without oxygen, the grass plants will wither and die.

Aerification is a mechanical process that creates more air space in the soil and promotes deeper rooting, thus helping the grass plants stay healthy. In most cases, it’s done by removing 1/2-inch cores (those plugs you sometimes see near a green or in fairways). The spaces are then filled with sand “topdressing” that helps the soil retain air space and makes it easier for roots to grow downward.

Other aerification techniques use machines with “tines” or knives that simply poke holes through the soil profile. A newer technique even uses ultra high-pressure water that’s injected through the soil profile to create small holes that relieve some compaction but heal quickly.

The bottom line is that aerification is a necessary practice. But before you curse the superintendent for ruining your day, just think of Tom Watson.

Information supplied by Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

On Tuesday - June 19th the Golf Styles Magazine is Having A Charity Outing To Support “Save the Kids” at Galloway National Golf Course in Galloway, New Jersey. Marian and I are both planning on bringing a group. This price is $325 to play this very private and wonderful golf course. If you would like to play, please contact me.

Bill Castner, 917.208.5197

For more information on this event please feel free to download the “Save The Kids” pdf information pack.