Westfield prepped for juniors

The spotlight of junior golf shines on Westfield Center, Ohio, when the Westfield Junior PGA Championship is played July 13 through 16. The 72-hole event will feature the top 17-and-under players and be played on the South Course at the Westfield Group Country Club.

Angela Park of Torrance, Calif., and Daniel Woltman of Beaver Dam, Wis., won the girl's and boy's divisions of the 2004 Junior PGA Championship at the Westfield Group Country Club.

Golf course superintendent Steve Numbers, who has been at the Westfield Group Country Club for 28 years, says the course won’t change much for the event. Only once in the four previous years has the PGA requested a physical adjustment to the course – that was the addition of a ladies tee, according to Numbers.

“It’s their tournament … their championship,” Numbers says of the PGA’s involvement. “They have a real good sense of what our course is like.”

Numbers says the PGA dictates where the tees will be as well as the position of the pins. The PGA will have people at the course during the players’ practice rounds to suggest additional adjustments, such as height of cut in the rough and green speeds. Numbers says the roughs generally are kept at 2 ½ inches, and the greens will run between 10 ½ and 11 on the Stimpmeter.

Added attractions

Smucker’s Family Golf Fest, a two-day family-friendly golf show, has been added to the 2005 Westfield Junior PGA Championship July 15 and 16.  Presented by Westfield Group Foundation and sponsored by the J. M. Smucker Company, Golf Fest features activities for all ages, including: · Play Golf America Academy features swing analysis and coaching from top golf instructors Rick Martino and Gale Peterson; · 120-feet x 40-feet tent with exhibits and demonstrations from leading golf equipment manufacturers, including Taylor Made, Titleist, Calloway and Cobra; · Play Golf America events on the North Course, Nos. 1 and 18; · Little Birdie activity center for kids, featuring the K-B Toys putting station; · High-tech driving and putting competitions sponsored by GolfTEC, a provider of golf instruction products and centers across the country; · Live entertainment with performances by The Endorsements July 15, and Lawless July 16. Both concerts are 4:30 to 6 p.m.; and · Local celebrity appearances. Admission and parking are free all four days of the Championship, July 13 through 16. Along with Smucker’s Family Golf Fest, spectators enjoy covered grandstands, full-service food court and other special amenities. Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. daily. Passes to the event are available at the gate. Order in advance by calling 800-243-0210 extension 8123, or by visiting www.westfieldinsurance.com.

Gary Christy, marketing communications director at the Westfield Group, says the connection with the PGA of America and youth golf has been positive through the first four years of involvement.

“We like the alignment with junior golf and the PGA of America,” he says. “We like the values. We share the same as an insurance company.”

Christy says Westfield Group has been relatively quiet throughout the years but wanted to give its agents some added strength in the marketplace.

“We were looking at establishing greater awareness for the Westfield brand,” he says. “We went with sponsorship rather than advertising.”

The Westfield Group has the Junior PGA Championship locked in through 2007.

Numbers says he and the staff will begin discussing the 2006 event shortly after this year’s tournament is finished to get his agronomics in line. Physical preparation generally begins as early as six months out.

In addition to competing with between 120 and 130 of their peers, golfers will enjoy a major championship feel when they step foot on the Westfield Group Country Club grounds. The golfers will begin arriving a few days early for practice rounds and stay at the Westfield Inn at no charge. Waiting for them at the driving range will be a pyramid of brand new Titleist golf balls. Once on the course, golfers are announced on the first tee and as they approach the 18th green. Numbers says there are grandstands behind the ninth and 18th greens and roping to keep the estimated 7,000 to 10,000 spectators out of the players’ way.

As for the physical transformation of the course, Numbers says he irons in lines on the fairways for a distinctive diamond pattern. He’ll start this process a week before the event and follow the same pattern. His staff also hand-rakes all bunkers. No volunteers are needed to prep the course – the club combines the two maintenance staffs for the event.

Numbers also prepped Westfield Group Country Club for last years Junior Ryder Cup and looks forward to the next two Junior PGA Championships.

“Golf has been important here at Westfield for a long time, and it’s great as far as building ethics,” he says. “We see a lot of parents and kids who are never on a golf course come out here and see these future stars.”

According to Christy, each of the players is a champion at some level. Some might have earned a return trip by finishing in the top 10 of last year’s event, but most have played their way into the tournament by winning a regional qualifier. The winning boy takes home the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, and the girls vie for the Patty Berg Trophy.

The Golf Channel will air a one-hour highlight package in the weeks following the event.

The Junior PGA Championship is celebrating its 30th year as a major junior event. Past winners include: Vicki Goetze-Ackerman (1987,’89,’90); Brandie Burton (1988); Cristie Kerr (1995); and Grace Park (1996) on the girl’s side and John Inman (1977); Willie Wood (1978); Billy Andrade (1981); Billy Mayfair (1982); David Toms (1984); Trevor Immelman (1996); and Ty Tryon (2000) on the boy’s side.