WESTFIELD – The Owl Club Golf Tournament will go on as planned.
Registration for the 14th annual golf tournament is now open. Proceeds for the tournament, which is slated for Mon., Aug. 3 at The Ranch Golf Club in Southwick, will support Westfield State University varsity athletics.
“Feedback from our alumni and regular players was overwhelming that they wanted us to run the tournament again this year, even in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Westfield State University Associate Athletic Director Dave Caspole. “We consulted with the Ranch, and campus officials, and given that golf is an outdoor activity that can be conducted within the state’s reopening phases, we’ll run the tournament in the safest, most socially-distant ways we can while following all of the state and local guidelines.”
The tournament will feature an individual cart for each player, and the start is scheduled to have tee times rather than the typical shotgun start in order to limit the size of groups gathering. A maximum of 18 foursomes will be registered this year – half the regular total.
“Registered players will receive a tee gift, get their own cart, lunch will be served on the course, and we will have some contests,” said Caspole, who noted there will not be a post-tournament dinner, again to limit the gathering size.
“We look forward to seeing the alumni, friends, parents and sponsors who regularly participate in the tournament, and given the disruptions that our student-athletes have faced this year, the funds we raise from the tournament will help to get our programs quickly back on track as we look to restart team competitions this fall,” added Caspole. “Westfield Bank is again our lead sponsor for the tournament, and we can’t thank the bank and president Jim Hagan enough for their support of our athletic programs.
The Ranch is a par-72 championship layout that plays about 6,500 yards from the tournament tees in a scramble format.
Last year the tournament was won by the group of Mark Litsky, Carlos Frittano, John Harkings, Anthony Perritano with a 58, winning a match of cards tiebreaker with the alumni group of Bob Verdolino, Ralph Barry, Matt Barry, Joe Seckler.
Registration for the tournament is available online at https://westfieldstateowls.com/owl-club/golf-tournament/index.
Contact Dave Caspole for more registration information or for sponsorship opportunities at [email protected] or 413-572-5433.
FOURTH OF JULY FOUR BALL: Golfers will gather at Tekoa Country Club this holiday weekend (Friday-Sunday) for the annual Fourth of July Four Ball championship. The format will forgo its traditional round robin format with shotgun starts in favor of match play due to COVID-related restrictions. Tee times will be seeded by combined team handicap with maximum 5 stroke differential between partners. The 19th hole will be open for food and beverage, and the beer cart will be out on the course throughout the three-day tournament. – Material from Westfield State University was used in this article
