Forty months ago, when the USGA announced that Cherry Hills Country Club would host the U.S. Amateur in August 2012, the CGA and CWGA knew they would be playing significant roles at the tournament, as they do at all USGA championships held in Colorado.
But little did they realize then how large those roles would end up being. Ironically, what made all the difference was a golf course that wasn’t even open when the U.S. Amateur site was originally announced.
The addition of CommonGround Golf Course — which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA — as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event was a game-changer for the associations.
“Just providing CommonGround as the Companion Course is significant,” said Mark Passey, the USGA’s Highlands Ranch-based regional affairs director for the nine-state Central Region. “That’s atypical of what a state and regional golf association does.”
Indeed, in the 23 years Passey has worked the U.S. Amateur, he said only one other course owned by a state/regional golf association has hosted the stroke-play or match-play rounds of the championship. The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., owned and operated by the Washington State Golf Association and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, was the second stroke-play course for the 2010 U.S. Amateur.
As the Companion Course, CommonGround will join Cherry Hills in hosting the stroke-play rounds Aug. 13-14 before the match-play portion of the championship is played Aug. 15-19 exclusively at Cherry Hills.
“When you have a U.S. Amateur, you have to shut down (the course) and devote it purely to the championship and put other things in the background,” Passey noted. “And there are course preparation costs too. I know Cherry Hills is helping make that happen (financially), but it’s a big contribution. We’re aware of it and value it.”
While it will be the first USGA championship for three-year-old CommonGround, it will be the ninth for Cherry Hills and the 31st overall for Colorado.
“We always have a role to play that’s pretty significant, whether it be scoring, officiating, doing junior clinics …,” CGA executive director Ed Mate said. “But this year we’re really a partner — not just a host association but operating a host course. We’ve been invited to every committee meeting and Cherry Hills has really made us feel like a full partner. Being a host course definitely makes it more special.”
Many, if not all, of the 312 U.S. Amateur contestants will play practice rounds at CommonGround and Cherry Hills over the weekend preceding the championship. Then all golfers will complete one championship stroke-play round each at CommonGround and Cherry Hills. The top 64 players after 36 holes will advance to match play at Cherry Hills.
“It’s pretty exciting,” CWGA executive director Robin Jervey said. “I’m looking forward to walking the fairways for a national championship at a course I know so well (CommonGround). It’ll be exciting to see how they play out there.”
Being one of two stroke-play courses for the U.S. Amateur is certainly a nice feather in the cap of CommonGround, the Tom Doak-designed public course that opened in Aurora in May 2009. But the involvement of the CGA and CWGA in the U.S. Amateur certainly goes well beyond that.
Mate, Jervey and CGA director of rules and competitions Pete Lis will serve as rules officials for the championship. CGA director of communications Aaron Kellough will handle the calligraphy on the scoreboard at CommonGround — the same role Passey will play at Cherry Hills, as he always does at the U.S. Amateur’s host course. CGA director of operations Briena Goldsmith will play a major part in volunteer coordination and scheduling, and other CGA and CWGA staffers and interns will assist in scoring, marshaling and CommonGround’s volunteer check-in.
Association personnel, along with volunteers, will be responsible for marshaling the ninth and 10th holes at Cherry Hills throughout championship week.
Additionally, some volunteer stalwarts for both associations likewise will play key roles at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. And it’s hoped that current and past CGA and CWGA presidents will serve as starters during the practice rounds at CommonGround.
But that’s just tournament week. There’s a load of work to do in preparation for the U.S. Amateur, and the CGA and CWGA join the many tournament organizers at Cherry Hills, along with the staffs at both courses, in making sure things run seamlessly for the week-plus that so much attention is focused on the championship.
Goldsmith is the CGA staff point person in working with championship director Kathy Walker regarding volunteers, of which the championship will need close to 1,000. Specifically, Goldsmith is responsible for recruiting all the volunteers at CommonGround — 180 marshals and 10 transportation volunteers — and for the two holes the CGA and CWGA is overseeing at Cherry Hills. (Some volunteers are still needed. CLICK HERE to view the main volunteer page of the 2012 U.S. Amateur. CLICK HERE to be taken directly to the CommonGround volunteer registration page.)
In addition, CommonGround director of golf Dave Troyer and CGA board member — and former Cherry Hills head professional — Clayton Cole are also playing key liaison roles from the CGA/CWGA’s perspective.
All of this fits in with the close relationship the CGA and CWGA have with the USGA, which conducts the U.S. Amateur. The state associations run many USGA qualifiers, are sanctioned caretakers of USGA course rating and handicap systems, serve as a clearing house for the USGA Rules of Golf, and share the USGA’s emphasis on outreach and developmental programs, particularly at the junior level.
And with all of the outreach programs and initiatives at CommonGround, the USGA has provided generous grants in recent years, including $175,000 for the CommonGround Kids Course and $10,000 for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround. The national association also funds Boatwright Internships which benefit the CGA and CWGA.
“The heart and mission of the USGA is delivered by the CGA and CWGA,” Passey said. “It’s an important relationship. Their mission statements are about the same as ours. We share best practices with them and want them to be as good as they can be. We treasure groups like the CGA and CWGA.”
Noted Mate: “We are the unofficial franchise of the USGA. We’re the delivery mechanism for a lot of the programs the USGA offers. It’s a great partnership and it works both ways. We need the USGA credibility behind us.”
Passey, by the way, will be working his 23rd consecutive U.S. Amateur. (In addition to handling the scoreboard at Cherry Hills, he’ll manage player registration in the days leading up to the tournament.) And this year’s championship will make for bookends of sorts for him. Passey’s first U.S. Amateur was also held at Cherry Hills, in 1990 when Phil Mickelson claimed the title.
