Galloping Hill First County-owned Golf Course To Host State Open
STATE OPEN ROUND ONE PHOTO GALLERY
Galloping Hill Golf Course, which opened in 1928, will be the first county-owned golf course to host a New Jersey State Open when the Kenilworth-based course is the site of the 96th NJSGA Open Championship, July 11-13. The event is sponsored by Lincoln Motor Cars.
The State Open Championship is set for Monday through Wednesday (July 11-13) when the 54-hole, stroke-play tournament is played over the par-71, 6,845-yard venue. The starting field consists of 136 players, both amateur and professional, who are either exempt or qualified at one of four state-wide sectional qualifying sites. After the completion of 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 50 scorers plus ties for the final round.
Defending champion Tyler Hall of Upper Montclair leads the starting field that includes 82 qualifiers and 56 exempt players. Of the group of 136, 61 are amateurs.
Including Hall, 13 former champions from as far back as 1984 (David Glenz 1990, ’88, ‘86 and ’84) will be competing for the right to hoist the Carl W. Badenhausen Trophy.
Other former champions are Max Greyserman of Crestmont (2014), Frank Esposito Jr. of Forsgate (2013 and 1999), Brett Jones of Due Process Stable (2009), Mark McCormick of Suburban (2008), Jason Lamp of Galloway National (2006), Ed Whitman of Knickerbocker (2004, ’96, ’95 and ’90), Greg Farrow of Deerwood (2003), Baker Maddera of Rock Spring (2002), Chris Dachisen of North Jersey (2001 and ’97), John DiMarco of Laurel Creek (2000), Gary Ostrega of Hyatt Hills (1985) and Glenz.
Qualifying medalists include pro Alexander Hicks of Stone Harbor (at Glenwood), amateur Andrew Austin of Golf Club of N.J. (at Old York), pro Joe Bush and amateur Danny Harcourt, both of Shackamaxon (at Suburban) and pros Domenick Roman of Bayonne and Richard Terga of Mountain Ridge (at Green Brook).
The NJSGA State Open at Galloping Hill offers fans the opportunity to come out and watch the best players in the state compete for the championship. Spectators are welcome and admission is free.
The NJSGA and Galloping Hill Golf Course came together in concept more than 10 years ago. Union County was in need of a new clubhouse at Galloping Hill. In a strategy session, the thought occurred to include space for NJSGA headquarters. A conversation and agreement ensued and today the NJSGA’s base of operation overlooks the first tee.
Hosting a championship at Galloping Hill was a natural extension of the agreement. Both parties realized that the course needed to improve to host such a championship and the commitment was made for a future event.
Nearly a decade later, Galloping Hill is the first county-operated and only the second public facility to host a State Open in 86 years.
The transformation of Galloping Hill Golf Course in preparation for the 2016 NJSGA State Open had gotten underway thanks to the vision of the Union County Board of Freeholders and KemperSports.
Two years ago, golf course architect Rees Jones, “The Open Doctor,” heard of the plan to bring the NJSGA Open to Galloping hill and graciously offered his services to get the renovation underway. Jones is renowned for his work on prominent U.S. Open and Major Championship courses, such as Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, Hazeltine National, Medinah Country Club, East Lake Country Club, and Congressional Country Club among others.
Jones’ redesign at Galloping Hill stretches the existing 6,700-yard layout to nearly 7,000 yards for the championship while restoring some of the original shot values and sight lines from architect Willard Wilkinson’s initial plans.
The golf course added 10 new championship tees, new drainage and two new green complexes on the fifth and 16th holes.
"It is an honor for Union County to have the opportunity to host the 2016 New Jersey State Open," said Freeholder Chairman Bruce Bergen. "But in addition to our pride we are excited that these improvements will benefit those who choose to play at Galloping Hill for years to come."
The New Jersey State Golf Association, the second oldest state golf association in the U.S., had long considered bringing the state’s biggest golf tournament to a county-operated course.
“With the growth of public golf in recent years, and the popularity of national championships being held at public courses, we felt that we had a tremendous opportunity to work with Galloping Hill in 2016,” Dan Meehan, NJSGA president, said. “With the improvements to the golf course by Rees Jones, and the vision of Union County and KemperSports, we had a committed team of people to create a memorable and successful championship. The NJSGA is excited about the event.”
Galloping Hill Golf Course opened in 1928 and represents one of Willard Wilkinson’s original designs. Early in his career, Wilkinson spent time working with legendary golf course architects A.W. Tillinghast and Donald Ross, known for their work on major championship golf courses, before establishing his own golf course design firm in 1924.
Galloping Hill Golf Course has been characterized by its natural terrain of rolling hills and valleys, often referred to as "The Hill", and has a reputation as one of the most challenging courses in its area.
