Celebration Of Golf On Oct. 23 Includes Play At Trump-bedminster

Russ Helwig, head professional at Essex Fells Country Club since 1975, will be honored with the yearly Distinguished Service Award at the 11th annual NJPGA/NJSGA Celebration of Golf Dinner will be held at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster on Thursday, October 23.

For the first time, golf will be offered as part of the festivities.

Both associations will recognize their Players of the Year and other special award recipients. Among special award winners, Andy Brock of Metuchen is the Golf Professional of the Year and Brett Jones of Mountain Ridge is the New Jersey PGA Player of the Year.

The NJSGA is honoring three Players of the Year for the first time. Alice Chen of Neshanic Valley is the Women’s Player of the Year while Mike Stamberger of Spring Lake, the State Amateur champion, is the the Men’s Amateur Player of the Year and Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge, who won the Senior Amateur title, is the Senior Player of the Year.

Champions from each of the NJSGA’s 24 tournaments and from each of the NJPGA’s 10 championships will also be cited. The NJPGA Club of the Year and NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Club of the Year will also be announced.

In addition to the cocktail reception and formal dinner portion of the evening, the NJPGA and NJSGA have added a golf component to the day which benefits the NJPGA's New Jersey Golf Foundation and the NJSGA Youth Foundation. The fee for the cocktail reception and dinner only is $150 per person; the fee for golf, the cocktail reception and dinner is $300 per person.

REGISTER FOR CELEBRATION OF GOLF

The invitation, registration instructions, and more details are available by clicking here. Checks should be made out to the New Jersey PGA Section, 255 Old New Brunswick Road - Suite 100 South, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to call the NJSGA at 908-241-GOLF or the NJPGA at 732-465-1212.

Helwig has been the recipient of the New Jersey Section Bill Strausbaugh Award (Employment and Club Relations) in 1987, 1994 and 2000 and the Horton Smith Award (Education) in 1986.

He has received a pair of other New Jersey Section special awards over the years; Merchandiser of the Year-Private Facilities in 1984 and Golf Professional of the Year, the most prestigious award a PGA Professional can receive, in 1987.