Metedeconk National Home To Top Scholastic Events

Metedeconk National Golf Club in Jackson is the site of two prestigious scholastic tournaments each spring, the Housen Financial All-Star Challenge which began in 2000, pitting top players from Monmouth and Ocean County, and the four-year-old Metedeconk Prep Challenge, featuring private schools from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

In 2000, then-Ocean Township golf coach Dave Ruch wanted to put the top golfers from the Shore Conference together one last time on one of the Jersey Shore's finest courses for a season-ending event that would be as much about companionship as it was competition.

Since then the Housen Financial All-Star Challenge has become one of those tournaments players list qualifying for among their goals for the season, wanting to be a part of the 27-hole, Ryder Cup-style competition that took place on May 27 at Metedeconk National, the world-class facility that has become the traditional home for the annual event.

The Metedeconk Prep Challenge began in 2012 with 20 schools and 29 schools from four states participated in this year’s fourth Challenge.

Peddie was the winner in the first two years, Blair won in 2014 and St. Augustine from South Jersey won this year. New Jersey schools included NJSIAA Tournament of Champions winner Bergen Catholic, Blair, Delbarton, MKA, Morristown-Beard, Lawrenceville, Peddie, Hun, Newark Academy, Red Bank Catholic, St. Peter’s, St. Rose, Oratory and Pennington.

In the All-Star Challenge, Monmouth and Ocean counties players are divided between Team Handchen, named in honor of the late Hank Handchen, the long-time athletic director at Brick and founder of the Ocean County Tournament, and Team Mischler, named for long-time Neptune golf coach Walt Mischler. The event's unique format calls for players to compete in nine-hole better-ball, alternate shot and singles matches.

Leading the way for the winning Monmouth County squad was the duo of Rumson-Fair Haven’s Perry Litwin and CBA’s Sean Farren, who teamed to win both a four-ball and alternate shot match. Farren completed his three-point sweep by winning his singles match, while Litwin got a half-point in singles.

In a feature singles showdown, Howell senior Dawson Jones, who won the Monmouth County and Shore Conference titles last year, finished all-square against CBA sophomore Chris Gotterup, this year’s Monmouth County champion and state runner-up.

Competing for Team Mischler were Jones, Litwin, Farren, Freehold Township’s Bobby Weise, Manasquan’s Logan Sabins, Brick’s Shawn Mayer and CBA’s Jack Doherty.

Team Handchen was comprised of Gotterup, Red Bank Catholic’s Pat Leitrkinder, Rumson’s Reid Bedell, St. Rose’s Kellen Jordan, Southern’s Matt Rizzo and Wall’s Luke Dougherty.

In the Prep Challenge, two-man teams compete in an 18-hole better ball stroke-play format. The teams, coaches, and parents are guests of the club for the day. The winning team receives a trophy, to hold for a year, while a perpetual trophy will remain on display at the club. Every participant also receives a memento of the event.

“The only way golf is going to grow is if we involve the next generation,” says Bob Lerner, a Metedeconk member who has been the driving force behind the tournament. “The membership feels it is important to share the Metedeconk experience with young people. We want them to understand that golf isn’t about business or prestige: It’s about loving the game.”

Neither the schools nor the players will pay to participate as all costs are being covered by the club. Five golf-equipment companies have come on as sponsors—Callaway, Cobra, TaylorMade, Nike and Titleist—along with the Princeton branch of PNC Bank.

“The Prep Challenge is largely member-supported,” says Lerner, “and the response has been overwhelming. That says everything you need to know about Metedeconk. The members love and respect the game and want the kids to see that. I’ve even had a number of members say that they’ll be in the gallery watching.”