Youth golf event should bring boost to area

BINGHAMTON — From hotel guests to diners, the upcoming USGLL (U.S. Golf Local League) National Championship should benefit area businesses and the local economy, organizers say.

The event, slated for Aug. 6-10 at Traditions at the Glen Golf Course and Resort, will not only bring 24 all-star youth golfers, plus their coaches, to the area, it will also bring their parents, their siblings, and other family members who will come along to cheer them on, says Robert Warholic, East Coast regional director for USGLL, Inc., a Long Beach, Calif. nonprofit organization that promotes youth golf.

“Right now, there are four states involved in this championship,” Warholic says. A team from California and two teams from Pennsylvania will join the local New York team for the event. Their coaches bring the total number to 32 people participating in the event, and that has already resulted in the booking of 25 rooms at Traditions, Warholic notes.

He expects another 150 to 200 family members to join the teams, with all of them needing a place to stay and places to eat. USGLL (championship.usgll.org) is hosting a meet-and-greet barbecue the first night of the championship and will ask local businesses to sponsor lunches for the players during the event, but everyone will be on their own for the rest of their meals, he says. That will likely mean good business for Traditions, which operates Bogey’s at the Glen and The Tavern, as well as nearby restaurants such as McDonald’s, Warholic says.

The benefits will spread beyond hotels and restaurants as well, he adds. The Binghamton Mets donated 24 tickets for the young golfers to attend a game on Aug. 7, but their family members will have to purchase their own tickets if they want to tag along.

The same goes for Chucksters mini-golf course in Vestal, which donated tickets for the golfers to come play Wednesday night. Once again, their family members will have to buy their own tickets if they want to play along, Warholic says.

There will be plenty of other entertainment options for the players and their families as well, he says “The [Greater Binghamton] Chamber of Commerce has already put together an information packet for me,” he says. The packet, which includes information on places to eat and things to do, will be handed out to each player’s family, he says.

On top of the players and their families, Warholic says he also expects some local spectators to turn out for the event at a cost of $5 per person.

“We have a really good buzz going around about it,” he says of the championship. He expects anywhere from 50 to 100 spectators to attend the event.

This is the third year of the championship event. The previous events were held in Long Beach, Calif., but USGLL opted to move the event east this year to make it more affordable for the teams attending the event.

The teams include children ages 8 through 14, who completed all 10 weeks of their regular golf season and were selected by coach ballots based on their skills as well as their golf etiquette. Golfers from 15 states, including New York, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Florida, participate in the USGLL.