Boasting one of the Rochester area's oldest, most storied golf courses,
Ontario Country Club is set to welcome the
2018 RDGA Junior Championships this year - returning for the first time in 12 years and for only the third time in the long history of the area's premier Junior Championship.
The last time that Ontario hosted the event, in 2006, the list of champions included three juniors who now compete regularly among the top amateurs in the area - Kevin Lewis, the Boys Junior winner; Sara Eichelberger, the Girls Junior winner who has since won the RDGA Women's Championship twice; and Jenna Hoecker, the Girls Sub Junior champion who has since won two RDGA Women's Championships as well as the New York State Women's Amateur and, just last month, the Women's Mid Amateur Championship.
This year, Ontario hosts the 2018 RDGA Junior Championships on July 31 through August 2. Competing for titles during the week of the Championships will be RDGA Juniors (ages 15-18), Sub Juniors (12-14) and Pee Wees (7-11) for both Boys and Girls.
Which young player in this year's field will write their name in the RDGA record books - possibly propelling them into the upper echelon of local golfers in the years to come?
Ontario Country Club awaits.
Spanning Nearly the Entire History of Golf in Rochester,
Ontario Country Club Offers a Premium Golfing Experience
For more than a decade, Rochester-area golfers looking for a quality semi-private golfing experience in the northeast suburb of Ontario have become accustomed to finding such an experience at Ontario Country Club. But the club's story goes back much farther than that - encompassing nearly the entire history of golf in Rochester and beginning when Ontario was one of the first private clubs in the area.
Ontario was originally built as a private 9-hole layout in 1928 on property owned by the Ontario Fire Company – but, by the early 1960s, the club had grown to the point that an additional nine holes were needed. With the help of local officials, construction began on a new nine, designed by George Swatt, and was opened as an 18-hole facility by 1964.
The club continued as a private facility for many years - until the economic downturn of the late 2000s forced a change in direction and the club was sold to its present owner, Mike Lawler, in 2007. Since then, Lawler and the Ontario staff have worked hard to make the club one of the top public facilities in the area.
For many years, Ontario’s conditioning has been directed by a long-range master plan - created by the late world-renowned architect Geoffrey Cornish in the late 1980s – and is what drives Ontario's current Superintendent Matt Mancine to pursue the best possible conditions for the course.
The course layout is equal to the challenge offered anywhere else in the area, and with four sets of tees - with yardages ranging from 5,448 to 6,806 - it can also be playable for golfers of all ability levels.
The championship course has a fully computerized irrigation system that offers five sets of tees appealing to golfers of all skill levels. Traditionalists will be impressed by this spectacular layout, which is known for its pristinely manicured greens and well-maintained fairways.
Through the years, Ontario Country Club has hosted such prestigious events as the U.S. Women's Open Qualifier, The U.S. Public Links Qualifier, multiple RDGA Championships and New York State Amateur Championships, including: the Men’s Amateur, Men's Senior, Women, Mid-Amateur and Juniors.
For those players looking for help with their game, Ontario has many options. Leading the way is Linda Opalisky, who continues to serve as the PGA director of golf instruction. Opalisky brings 25 years of professional teaching experience to the club, teaching to a wide spectrum of students and specializing in running Ontario’s popular junior golf camps throughout the summer. She is assisted by fellow instructor Pete Konefal.
Along with tournaments and group outings, Ontario is home to several leagues – men’s women’s and seniors.’ Tee times can be booked in advance on the club’s recently-redesigned website – www.ontariocountryclub.com – plus, golfers can look there for the latest specials, OR, have the latest specials sent to them directly by joining the club’s email list.
After golf, Ontario offers visitors a full dining experience, including a beautiful modern full-service dining room that can accommodate any size group up to 250 guests. Prime dates are still available for golf outings, weddings, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, retirement, birthday parties, graduations, reunions, business meetings, and more.
Also available is the “19th Hole” grill – a pub style restaurant that includes a full service bar and dining area with patio that overlooks the golf course. Sample fare includes a variety of appetizers, soups, salads and hot & cold sandwiches. The atmosphere is relaxed and fun and the public is always welcome.
Other facilities include a recently renovated outdoor swimming pool complex – and a practice range spanning over five acres with a 30-golfer capacity. It has grass tees, four distance markers, a 5,000-square-foot practice green and a special 5,000-square-foot short game area, including a practice bunker.
Multiple Formats for the Junior Championship
The 2018 RDGA Junior Championships get under way on Monday, July 31, running through Wednesday, August 2. Essentially a combination of six distinct championships - Junior Boys, Junior Girls, Sub Junior Boys, Sub Junior Girls and Pee Wee Boys and Girls - the Junior Championship takes on several different formats.
The Junior Boys (ages 15-18) and Sub Junior Boys (12-14) compete in single elimination match play brackets over the three-day Championship, with the Junior Boys (who play from the Blue Tees) beginning with a 16-player bracket and the Sub Juniors with a 8-player bracket (and playing from the White Tees). The starting fields and seedings for each of these Championships was determined through an earlier stroke-play Junior Championship Qualifier, held at Silver Lake Golf Club on July 16, as well as a Junior points system, based on tournament performance so far this year. Play begins on July 31 with two rounds of match play, followed by two more rounds on August 1 and the Championship final matches on August 2.
Although the Junior Girls and Sub Junior Girls used to compete in match play for their RDGA District titles, those formats have changed to stroke play. The Girls Junior Championship will feature two 18-hole rounds, on August 1 and 2, while the Sub Junor Girls will play three 9-hole rounds (for a total of 27 holes) over the course of the three-day Championship.
The Pee Wee Championship - which includes both Boys and Girls, ages 7 to 11 - will include two 9-hole rounds, one on August 1 and the second on August 2.
Looking for a Return Engagement
By the time the RDGA Junior Championships conclude on August 2, expect to see champions that are in full command of their games - from off the tee to around the green.
And the winners will have useful knowledge of the course the next time they - and the RDGA - return to
Ontario Country Club for a Championship.
This article was written by RDGA Communications Director Dave Eaton.
The green on the 16th hole at Ontario Country Club, above, presents a narrow target - guarded by deep bunkers front and back - from a fairway that drops down from a high ridge. The green complexes such as this one are characteristic of the Geoffrey Cornish Master Plan renovation of Ontario, which hosts the 2018 RDGA Junior Championships on July 31 through August 2.