Golf With Lpga's Natalie Gulbis At Shackamaxon; Event Includes Clinic
New Jersey golfers have a rare opportunity to play against one of the top professional golfers on tour in the second annual Garden State Tour Pro Challenge.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains will host the charitable event, presented by Northeast Lock. The Garden State Tour Pro Challenge will feature six amateur qualifiers (and the teammate of their choice) golfing against LPGA standout Natalie Gulbis and her New Jersey PGA Tour professional teammate in a series of three-hole matches on the club’s A.W. Tillinghast-designed course.
The “Challenge” will primarily benefit the New Jersey Golf Foundation, the charitable arm of the New Jersey section of the PGA. The organization’s mission is to grow the game of golf in New Jersey and to provide access to the game specifically to youth throughout the Garden State.
The event will also benefit the New Jersey State Golf Association’s Caddie Scholarship Foundation.
Qualifying tournaments are currently taking place at private and public clubs around the state. The entry fee is $20. For more information on how to enter one of the remaining qualifiers, contact Chris Hunt of The New Jersey Golf Foundation at (732) 465-1212.
All the clubs’ winners in five categories (Ladies Net, Ladies Gross, Men’s Gross, Men’s Net and Men’s Senior Gross) will compete in one of two qualifying rounds at Forsgate Country Club on Sept. 12 or Sept. 15. The winners in each category will choose an amateur partner and advance to face Natalie Gublis and her PGA partner on Sept. 25 at Shackamaxon.
Gulbis is an LPGA star, entrepreneur, model, actress and one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. Gulbis turned pro at the young age of 18, and her first professional win came at the 2007 Evian Masters in France. She has recorded 36, top-10 finishes in her career and has played on three victorious U.S. Solheim Cup teams—2005, 2007, and 2009.
In addition to her stellar playing career, Gulbis has appeared on such popular television programs as Celebrity Apprentice and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and starred in her own television show on The Golf Channel. Gulbis has also graced the pages of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, FHM, and she has her own calendar.
The Garden State Tour Pro Challenge will feature a full day of exciting activities at Shackamaxon. The day begins with an 18-hole celebrity golf outing featuring participants playing alongside professional sports alumni. Gulbis will meet and take photos with the outing participants.
At 11:30 a.m., Gulbis, along with a group of prestigious New Jersey PGA teaching professionals, will conduct a clinic and luncheon for golf enthusiasts from throughout the Garden State. Fans will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with Gulbis as she, and the pros, demonstrate a range of skills from driving through short game for players at all skill levels.
Clinic tickets are $65 and include lunch on the driving range and a gallery ticket to view the afternoon’s Garden State Tour Pro Challenge. Space is limited. Please contact Amanda Maloney at Shackmaxon Country Club at (908) 233-1300 to reserve your spot.
At 2 p.m., the “main event” will take place as Natalie Gulbis and her professional teammate begin their head-to- head matches against the lucky New Jersey amateur qualifiers and their chosen amateur partner on Shackamaxon’s historic A.W. Tillinghast-designed masterpiece. Gallery tickets to view the action live at the afternoon’s Tour Pro Challenge are only $10 and may be purchased by calling (908) 233-1300 ext. 1203. Tickets will also be available on-site at the club on Sept 25.
Shackamaxon was founded in 1916. It is an A.W. Tillinghast-designed 18-hole championship golf course. The nearly century- old, par 71 course boasts Tillinghast’s first island green which, to this day, remains one of the favorites among Met-area golfers. The club has hosted a number of prestigious events including the 1922, 1937, 1972 and 2002 New Jersey State Golf Association Open Championship, the 1924 and 1977 NJSGA Amateur Championships.
