Greetings from beautiful Cape Cod where the weather has finally turned the corner towards summer! American Seniors has had a terrific start to our 2024 season and I wanted to take a moment to bring you up to date on some of the highlights, as well as things to look forward for the rest of the year and beyond.
We began the season with yet another sold-out week at Casa de Campo where the weather, golf and hospitality were all outstanding as always. You will note on our schedule that in 2025, we will be hosting our Better Ball of Pairs next winter a bit earlier than normal as Teeth of the Dog will be closing soon after for a significant renovation. Rest assured, we will play two rounds on Teeth of the Dog during our event January 16-20, 2025.
Del Mar, California was the location for our bi-annual Quittner-Nabeshima Goodwill Matches with our friends from Japan Seniors Golf Association. This was another sold-out event from both teams and I am thrilled to report that not only was the event a huge success, but ASGA was also able to retain the trophy! Captains from both sides met during the week to discuss possible venues for 2026 when it will be our turn to host, and Japan Seniors is already looking at the possibility of a return of the matches to Japan in 2028!
The first such event took place in Hakone, Japan, located near Mount Fuji, in 1962 with the blessing of President Eisenhower, who saw the event as a means to help repair relations between the two countries. The original idea came from Prince Nabeshima of Japan and “Eggs” Quittner, the captain of the 1962 American team, and the result has been nothing short of transformative. Friendship and goodwill have developed through the competition between the two associations. While a language barrier may exist for many, the event is always a good test of golf which is remembered most for the spirited sense of competition and camaraderie.
April brought us to Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Florida which was a great treat. It has been some years since ASGA has been to this area and the highlight was certainly the Ocean Course which was challenging, yet outstanding.
We will be returning to another venue from which we have had some time away in July, Turning Stone near Syracuse, New York. With three great golf courses, multiple hotel options, restaurants and a casino, Turning Stone Resort is a perfect destination for American Seniors and a large group of members will be joining us for this sold-out event.
We will host our annual event on Cape Cod in September and yes, this is another sell-out! As you may be aware, Oyster Harbors will be undergoing a renovation this Fall so our friends at Cape Cod National were kind enough to step in and host one day for ASGA. While we will still host our lobster dinner at the Oyster Harbors this year, we will look forward to welcoming the refurbished course back in to the golf rotation for 2025 and beyond.
Finally, December 15-18 we will return to an ASGA favorite venue, The Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Spring, Florida. This will undoubtably be quick to fill up so please watch your inbox this summer for an invitation to participate and sign up right away.
We are already hard at work planning 2025 venues and following Casa de Campo in January, we are excited to announce that Loxahatchee Club and Old Marsh in Jupiter, Florida will anchor our Spring event in early May! We hope to have confirmation on a third great private club very soon and will announce those details as soon as they are finalized.
We are so pleased that our enthusiastic membership has been so active in participating in our events. We ask that you consider your golfing friends who may enjoy our travels and propose them for membership by simply sending your endorsement and their names and email addresses to me at kevin@asgagolf.org. I will send them detailed membership information along with an application and a copy to you. To remain healthy, we need to keep adding new members to our great organization and thank you as always for your continued support!
Finally, one of the very special things we do as an Association is to administer our Charitable Trust. Through the generosity of donations from ASGA Members, we are able to support a number of different initiatives each year focused on improving the lives of youths through the game of golf. Over the past few years, we were honored to make meaningful contributions to a number of organizations making a difference in their communities and we are very happy to help. The support of our members has allowed the ASGA Charitable Trust to respond to the many requests that we receive. You may also find more information about the Trust in the email below as well as on the website at https://asgagolf.org/charitable-trust/
Have a terrific summer and I hope to see you on the golf course very soon!!
