GILROY
– South County’s most exclusive golf club is inviting sports
enthusiasts to the links to support youth golf programs, launching
a tournament series that will fulfill the club’s hotly debated
public use requirement.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – South County’s most exclusive golf club is inviting sports enthusiasts to the links to support youth golf programs, launching a tournament series that will fulfill the club’s hotly debated public use requirement.
CordeValle will hold the first of four charity tournaments on April 5, offering the public a chance to play on the 18-hole, 7,169-yard, par 72 course for a reduced green fee and prizes for the top finishers.
The entire $140 fee will go toward the CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation, a newly formed nonprofit organization whose mission is to expand access to the sport of golf for children of all income levels by directly supporting successful youth golf programs throughout Santa Clara County.
The entry fee is a significant discount for non-club members, who would normally pay $275 per round, or $195 per round if they are an unaccompanied guest of a member, not including caddie or cart rental fees.
The tournament entry fee includes a barbecue lunch, a round of golf, cart rental and a tour of the club following the awards ceremony.
“Our charity tournament series will offer Santa Clara County golfers a fun tournament experience at CordeValle, and at a significantly reduced price, while helping the youth of Santa Clara County at the same time,” said Joe Root, CordeValle’s general manager, in a statement.
The CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation will receive at least $100,000 a year to support existing programs, sponsor youth golf academies and support high school and community college golf teams. The four annual tournaments will raise $50,000 a year and CordeValle will directly donate another $50,000.
“The foundation’s focus is to support existing programs, where children who normally couldn’t afford to play golf will receive instruction, equipment, practice and play opportunities, and most important, mentors,” Root said.
“This is going to be a ‘forever’ foundation. Every year we’re going to have four golf tournaments throughout the year to support junior golf,” said Head Golf Professional Eric Wasinger.
The tournament series was launched as part of an agreement between CordeValle and the county to maintain public access to the course. According to its use permit, CordeValle must reserve 60 percent of available annual tee times for public play. Fifty percent of rounds are for club guests and 10 percent for members of the public, excluding club members, overnight guests of the CordeValle Lodge and friends of members or guests.
Between August 2002 and last September, the county Planning Commission required that CordeValle fulfill that 10 percent by using phone-in reservations three days a week.
CordeValle objected to the phone-in system, which also failed to meet county supervisors’ expectations, and in September county planning commissioners approved the club’s proposal to reserve that 10 percent for youth golf and charity tournaments and events.
To fulfill that requirement, the club is anticipating 144 entrants for each tournament, although it would need only 90 participants in each to raise the $50,000 needed for the foundation. Wasinger expects slots to fill up quickly.
“We feel that it’s going to fill up within a month or within a few weeks,” Wasinger said.
Entries will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis and once the April tournament is booked, registration for the July, August and November tournaments will begin.
Entry forms for the tournament were made available in The Dispatch Wednesday. Entrants may also register by calling CordeValle or visiting its Web site.
As part of the club’s public use agreement with the county, a board of directors for the CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation will include five members appointed by each of the county supervisors, one Planning Commission appointee and one CordeValle representative.
The supervisors’ appointments are expected to be announced soon, as the search for nominees will be officially announced at Tuesday’s supervisors meeting.
South County residents can be assured of local representation on the board.
“We are happy that the county Planning Commission unanimously decided to appoint Richard Palmisano to the board,” said Rachael Gibson, a land-use aide for District 1 Supervisor Don Gage.
Palmisano, the commission’s vice chair, was appointed to that body by District 1 and “certainly has a long history with reviewing CordeValle as a project,” Gibson said. In fact, he has been involved in the project since the mid-’90s, when it was Lion’s Gate Golf Club.
“We have not yet made ours, we’re currently mulling over our applicants,” Gibson said. “We would like to see representation from the San Martin area, but if we don’t find any suitable applicants from San Martin, we may look at south Morgan Hill or Gilroy.”
Gage’s office recently began reviewing three applicants who all hail from South County, Gibson said.
The appointments to the CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation Board of Directors will likely be made shortly after Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
“We’re just waiting on the staff report to come out of county council, in case they have any more guidance,” Gibson said. “We hope to appoint sooner, as opposed to later.”
