It seems natural enough.
Track and field, baseball, softball and basketball all have a Cayuga County Tournament, Why not golf?
Six area schools will answer that question this Thursday as the inaugural Cayuga County Golf Tournament kicks off at Wells College Golf Course at 3:30 p.m.
Section IV's Union Springs, Southern Cayuga and Moravia, as well as Section III's Weedsport, Port Byron and Cato-Meridian will participate in the 36-person event.
“We play Southern Cayuga and Moravia throughout the season but the other three - Weedsport, Port Byron and Cato-Meridian - we're close in proximity, we see their scores, but we never get to play them,” Union Springs coach Todd Salls said. “We look forward to competing with them.”
The nine-hole tournament will feature the top six golfers from each school. Awards will be given to the top-10 finishers as well as the overall medalist. A traveling trophy will also be awarded to the winning team in hopes that the trophy will be passed on from year to year.
Much like the Cayuga County Holiday Tournament, which has become a Christmas tradition for four local basketball teams, Salls hopes the golf tournament will foster some local rivalries between schools from different sections.
“The kids are more than happy to play,” Salls said. “Golf is the kind of sport you can play for years and years. When you talk about the Cayuga County Christmas tourney, it's a highlight for many of the basketball players. That's what they remember and talk about when they look back. Hopefully this becomes something similar.”
Unlike the basketball tournament, all six county schools that play in the spring can compete annually.
“It's the start of something great,” Port Byron coach Steve Leary said. “This (golf) tournament works perfectly. It's a nice natural crossover between similar-sized schools. Every coach I've talked to is excited about it.”
This tournament is an added bonus for Leary and his Panthers as it's been Port Byron's first year with a golf program since 1978.
“What a perfect year to start up a golf program,” Leary said.
“And it makes the numbers nice and even. It's a perfect 36.”
Salls has taken the reins on the project. At the end of the 2006 season, Salls and other area coaches got together and brainstormed some ideas.
While a county tournament has been an idea for some time, nothing was set in stone until recently.
“We've all been busier than heck with sectionals and all that so we decided to go with a short, nine-hole tourney,” Salls said. “We'll just go from there. Maybe next year we'll go bigger and better.”
With all six coaches officially committing to the tournament this week, a buzz has started to generate among the coaches and especially the players. It's another opportunity for the golfers to get out on the course and compete before the school year is out.
“It's good exposure for all the schools but at the same time, the players are excited about playing some more golf,” Leary said. “They've got the bug now so they just want to get out and play.”
Six area schools will answer that question this Thursday as the inaugural Cayuga County Golf Tournament kicks off at Wells College Golf Course at 3:30 p.m.
Section IV's Union Springs, Southern Cayuga and Moravia, as well as Section III's Weedsport, Port Byron and Cato-Meridian will participate in the 36-person event.
“We play Southern Cayuga and Moravia throughout the season but the other three - Weedsport, Port Byron and Cato-Meridian - we're close in proximity, we see their scores, but we never get to play them,” Union Springs coach Todd Salls said. “We look forward to competing with them.”
The nine-hole tournament will feature the top six golfers from each school. Awards will be given to the top-10 finishers as well as the overall medalist. A traveling trophy will also be awarded to the winning team in hopes that the trophy will be passed on from year to year.
Much like the Cayuga County Holiday Tournament, which has become a Christmas tradition for four local basketball teams, Salls hopes the golf tournament will foster some local rivalries between schools from different sections.
“The kids are more than happy to play,” Salls said. “Golf is the kind of sport you can play for years and years. When you talk about the Cayuga County Christmas tourney, it's a highlight for many of the basketball players. That's what they remember and talk about when they look back. Hopefully this becomes something similar.”
Unlike the basketball tournament, all six county schools that play in the spring can compete annually.
“It's the start of something great,” Port Byron coach Steve Leary said. “This (golf) tournament works perfectly. It's a nice natural crossover between similar-sized schools. Every coach I've talked to is excited about it.”
This tournament is an added bonus for Leary and his Panthers as it's been Port Byron's first year with a golf program since 1978.
“What a perfect year to start up a golf program,” Leary said.
“And it makes the numbers nice and even. It's a perfect 36.”
Salls has taken the reins on the project. At the end of the 2006 season, Salls and other area coaches got together and brainstormed some ideas.
While a county tournament has been an idea for some time, nothing was set in stone until recently.
“We've all been busier than heck with sectionals and all that so we decided to go with a short, nine-hole tourney,” Salls said. “We'll just go from there. Maybe next year we'll go bigger and better.”
With all six coaches officially committing to the tournament this week, a buzz has started to generate among the coaches and especially the players. It's another opportunity for the golfers to get out on the course and compete before the school year is out.
“It's good exposure for all the schools but at the same time, the players are excited about playing some more golf,” Leary said. “They've got the bug now so they just want to get out and play.”
The Citizens' Say
There are No comments posted.