A Look at 2006's New Open Venues With
the 2006 season already underway after the Polo Golf
Junior Classic, the Association has once again stepped
up its schedule with the addition of an impressive list
of golf courses that will be visited for the first time.
Part two of a five-part series on the 2006 AJGA schedule
focuses on eight facilities that will play host to AJGA
Open tournaments in 2006. For all
the fans of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice,”
Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., will play
host to an AJGA Open event in July. One of three courses
in the Trump National family, this Tom Fazio design
has quickly become recognized as one of the best facilities
on the planet. In August, Golf Magazine rated the Bedminster
course as No. 48 in the United States and No. 87 in
the world. In August,
the AJGA will host the Golf Pride Junior Classic at
the home of the 2001 U.S. Women’s Open, Pine Needles
Lodge and Golf Club in Pinehurst, N.C. Designed by Donald
Ross, Pine Needles will play host to the Women’s
Open again in 2007. Pine Needles was recently ranked
No. 85 on Golfweek’s America’s Best Top
100 Classic (pre-1960) courses. Another
first-time venue on the AJGA schedule is Twin Orchard
Country Club’s Red Course in Long Grove, Ill.
Home of the Midwest Junior Players Championship, Twin
Orchard opened in 1924 as the “Chicago Golf Club”
and actually changed locations due to the construction
of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The club eventually
settled in Long Grove, was completed and ready for play
in 1951. In mid-July,
the AJGA will make a return visit to Oak Hills Country
Club in San Antonio, Texas, for the Valero Texas Open
Junior Shootout. One of the premier courses in the San
Antonio area, Oak Hills is known for its challenging
design set forth by architect A.W. Tillinghast, who
also designed courses such as Winged Foot and Baltusrol.
The course has been home to 24 PGA TOUR events and is
also the stage for the Champions Tour’s SBC Championship. Ruby Hill
Golf Club will host the Fidelity Investments Junior
Open August 14-17. The Jack Nicklaus-designed course
was home to the 2005 PAC-10 Women’s Golf Championship
as well as various USGA Qualifying Tournaments. Set
on 225 scenic acres, the Pleasanton, Calif., facility
will have plenty of challenges for the tournament field. Another
Nicklaus-designed facility will be visited in mid-August
when the AJGA stops by Superstition Mountain, Ariz.
Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club’s
Prospector Course will be a challenge to those at the
PING Phoenix Junior Championship. Nicklaus’ signature
“risk and reward” design will be evident
with challenges throughout the course. Home of the LPGA
Safeway International, Superstition Mountain is a course
to look forward to in 2006. In June,
the AJGA will head to The Club at Olde Stone in Alvaton,
Ky., for the inaugural Houchens Industries Junior Open.
Nestled in the hills of Western Kentucky, The Club at
Olde Stone is brand new, opening in November of 2005.
The course stretches to 7,400 yards and is sure to provide
a challenge to the tournament field. Offering
beautiful views of California’s Santa Clarita
Valley, the Valley Course at Robinson Ranch Golf Club
will play host to the second annual Hanmi Bank Junior
Open in July. The course, which opened in June of 2000,
features a stretch of six difficult finishing holes
locally known as “Death Row.” A two-course
facility, Robinson Ranch boasts an impressive 25,000
square-foot clubhouse. Part three of a five-part series highlighting the 2006 schedule will feature the new Invitational venues that will be visited this upcoming season. Click here to view the entire 2006 schedule.
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