The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
VVS team holds marathon on the links
VVS foursome to golf from dawn ‘til dusk in support of Oneida Community Golf Club
How many holes have you golfed in one day?
Four golfers fromthe Vernon-Verona-Sherrill School District plan to answer that question on Friday, June 22 at the Oneida Community Golf Club.
VVS freshman Caleb Decker will join juniors Andrew Fox, Phoenix-Weydig, and Shaun Williams for a first-of-its-kind golf challenge at the OCGC: marathon golf.
On the Friday before graduation, also the second longest day of the year, Fox, Weydig, Williams, and Decker will tee off at sunrise 5:23 a.m. and will not stop until sunset at 8:46 p.m.
The goal? Complete as many holes as possible in the given time.
Williams set the target at 100 holes; Fox, Decker and Weydig believe 50 holes is a worthy target.
“We usually play pretty fast,” Decker said.
None of the four high school- ers f linched at the proposed start time.
“At the latest, 6 a.m.,” Weydig said of the tee-off time.
As much as the four golfers are excited about the unique challenge, the main goal is to raise funds for course improvements at the OCGC.
Each year, it is tradition for
the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill boys and girls golf teams to assist the Oneida Community Golf Club in cleaning the fairways of debris to get the course ready for spring play. The volunteer work at the course is a token of gratitude and appreciation for the OCGC allowing generations of Red Devil golfers to practice and play for free.
Because the boys were unable to attend the annual cleanup day for various reasons, they had to come up with something different.
“This is a way to give back to the course,” Weydig said.
Added Fox, “Without the OCGC we wouldn’t have a home course. We’re feeling good about helping”
Potential sponsors can approach marathon golf in one of two ways. They can donate a flat fee for the sunrise-to-sundown outing, or they can donate a per-holefee for more incentive.
Williams says his sponsor sheet is full of names and local golfers andmembers at the OCGC have been very supportive when learning about the marathon golf outing.
“It’s for a good cause,” Williams said, adding that many of his sponsors have elected to go with the perhole-fee style. “I filled my whole paper.”
Fox hashad similar reactions from sponsors.
“They are all about it,” he said.
OCGC PGA golf pro Ruth Weydig, whose career also began at OCGC as a youngster and local student, has also noted the interest of club members as the event nears.
“Members are just as excited as the kids playing,” she said, adding that the most frequent question she has heard of late has been: “How can I sponsor?”
Interested sponsors can contact the OCGC at 315361-6111 to make a donation or a per-hole pledge.
For Ruth Weydig, youth player development is critical to the sport’s future.
“If it wasn’t for these kids and the club allowing the kids to learn a lifelong sport, I wouldn’t be here,” the 29-year PGA pro said. “We’re always looking for ways to bring youth in.”
Friday’s marathon golf spectacle may encourage other youngsters to pick up a set of clubs and investigate the sport, something Ruth Weydig would be happy to see.
“You never know how [the golf bug] strikes,” she said. “[The boys} were once little golfers. This is where they all grew up playing.”
Now, the little golfers turned high school athletes are ready to put their skills and endurance to the test for a course close to their hearts.
Spectators are encouraged and other golfers looking to squeeze in nine or 18 will be welcome as well. The boys will divide up into twosomes for their marathon outing and will rotate so each golfer spends time with one of his teammates.
In keeping spirit with the competition, golf carts will not be used unless temperatures soar and necessitates carts for safety.
Two of the major concerns heading into play on Friday are food and drink. Fortunately, the staff at the LakeviewRestaurant at the OCGC, including executive chef Matt Barone andmanager Omar Ruiz, will take care of keeping the marathoners well-hydrated and well-fed.
“I think it’s a good cause,” Ruiz said. “They’re trying to help out the golf club.”