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The eighth annual Special Olympics National Invitational
Tournament returns to PGA Golf Club for the fourth time
in the history of event, Sept. 14-17, 2007. More than 200
golfers from 26 states will compete in one of five levels
of competition on the award-winning Ryder and Wanamaker courses.
Special Olympics golf offers five levels of play for athletes
with different golf abilities:
- Level I consists of an individual skills contest where
six golf skills are tested.
- Level II is an alternate shot team play where a Special
Olympics athlete is paired with a non-Special Olympics partner
of more advanced skill for a 9-hole competition.
- Level III is Unified Sports' team play pairing Special
Olympics and Unified partners of similar ability for an
18-hole competition.
- Levels IV and V are individual stroke play 9-hole and
18-hole competitions, respectively.
Olympic-style Opening Ceremonies will be held Friday,
Sept. 14, with three competitive golf rounds played Saturday,
Sept. 15, through Monday, Sept. 17. Medal ceremonies for the
golf competition will take place immediately following the
final round on Monday, Sept. 17.
Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization
dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities
to become physically fit, productive and respected members
of society through sports training and competition.
Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and
competition to 2.5 million adults and children with intellectual
disabilities across 165 countries. The Special Olympics Movement
offers one of the world's greatest platforms for acceptance
and inclusion for all people regardless of race, religion,
ethnicity or cultural differences.
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Hole No. 1
Par-4, 441 Yards (Medal)/ 423 Yards (Tournament)/
387 Yards (Standard)
This opening hole is a medium-length par-4, framed by
bunkers both left and right of the generous fairway. The
bunkers on the right were enlarged and deepened, creating
a challenging recovery. The green, which slopes from back-to-front,
was lowered approximately three feet to receive approach
shots much more consistently. |
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Hole No. 2
Par-4, 413 Yards (Medal)/ 396 Yards (Tournament)/ 374
Yards (Standard)
This dogleg right par-4 is protected on the right side
by a large bunker in the landing zone. Players must hit
their tee shots down the left side to leave the best approach
to the green, which was shifted slightly to the right.
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Hole No. 3
Par-4, 399 Yards (Medal)/ 378 Yards (Tournament)/ 360
Yards (Standard)
One of the most distinctive changes players will see on
the Ryder Course begins with a tee shot framed by a massive
bunker stretching the entire length of the right-side
landing area. Tom Fazio’s artistry can be seen in
the "fingers" and "noses" running
into this hazard, as well as the deep-faced bunkers on
the left of the fairway. |
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Hole No. 4
Par-5, 512 Yards (Medal)/ 474 Yards (Tournament)/
445 Yards (Standard)
This dogleg right par-5 plays around a huge pond to one
of the largest greens on the course. Long hitters may
choose to bite off much of the corner, but must carry
a series of bunkers and contend with a fairway sloping
away from their tee shots. An elevated landing area will
give players an opportunity to go for the green in two,
but approaches must avoid a middle-left greenside bunker
tucked into the "gut" of the green. |
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Hole No. 5
Par-3, 169 Yards (Medal)/ 154 Yards (Tournament)/
141 Yards (Standard)
The first par-3 is the shortest hole on the course and
provides an excellent opportunity for birdie. The green
site was moved slightly to the right; the left greenside
bunker was cut in half and moved closer to the putting
surface; and the pitch of the surface was softened The
approach was lowered significantly. |
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Hole No. 6
Par-5, 543 Yards (Medal)/ 528 Yards (Tournament)/ 506
Yards (Standard)
A long par-5 with an uphill tee shot that must carry to
the top and left side of the landing area, in order to
provide an open view of the lay-up area and green site.
The fairway bunkers on the right will catch any loose
drives, leaving players little option but to pitch out
with a wedge or short iron. A left-side fairway bunker
was shrunk considerably and should not pose much difficultly.
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Hole No. 7
Par-3, 239 Yards (Medal)/ 206 Yards (Tournament)/
195 Yards (Standard)
This long, difficult par-3’s green was moved closer
to the pond and lowered slightly. The putting surface
is smaller and pitched from back-right-to front-left,
creating a very difficult back-right hole location from
the back tees, as players must avoid the water and a
bunker running down the right-side slope.
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Hole No. 8
Par-4, 391 Yards (Medal)/ 365 Yards (Tournament)/ 348
Yards (Standard)
This mid-length par-4 dogleg left is now much kinder off
the tee. Native vegetation was removed on the right side,
opening the view to a long bunker, which is smaller and
re-contoured. The left-side fairway bunker is smaller,
yet still must be avoided off the tee. Tee shots positioned
down the right side leave an open view to a green, which
has been moved back 30 yards. |
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Hole No. 9
Par-4, 438 Yards (Medal)/ 419 Yards (Tournament)/
403 Yards (Standard)
This difficult uphill par-4 plays into the prevailing
wind. The hole may appear very similar to players off
the tee, but new coquina- and landscaped-bunkers will
provide a challenge off the tee for balls leaking right.
The green was lowered significantly, and the ridges on
the left side were softened to allow players who miss
approach shots a chance to see the putting surface. |
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Hole No. 10
Par-4, 352 Yards (Medal)/ 345 Yards (Tournament)/ 321
Yards (Standard)
This is a short, yet challenging uphill par-4, with one
of the largest and deepest bunkers on the course, which
also guards the right side of the landing area. Players
will face a short-iron second shot to an elevated green
that runs diagonally from the line of play. The green
was lowered considerably to allow players to see more
of the putting surface, but it remains one of the quickest
greens on the course. |
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Hole No. 11
Par-4, 399 Yards (Medal)/ 382 Yards (Tournament)/
334 Yards (Standard)
This dogleg right par-4 plays over a series of bunkers
lining the right side of the fairway. These bunkers are
some of the most dramatic on the course, with long noses
running down into them from the contoured fairway. A drive
hit down the left-center of the hole will leave players
with the best view of the green, which is guarded by bunkers
on the left-front and middle-right, as well as a pond
on the left side. |
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Hole No. 12
Par-3, 184 Yards (Medal)/ 173 Yards (Tournament)/
155 Yards (Standard)
A long, slightly downhill, par-3 played over a pond, which
can deceive players off the tee. The four bunkers surrounding
the putting surface were restored and enlarged slightly.
As a result, the back bunker deceptively appears closer
to the green than it actually is. |
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Hole No. 13
Par-5, 537 Yards (Medal) / 517 Yards (Tournament)/ 505
Yards (Standard)
This par-5 will take on a new look, as the bunkers down
the left side off the tee were all re-shaped, with one
bunker eliminated entirely. A generous fairway awaits
players and provides an opportunity to allow long hitters
to consider chasing a fairway wood up near the green. |
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Hole No. 14
Par-4, 381 Yards (Medal) / 364 Yards (Tournament)/ 346
Yards (Standard)
This short, dogleg left par-4 can also yield birdies,
if players can find the right side of the fairway off
the tee, which will open up the proper angle to the green.
New bunkers guard both the right side of the landing and
the left-middle. |
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Hole No. 15
Par-4, 450 Yards (Medal) / 423 Yards (Tournament)/
388 Yards (Standard)
One of the most-challenging holes on the course, the 15th
Hole features bunkers that guard the left side of the
fairway, which calls for a tee shot down the right and
brings the native foliage into play off the tee. A large
knob on the front-left of the green was removed, and bunkers
on the left were moved closer to the surface -- creating
a more challenging carry to a back-left hole location. |
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Hole No. 16
Par-3, 216 Yards (Medal)/ 194 Yards (Tournament)/ 178
Yards (Standard)
This is a beautiful and challenging downhill par-3 to
a peninsula green fronted by a bunker. The green was completely
re-shaped, with all of the existing contours softened,
including a large ridge in the right-center. |
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Hole No. 17
Par-5, 557 Yards (Medal)/ 535 Yards (Tournament)/ 514
Yards (Standard)
This long par-5 plays slightly uphill off the tee, and
players must avoid a large bunker on the right to prevent
lengthening the hole. A series of deceptive bunkers juts
into the middle-right of the fairway, creating a challenge
for those choosing to lay up. One bunker near the right
of the green was eliminated, and the green was shifted
clockwise to accept approach shots from the 100- to 130-yard
area. |
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Hole No. 18
Par-4, 435 Yards (Medal)/ 412 Yards (Tournament)/ 395
Yards (Standard)
The finishing hole is quite a challenging par-4, with
an uphill tee shot and downhill approach. The deep bunkers
lining the fairway on the right must be avoided, but balls
hit too far left off the tee will flirt with the rough
cutting in on the left. From the elevated fairway, players
will enjoy a relatively friendly putting surface, slightly
perched and surrounded by five bunkers. |
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