HOUSING:
AJGA Host Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn New York / Staten Island
Hotel Address: 1100 South Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10314
AJGA Special Rate: $157 Double occupancy ($229 Average rate at this time)
Hotel Tax Rate: 14.75%
Rate Includes: WIFI and airport shuttle (by reservation)
Reservation Method: (718) 477-1600 - Identify yourself as an AJGA Participant
Booking Link: AJGA Reservations - Hilton Garden Inn
Cutoff Date: Wednesday, July 8
Check in Time: 3 p.m.
Check out Time: 12 p.m.
TRANSPORTATION
Airport: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Airport Transportation: Hilton Garden Inn New York / Staten Island (718) 477-1600
Cost: Complimentary to guests of the host hotel. Must make shuttle reservation in advance.
Distance to Host Hotel: 10 miles
Distance to Golf Course: 9.2 miles
AJGA Preferred Rentals: Avis and Budget, the preferred rental car brands of the American Junior Golf Association, provide AJGA members and their families with savings on vehicles for all AJGA event-related and personal travel. To see rates for all events, visit these links:
· Avis
· Budget
FORMAT
The 2020 Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National will be a match play competition. Players in each division will be organized into eight groups, with four players each. Players will compete within their group for the first three rounds and will be guaranteed three matches. Each player will play a match against all players in their group. The winner of each group will advance to an elimination bracket.
Seeding for group play will be determined based on the Rolex AJGA Rankings as of July 28. For further information on how each group will be comprised, please see the Seeding and Bracket document located under 'Quick Links' on the tournament webpage.
At the conclusion of group play, ties within each group to determine who will advance to the quarterfinals will be broken in the following manner:
· Two-way tie: winner of head-to-head match in group play
· Three-way tie: sudden death playoff
· Four-way tie: sudden death playoff
Top-8 players who advance to elimination bracket:
· 1st – win final match
· 2nd – lose final match
· 3rd – win consolation match
· 4th – lose consolation match
· T5th – lose first elimination match
Next 24 players who do not advance to elimination bracket:
· For those who do not win their group, place finish (starting with 9th place) will be determined by the total number of points earned in their 3 group matches based on 1 point for a win, .5 points for a tie, and 0 points for a loss.
· For example, a player with a group play record of 2 wins and 1 loss will have earned 2 points in group play and will have the same tournament place finish as a player with a group play record of 1 win and 2 ties.
TRAVEL/ACCOMMODATIONS STIPEND: The Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National will reimburse costs associated with travel (airfare/gas/mileage), rental car and lodging up to a maximum of $350. To receive reimbursement, fill out the travel stipend form by clicking on the Tournament Forms tab on the left side of the tournament website. You may also bring receipts to the tournament or submit to the AJGA by Friday, October 2, 2020.
PRACTICE FACILITIES: To promote social distancing players will be assigned practice times on the driving range and practice putting green before the round. A player’s time on the driving range will start one hour prior to their tee time and depending on the tournament the player will be allotted up to 30 minutes to warm up on the driving range. An AJGA staff member will be located at the driving range monitoring players and enforcing social distancing. At the end of the player’s driving range time they may then go to the practice putting green and short game area.
CODE OF CONDUCT: The AJGA will not tolerate players or parents who do not adhere to guidelines put in place to promote social distance and player safety. We reserve the right to penalize and/or disqualify players who knowingly and willingly disregard our policies to promote social distance. Players are also responsible for the actions of their family members.
POST ROUND: All players will be required to leave the facility immediately following their round.
OFF-SITE DRIVING RANGE: If players wish to have more time to warm up prior to the round or practice following play the 21 Golf Driving Range is located 19 miles away or La Tourette Golf Course is located 13 miles away.
PRACTICE ROUND AS PART OF ACE GRANT CUP / JUNIOR-AM
Date: Monday, August 3
Time: 7:30 – 10:37 a.m. / 11:08 a.m. – 2:59 p.m. off No. 1 Tee. Please arrive to the tee 10 minutes before your tee time.
Golf Course: Liberty National Golf Club
Signup: AJGA Player Center
Cutoff: Sunday, August 2
All players will play their Practice Round as a part of our morning ACE Grant Cup or afternoon Junior-Am. This is an opportunity to show appreciation to all the sponsors who are supporting the tournament and benefitting charities.
Players signing up for tee times from 7:30 – 10:37 a.m. will be paired with 3 amateurs in our morning ACE Grant Cup. Players signing up for tee times from 11:10 a.m. – 3:01 p.m. will be paired with 2 amateurs in our afternoon Junior-Am. Afternoon pairings will be 1 junior boy and 1 junior girl in each tee time. AJGA reserves the right to adjust pairings to reflect one gender representative in each tee time. If the ACE Grant Cup or Junior-Am are not at full capacity, those tee times will become available for open sign-up.
An AJGA Staff member will be located on the first tee to complete equipment surveys and for tournament announcements.
Practice Round and Tournament Hole Locations are available on the tournament website. The AJGA will not have hard copies of these available.
All players are required to carry their own bag or use a push cart.
All parents and family members are always required to stay on the cart path during the practice round.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Liberty National Golf Club's course and practice facilities are CLOSED to AJGA participants (who are not themselves members of the club) until the start of the tournament on August 3 and players are subject to a LOSS OF HOLE PENALTY for failure to comply with this policy. Do not call or approach Liberty National Golf Club, any club employee or member inquiring about extra practice rounds or accessing the golf course and practice facilities. Liberty National Golf Club is a private club and the membership and staff have been very generous in allowing the AJGA to host the 2020 Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National during our official dates. Attempting to practice, play or see the golf course and practice facilities (or call inquiring about any of these) prior to Monday, August 3, may result in a LOSS OF HOLE PENALTY assessed to the first hole of the first round match of the Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National.
Failure to comply with these rules and Liberty National Golf Club rules and regulations with regards to social distancing may result in the forfeiture of your practice round and potentially disqualification from the tournament.
AJGA CARES FOR THE COURSE : As part of the AJGA’s Code of Conduct policy players are required to fill their divots and ball marks on the golf course. Players will receive a small, lightweight sand bottle at the beginning of each event and should fill the bottles at the sand filling stations on each tee as necessary. The penalty for not following this policy is as follows:
· 1st & 2nd offense – Player receives a verbal warning
· 3rd & subsequent offenses – Player receives a one-stroke penalty
MATCH STATUS: Players will be required to bring a mobile phone or a device that supports the Golf Genius application (available on iOS or Android) to use for live scoring during AJGA events. Instructions on how to download and use the app can be found here . Players will be provided the GGID at the starting tee and will be assigned to record the status of their match after each hole. The player is responsible for providing their own mobile device as well as ensuring that it is fully charged to make it through the round. Players will be required to confirm the result of their match upon conclusion.
PLAYER REGISTRATION: Players are to arrive 10 minutes prior to the start of their allotted one-hour warmup time (i.e. 11:50 a.m. for a 1 p.m. tee time). The AJGA will take precautions to make sure player gifts are sanitized prior to registration.
Date: Monday, August 3
Time: 6:20 – 10 a.m. for ACE Grant Cup juniors and 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. for Junior-Am juniors
Location: Liberty National Golf Club
Players unable to register at this time MUST notify Tournament Director Patrick Plank prior to August 3 at (920) 410-9909.
Registration is MANDATORY. Players who fail to attend without prior approval from the tournament director may forfeit their tournament gifts. Approval to miss the Players Registration will be granted only in extreme circumstances. An individual absent from these events because they are not staying at the host hotel or have a long commute do not constitute acceptable circumstances.
TOURNAMENT TEE TIMES/PAIRINGS
Official First-Round Pairings Available: August 3, 2020
Tee Times:
August 4
7 – 11:16 a.m. off No. 1 (Pool Play Round 1)
Noon – 4:16 p.m. off No. 1 (Pool Play Round 2)
August 5
7 – 11:16 a.m. off No. 1 (Pool Play Round 3)
August 6
7 – 8:03 a.m. off No. 1 (Quarterfinal Matches)
12:15 – 1:24 p.m. off No. 1 (Semifinal Matches)
August 7
7 – 7:27 a.m. (Consolation and Championship Matches)
Elimination Round Pairings Available: Wednesday, August 5
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: AJGA.org
Note: Players assume the entire risk if they call any other number or individual and receive an incorrect starting time.
As inclement weather may delay play, please make your departing flight as late as possible. The AJGA will play until dark if necessary, to complete the tournament.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
HQ Location: Conference Room
TD Name: Patrick Plank
Phone Number: (920) 410-9909
Email: pplank@ajga.org
Note: Players and Parents are asked to call or email the Tournament Director with any questions they may have and avoid visiting the Headquarters onsite.
IMPORTANT COURSE NOTES: All players and guests will need to check in with the security gate attendant located at the entrance of Liberty National Golf Club each day. Golf clubs or push carts cannot be left at the course overnight.
JUNIOR PLUS MEMBER SWING VIDEOS : All Junior Plus Members will have the opportunity to have their swings taped on the driving range for the College Coaches website at any time during the event. Players must contact the Tournament Director to schedule a time to film their swing video.
FLAGSTICK: The flagstick is fixed in the hole and MUST NOT be deliberately removed by any player. If a player removes the flagstick, he or she will incur a one-stroke penalty under the AJGA Code of Conduct Policy.
RANGEFINDERS: The AJGA allows the usage of distance-measuring devices in all AJGA competitions. If, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device to gauge or MEASURE OTHER CONDITIONS that might affect his/her play (e.g., gradient, wind speed, temperature, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 4.3(1).
SPECTATOR GOLF CARTS: Golf carts and spectator carts are not allowed without a Government issued Blue Permanent Handicap placard. Please see the Tournament Director on-site to receive an approved cart.
PUSH CARTS: Push carts (non-motorized) are approved for use by all players as permitted by the host facility. Players are responsible for providing their own push carts.