HOUSING:
AJGA Host Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn New York / Staten Island
Hotel Address: 1100 South Ave, Staten Island, NY 10314
AJGA Special Rate: $157 plus $3.50 NYC Tourism Fee – Double Occupancy ($188 Average rate at this time)
Hotel Tax Rate: 14.75%
Rate Includes: WiFi and complimentary parking
Reservation Method: (718) 477-2400 - Identify yourself as an AJGA Participant
Booking link: http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/E/EWRSIGI-OAJGF-20210623/index.jhtml
Cutoff Date: Friday, June 11, 2021
Check in Time: 3 p.m.
Check out Time: 12 p.m.
TRANSPORTATION
Airport: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
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
Tolls: There are several tolls along the various routes to Liberty National Golf Club, as well as to the Host Hotel. If your family will be renting a car for the week, I would encourage you to inquire about an EZ Pass from your rental agency. All tolls accept EZ pass, but they do not all accept cash. If you do not have cash, they will bill your vehicle. The toll from the golf course to the host hotel is $15, billed by mail, without an EZ Pass on the Bayonne Bridge.
FORMAT
The 2021 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 June 22. For further information on how each group will be comprised, please see the Seeding and Bracket document located under Quick Links.
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
This tournament will NOT be included in the WAGR™ ranking.
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 located in the Quick Links on the tournament webpage. You may also bring receipts to the tournament or submit to the AJGA by Friday, August 6, 2021.
COURSE ROUTING: The Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National will be utilizing an alternate routing than that of the traditional course routing. Hole 5 on the course scorecard will serve as Hole 1 for this tournament. The course routing will continue in order from there.
POST ROUND: Limited practice will be permitted at the host facility. All players will have 60 minutes starting immediately when the player leaves the scoring area. Players must spend the first 30 minutes on the driving range and the following 30 minutes on the practice putting green or short game area. An AJGA staff member or volunteer will be monitoring the practice facilities and expect all players and approved spectators to appropriately social distance. Failure to abide by the outlined practice facility schedule or failure to properly social distance may result in forfeiture of additional practice time.
DRIVING RANGE AVAILABILITY:
Dates: June 28 – July 2
Times:
Monday, June 28: 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29: 6 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30: 6 - 10:40 a.m. / 11:15 a.m. - 12:12 p.m.
Thursday, July 1: 6 - 7:33 a.m.
Friday, July 2: 6 - 7 a.m.
The driving range will close following the last tee time.
Balls: Complimentary courtesy of TaylorMade
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.
PRACTICE ROUND
All practice rounds will take place as part of the either the morning ACE Grant Cup or the afternoon Junior-Am Fundraiser. In order to accommodate all player schedules as best as possible, please send Tournament Director Patrick Plank (pplank@ajga.org
) an email with your preferred practice round tee time of either morning or afternoon. All requests will be considered, but please note there are limited spots available for the morning. All players will be notified of their tee time on Friday, June 25 via email.
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 June 28 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 2021 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, June 28, 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.
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
SCORECARDS: 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 their official scorecard and 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 mark for another player in the group. 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.
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, June 28
Time: 6:30 - 8:40 a.m. - ACE Grant Cup junior participants
11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. – Junior-Am junior participants
Location: Liberty National Golf Club
Room: Liberty National Clubhouse Atrium
Players unable to register at this time MUST notify Tournament Director Patrick Plank prior to June 28 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 registration 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: June 28, 2021
Tee Times:
June 29
7 – 11:10 a.m. off No. 1 (Pool Play Round 1)
11:50 a.m. – 4 p.m. off No. 1 (Pool Play Round 2)
June 30
7 – 11:10 a.m. off No. 1 (Pool Play Round 3)
12 - 3:40 p.m. off No. 1 (Pool Play Tie Breaker)
July 1
7 – 8:03 a.m. off No. 1 (Quarterfinal Matches)
12:15 – 12:42 p.m. off No. 1 (Semifinal Matches)
July 2
7 – 7:27 a.m. (Consolation and Championship Matches)
Quarterfinal Pairings Available: June 30, 2021
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.
TOURNAMENT MEALS
All meals throughout the tournament week will be provided complimentary, courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren.
Breakfast will be provided June 29 – July 2.
Lunch will be provided June 28 – July 2.
Dinner will be provided June 28 - 29 and July 1.
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.
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 see the Tournament Director to schedule a time to film their swing video. If you are unsure of your membership status, a list is available in tournament headquarters.
OFFICIAL YARDAGE BOOK AND GREENS GUIDE – StrackaLine
StrackaLine provides a 25% discount on yardage books and greens guides to participants of the Polo Golf Junior Classic at Liberty National. The discount can be accessed online here
.
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.