Back-to-Back championships

The Concession Golf Club hits two holes-in-one with the NCAA Division 1 golf championships.

By Kurt Schultheis
| 2:30 p.m. March 18, 2015

Courtesy photo The Concession, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course designed in partnership with Tony Jacklin, was founded and opened in 2006 on 520 acres at 770 Lindrick Lane, bordering Manatee and Sarasota counties. The courseâ€™s name commemorates the gestur

East County
News

The Concession Golf Club is making history.

The club has been selected as the site of the 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 Men’s and Women’s golf championships. It’s also the first time both tournaments will be played back-to-back on the same course, with the tournaments held on consecutive weeks.

“It’s also the first time in history that the women’s tournament will be televised,” said Terry Kennelly, general manager of The Concession.

The Golf Channel, in conjunction with NBC Sports, will air live broadcasts during the final three days of each tournament, held in May.

“Showcasing our course on television two weeks in a row is huge,” Kennelly said. “The impact will be huge for the club. We’re looking at 120 hours of television time reaching 80 million homes.”

The University of South Florida, whose golf team is ranked eighth in the county by GolfWeek, was named the host school for the tournaments. The tournaments feature the country’s top collegiate teams and golfers.

The Women’s NCAA Championship will be played May 22 through May 27, followed by the Men’s Championship May 29 through June 3. Stroke and match play for men and women, respectively, will culminate with both individual and team champions.

Tournament Trifecta

The Concession Golf Club isn’t the only local golf course attracting tournaments to East County. In January, The Palm-Aire Country Club announced it will host the ISPS Handa Cup, which gathers LPGA legends from around the world, Nov. 12 through Nov. 14. Although the economic impact of the event has not yet been determined, with 76 golf courses in Manatee and Sarasota counties, there will be large-scale interest in the event, according to club officials. “We believe we have something that will be able to bring people together,” said Ed Kornberger, Palm-Aire Country Club board president. The two teams will consist of 12 American-born players against 12 international-born players in a format similar to the Ryder Cup. With the event taking place in November, Palm-Aire is still ironing out details of sponsors, volunteer opportunities and the overall impact the Handa Cup will have on the area. Kornberger, though, said both Manatee and Sarasota County officials worked to help attract the championship to East County. “The number of hotel rooms used, the visitors and the impact to both counties is going to be huge,” Kornberger said.

Teams haven’t been announced for either tournament. Kennelly hopes Florida players are selected to the team, which he believes will draw more people to the event.

“We’re having weekly conference calls with the NCAA,” Kennelly said.

Golf Channel and NBC Sports officials visited The Concession last week to map out a game plan for erecting 250-foot-tall television camera towers on the 18th hole near the clubhouse and other course locations.

Kennelly expects at least 1,500 spectators a day.

It may be a big undertaking for the club, but The Concession is no stranger to tournaments. The club hosted the men’s Callaway Collegiate Match Play in 2012 and the men’s Big 10 Match Play Championships from 2012 through 2014.

“We are honored to host both championships, and we look forward to welcoming the nation’s top collegiate teams and golfers,” said Concession General Manager Bruce Cassidy Jr.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].