Post by Moon Seeker on Sept 26, 2008 13:35:02 GMT -5
Native Americans build golf mecca in upstate New York
VERONA, N.Y. -- Growing up as a Native American in upstate New York, Ray Halbritter always thought golf was out of reach.
"Golf to us was something that wealthy people did," he said. "We couldn't afford golf balls. We would look in the woods for golf balls. To this day, I like finding golf balls."
Today, the 58-year-old Halbritter no longer has to search for golf balls. The chief executive officer of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York has coupled his business savvy and love of golf to develop Turning Stone Casino and Resort into one of the nation's top golf meccas.
Turning Stone, nestled in the Mohawk Valley region of central New York about 35 miles east of Syracuse, opened as a casino in 1993, but Halbritter had a vision that dovetailed with golf. The resort now boasts three courses rated among the top 10 in the state: the Shenendoah and Kaluhyat layouts, designed by Rick Smith and Robert Trent Jones Jr., respectively, and Atunyote, the crown jewel that opened four years ago.
"The goal was to diversify. It's what basic resorts do," Halbritter said. "We looked to the long term. We're taught in our culture to look to seven generations in the future. So as we looked with a longer view, there are golf courses over 100 years old in this country and still doing well. It was wonderful to be able to build it, but it wasn't solely because I enjoy the game."
Halbritter has achieved another goal, one that's more significant in his eyes and that he hopes will serve Native Americans. Atunyote (uh-DUNE'-yote) now hosts the Turning Stone Resort Championship. The Oct. 2-5 tournament is part of the PGA Tour's Fall Series and is the only PGA Tour event ever held on Native American land.
"It's good that the world, because of the incredible viewership that is exposed to this tournament worldwide and because of the international interest in this sport, is getting a different perspective of American Indian people," Halbritter said. "We're not just viewed through the inaccurate portrayals by the entertainment industry or the way the media often portrays us on issues of controversy. Often, it's generally negative, a controversy or a crime, not good news.
"That's what is so beautiful about this. People are now witnessing a story about American Indians doing something positive," said Halbritter, who takes pride in the more than $240,000 raised for charity at last year's inaugural PGA event and the more than $180,000 raised in August at a skins game at Atunyote for the Notah Begay III Foundation to benefit Native American youth.
The latter featured Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, Stewart Cink and Camilo Villegas, all of whom anticipated returning at some point to play the Turning Stone Resort Championship, and would have included Tiger Woods if he hadn't been injured.
Securing a slot on the PGA Tour was a goal from the outset, and fate allowed it to become a reality more quickly than anyone could have imagined.
The 2006 PGA Professional National Championship, with a field of 312 club pros, was staged at Shenendoah and Atunyote to rave reviews. Less than two weeks later, Atunyote was picked to host the final B.C. Open after flooding inundated the tournament's venue, En-Joie Golf Club.
Despite the short time to get the course ready, Atunyote withstood a torrent of rain that forced two delays in the third round and was widely praised by tour regulars for its condition.
"It came about so quickly, but it was very significant," Halbritter said. "They could see how not only the course held up, but also how our staff held up with an event like that. It gave them and us both the confidence we could do it in a very successful way that would make everyone pleased and confident. It was very important for us to test ourselves, but also to make sure, 'Is this what we want?' You have to be careful what you wish for. You might get it."
Turning Stone did. Only six weeks later the resort was selected to host an event in 2007 on the PGA's new fall schedule in a contract that runs through 2012.
The Turning Stone Resort Championship has a purse of $6 million, the largest in the Fall Series, and the winner receives a sterling silver trophy steeped in history. It depicts Oneida Chief Shenendoah, an Oneida woman named Polly Cooper who helped the Americans at Valley Forge, and Gen. George Washington standing together beneath a white pine tree with an eagle perched at its top. The trophy is a replica of a much larger statue created by Utah sculptor Edward Hlvavka that's on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian.
The statue symbolizes the alliance formed between the Oneidas and the 13 colonies during the early stages of the Revolutionary War. "We helped them in a critical time," Halbritter said. "We knew Washington and he knew us."
Halbritter dreams of even grander moments, such as a major or a spot in the Fedex Cup playoffs. "They (PGA officials) said it was possible, eventually," he said.
And Atunyote, the Oneida word for eagle, certainly is worthy. With a budget of more than $20 million (including the clubhouse), it was fashioned from a ridge of uncultivated farmland framed by vistas of distant rolling hills. The 7,315-yard parkland course features huge stretches of open space, a man-made stream and waterfall, and a 13-acre lake that runs along three fairways, including the finishing hole. More than 2,000 trees were planted and several other towering trees were moved to the course from other sites.
That Tom Fazio was chosen as architect was not by chance -- he was responsible for a recent facelift at Augusta National, home to the Masters.
"When we talked to Tom, he said that he would like to make this the Augusta of the North," Halbritter said. "And we liked that. We liked the sound of it. We liked the quality of it. We liked the history and the legacy of it."
Atunyote features many similarities with the famed Georgia course, from the wildflowers that grace many of its pathways, to the crushed marble sand used in the bunkers at Augusta, to the never-ending desire to provide perfect conditions.
"I love the golf course, the layout, the resort, everything about it," said inaugural Turning Stone champion Steve Flesch, who is returning to defend his title.
"The feedback we've been getting is just phenomenal," Halbritter added. "We're trying to develop the best resort that we can. Quality is key to our future."
It's one that probably doesn't include young Native Americans in upstate New York roaming the woods looking for golf balls.
www.sportsline.com/golf/story/10995262
VERONA, N.Y. -- Growing up as a Native American in upstate New York, Ray Halbritter always thought golf was out of reach.
"Golf to us was something that wealthy people did," he said. "We couldn't afford golf balls. We would look in the woods for golf balls. To this day, I like finding golf balls."
Today, the 58-year-old Halbritter no longer has to search for golf balls. The chief executive officer of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York has coupled his business savvy and love of golf to develop Turning Stone Casino and Resort into one of the nation's top golf meccas.
Turning Stone, nestled in the Mohawk Valley region of central New York about 35 miles east of Syracuse, opened as a casino in 1993, but Halbritter had a vision that dovetailed with golf. The resort now boasts three courses rated among the top 10 in the state: the Shenendoah and Kaluhyat layouts, designed by Rick Smith and Robert Trent Jones Jr., respectively, and Atunyote, the crown jewel that opened four years ago.
"The goal was to diversify. It's what basic resorts do," Halbritter said. "We looked to the long term. We're taught in our culture to look to seven generations in the future. So as we looked with a longer view, there are golf courses over 100 years old in this country and still doing well. It was wonderful to be able to build it, but it wasn't solely because I enjoy the game."
Halbritter has achieved another goal, one that's more significant in his eyes and that he hopes will serve Native Americans. Atunyote (uh-DUNE'-yote) now hosts the Turning Stone Resort Championship. The Oct. 2-5 tournament is part of the PGA Tour's Fall Series and is the only PGA Tour event ever held on Native American land.
"It's good that the world, because of the incredible viewership that is exposed to this tournament worldwide and because of the international interest in this sport, is getting a different perspective of American Indian people," Halbritter said. "We're not just viewed through the inaccurate portrayals by the entertainment industry or the way the media often portrays us on issues of controversy. Often, it's generally negative, a controversy or a crime, not good news.
"That's what is so beautiful about this. People are now witnessing a story about American Indians doing something positive," said Halbritter, who takes pride in the more than $240,000 raised for charity at last year's inaugural PGA event and the more than $180,000 raised in August at a skins game at Atunyote for the Notah Begay III Foundation to benefit Native American youth.
The latter featured Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, Stewart Cink and Camilo Villegas, all of whom anticipated returning at some point to play the Turning Stone Resort Championship, and would have included Tiger Woods if he hadn't been injured.
Securing a slot on the PGA Tour was a goal from the outset, and fate allowed it to become a reality more quickly than anyone could have imagined.
The 2006 PGA Professional National Championship, with a field of 312 club pros, was staged at Shenendoah and Atunyote to rave reviews. Less than two weeks later, Atunyote was picked to host the final B.C. Open after flooding inundated the tournament's venue, En-Joie Golf Club.
Despite the short time to get the course ready, Atunyote withstood a torrent of rain that forced two delays in the third round and was widely praised by tour regulars for its condition.
"It came about so quickly, but it was very significant," Halbritter said. "They could see how not only the course held up, but also how our staff held up with an event like that. It gave them and us both the confidence we could do it in a very successful way that would make everyone pleased and confident. It was very important for us to test ourselves, but also to make sure, 'Is this what we want?' You have to be careful what you wish for. You might get it."
Turning Stone did. Only six weeks later the resort was selected to host an event in 2007 on the PGA's new fall schedule in a contract that runs through 2012.
The Turning Stone Resort Championship has a purse of $6 million, the largest in the Fall Series, and the winner receives a sterling silver trophy steeped in history. It depicts Oneida Chief Shenendoah, an Oneida woman named Polly Cooper who helped the Americans at Valley Forge, and Gen. George Washington standing together beneath a white pine tree with an eagle perched at its top. The trophy is a replica of a much larger statue created by Utah sculptor Edward Hlvavka that's on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian.
The statue symbolizes the alliance formed between the Oneidas and the 13 colonies during the early stages of the Revolutionary War. "We helped them in a critical time," Halbritter said. "We knew Washington and he knew us."
Halbritter dreams of even grander moments, such as a major or a spot in the Fedex Cup playoffs. "They (PGA officials) said it was possible, eventually," he said.
And Atunyote, the Oneida word for eagle, certainly is worthy. With a budget of more than $20 million (including the clubhouse), it was fashioned from a ridge of uncultivated farmland framed by vistas of distant rolling hills. The 7,315-yard parkland course features huge stretches of open space, a man-made stream and waterfall, and a 13-acre lake that runs along three fairways, including the finishing hole. More than 2,000 trees were planted and several other towering trees were moved to the course from other sites.
That Tom Fazio was chosen as architect was not by chance -- he was responsible for a recent facelift at Augusta National, home to the Masters.
"When we talked to Tom, he said that he would like to make this the Augusta of the North," Halbritter said. "And we liked that. We liked the sound of it. We liked the quality of it. We liked the history and the legacy of it."
Atunyote features many similarities with the famed Georgia course, from the wildflowers that grace many of its pathways, to the crushed marble sand used in the bunkers at Augusta, to the never-ending desire to provide perfect conditions.
"I love the golf course, the layout, the resort, everything about it," said inaugural Turning Stone champion Steve Flesch, who is returning to defend his title.
"The feedback we've been getting is just phenomenal," Halbritter added. "We're trying to develop the best resort that we can. Quality is key to our future."
It's one that probably doesn't include young Native Americans in upstate New York roaming the woods looking for golf balls.
www.sportsline.com/golf/story/10995262