Liberty Station will be celebrating its first anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. with a nighttime golf tournament at the venerable Sail Ho Golf Course.
“The event is meant to be for the community and we wanted to do something unique in a fun atmosphere,” said Greg Block, community manager of McMillin Cos. and Liberty Station.
The tournament will include a nine-hole competition with “Modified Chapman” game-style rules, which allow each participant to drive, then switch and hit his/her partner’s second shot, then select the best shot and alternate to the hole. The players will hit golf balls with lights inside them with glowing golf sticks against the backdrop of the downtown San Diego skyline.
“The sticks are the same things that the kids carry around on Halloween,” said Block. “It has a chemical in it that lights up the golf sticks,” Block said.
The glowing sticks and golf balls are being used because the course does not have lights.
The cost for the tournament is $40, which includes nine holes, a glow stick, a glow ball, two drink tickets and a barbecue buffet prior to the tournament.
There are 60 reserved spots for the tournament.
Sail Ho is currently listed as a national historic site in the former National Training Center’s historic district. The course was closed for two years while it underwent improvements and renovations, reopening Sept. 30, 2006. The improvements made to the course include new fairways, greens, practice facilities, a new clubhouse with a pro shop, the Sail Ho Bar and Grill and administrative offices.
“We also had to replace the irrigation system that had been used since the 1940s and re-align some of the holes but we tried to keep the course in its original form as much as possible,” Block said.
The course was actually the original San Diego Country Club built by A.G. Spalding of Spalding Sports back in the 1920s. The Navy took over the facility and used it for physical fitness and training. Golf great Sam Snead was the Head Golf Professional at Sail Ho during his time in the Navy. In addition to Snead, current golf pros Craig Stadler and Phil Mickelson played in junior tournaments there.
Participants are encouraged to call (619) 222-4653 for more information or to register. Sail Ho Golf Course is a nine-hole par three course that opens daily at 6:30 a.m. Course fees are $10 to $15.