Brookline Country Club to Host 2013 U.S. Amateur Golf Tournament in August

Brookline Country Club’s General Manager, David Chag, spoke before the Board of Selectmen last Tuesday to update the town officials on the U.S. Amateur Golf Tournament.

The tournament will run from August 12 to August 18.

“This is the premiere amateur event for the U.S. Golf Association,” Chag said. “It involves 312 players. Last year, 6,500 people tried out for the positions.”

Chag said that last year’s tournament in Denver represented 18 countries worldwide. Chag said that the golf world is getting excited about this event and that one of the national publications rated this tournament as one of the top ten golfing events of 2013.

“We are very excited about this,” Chag said. “The players will stay at the Park Plaza Hotel in downtown Boston. We needed a large hotel for the number of USGA members and players in attendance.”

“We have been very fortunate to be able to work with (Brookline Police) Chief O’Leary and many others in transportation and organizing parking at the club and at Boston College.”

This tournament will be held at both Brookline Country Club and the Charles River Club in Newton due to the large number of participants. Chag said in the first few days, there are more players and volunteers than spectators on the first two days, but it reverses it self towards the end of the tournament.

Given the sports climate in the Boston area, Chag anticipates three or four thousand people each day. Chag said that the majority of the parking will be housed at Boston College and shuttles will run from their campus to the Clubs.

Chag said that the Club will be hosting several events including concerts, a movie night with a screening of “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” and an indoor putting contest hosted by the library.

“We really appreciate all the help we have received from members of the town in organizing this event,” Chag said. “This is the first time since 1982 since we hosted the Amateur, and it is unlike any other tournament we host.”

“It is amazing how many moving parts there are to an event like this,” Selectmen Ken Goldstein said. Goldstein asked Chag if he was able to gauge how many people would be participating and if there could be more than anticipated. Chag said that they should be prepared for parking, transportation and medical needs of the crowd.

Brookline Booksmith will be hosting a book signing with Mark Frost, author of “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” which will be coordinated in the near future.