Galloway National Golf Club Ready to Host Pro-Am

Already ranked among the top 27 golf courses in the country, is set to host a pro-am as part of ShopRite LPGA Classic Week.

It is one of three sites that will host a pro-am this year, along with Atlantic City Country Club and the Seaview, which will host the showcase tournament of the week, the 54-hole $1.5 million ShopRite LPGA Classic this weekend.

Galloway National will host its pro-am on Thursday.

“We hosted it last year,” for the first time, said Mike Killian, director of golf at Galloway National. “We loved having them.”

Last year, Alexis Thompson was among those who competed at Galloway National. She was competing as a pro for the first time at last year’s ShopRite LPGA Classic.

The club won’t know who will be competing in this year’s pro-am until today, but whoever it is, it looks forward to having them.

“The players last year reacted positively to the course,” said Killian, who said words such as, “spectacular, outrageous and incredible,” were thrown about when describing the course.

“They said we should host a Women’s U.S. Open,” said Killian, who added the course could never host a U.S. Open because of the logistics involved.

“We’ve hosted NCAA championships, and we’re going to have a USGA National event next year,” Killian said. “We’ve hosted numerous state championships, so the course has received plenty of attention.

“It’s not a hard driving course. It’s receptive to tee shots. It’s all about control. It’s a true championship course.”

He added it’s difficult, but not unfairly so, and it’s always being improved.

“It’s an ongoing process. It’s like helping a child to mature,” Killian said of the course, which was “born” in May 1995. “You need to do a little of this and a little of that to help it keep growing.”

Killian said the club feels honored to be involved in the LPGA’s return to the area. He said it was an unfortunate situation that led the LPGA to leave the area for three years, and said it left a “black eye” on the Atlantic City area, which is noted for its golf.

“The LPGA left for three years, but Tim Erensen and his staff were able to get it back,” Killian said. “They’ve done a wonderful job and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”

He said the club won’t do anything outside of what it usually does in preparing the course, but there is some extra care being put into the details of what is being done.

“It is really peaking for (this) week,” Killian said. “We’re doing all the normal things.”

The club is excited about the prospect of several new members being turned on because of this event. A pro-am pairs professional and amateur golfers, and the club is hoping all the amateurs involved love the course enough to join the club.

Although it is a private club of about 200 members, Killian said the application and acceptance process is not a difficult one.

“We’ll have 240 players here that are not members, but are prospective members,” Killion said. “ … Most importantly, we want to help make this a wonderful event.”