- April 22, 2024
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Photos of the sunrise over the beach are being shared in Italy, and probably several other countries.
Ludovica Farina, of Italy, is competing in the Sally golf tournament and said she runs to the beach each morning.
“I’ve been posting the shots on social media so they can see can see it back home,” she said. “It’s really nice. I saw someone meditating there the other day.”
Her new friend, Inci Mehmet, from London, also loosens up before the tournament each morning with a run on the beach.’
“It’s amazing,” she said. “Such a great sunrise.”
The Sally, Women’s South Atlantic Amateur Championship, has been showing off the beauty of the area since 1926, when it was reportedly started by the Ormond Hotel to boost tourism. The Ormond Beach tradition is still going strong, now being run by the host course, Oceanside Country Club on North Halifax Drive.
This year, there are about 100 women from all over the world competing in the Jan. 13-16 event, and club president and Sally Chairman Chuck Grant said that’s the most in several years.
Country Club members volunteer to handle the duties of the event, including starting, marshaling, scoring and providing housing for some of the contestants. There are about 50 members busy with this year’s event.
Residents provide housing for golfers
Fifteen of the golfers are being provided with housing this year, and four are staying with Bill and Carol Chapin, who have a house on the course.
“It’s always interesting,” said Bill Chapin, a local architect. His guests are all bilingual and the chatting is constant when they get together, he said.
“The best thing is how the members treat us.”
Juan Ocano, father of a golfer at the Sally
“It’s interesting to see girls who are so driven to play golf, but are just normal kids,” he said.
The Chapins have been hosting for 10 years, and his wife Carol, also enjoys it.
“It’s great fun,” she said. “I’ve met some interesting people.”
Juan Ocano, father of golfer Mariana Ocano, said they were here last year and wanted to come back because the members were so welcoming.
“The best thing is how the members treat us,” he said. “We go on tournaments and no place treats us like this place.”
The course itself also got good reviews from the golfers.
“The golf course is amazing,” Mariana Ocano said. “The greens are rolling perfectly.”
But Farina, the golfer from Italy, said the greens were also fast, and it was necessary to hit in the middle because the pins were in tough positions that day.
Many golfers go to the pro level
Talking to the golfers shows that the Sally is a well-respected event.
Amanda Smith, from Ohio, currently works as a golf coach at Indiana State University, and said she entered the tournament because she wants to inspire her students to see how far they can go in the game.
“The Sally is a great way to get your name out there and shine,” she said.
Chuck Grant, chairman of the event, agrees it is a place for an amateur to get noticed. He points out that the past five winners have gone on to the LPGA. In addition, there are college coaches who watch the golfers and scholarships are often offered.
Previous winners of the event include Christie Kerr, Alexis Thompson, Grace Park, and going far back in time, Babe Zaharias.
Grant remembers being impressed when he saw Thompson’s ability to hit a golf ball at age 15.
Many of the golfers are still in college, and trying for the pros is still a few years away. Mehmet said she will return to England, where she hopes to play in a professional league. Later, she hopes to return to play in the LPGA, but that is “far down the road.”
The free tournament is a good way for Oceanside Country Club to promote itself to the community, but the club members also get satisfaction out of helping the young golfers.
“We provide a venue that gives kids a shot at a dream,” Grant said.
And even if fame and fortune are not around the corner, there are benefits in the game itself.
“Golf has traits that are needed in this country today,” Grant said. “Responsibility, maturity, courtesy, honesty. It’s great to see how these ladies exhibit these qualities.”
There’s a wide range of ages out on the course, from an 11-year-old, to those well past the age of college who never turned pro but still enjoy the competition.
Sally weather is here to stay
One of the more well-known aspects of the Sally is the unpredictable weather. Golfers sometimes play in rain, cold and gusty winds. Grant said this challenging possibility will remain, because they are unable to change the date. There are other amateur events leading up to the Sally, and then colleges start their own schedules. So, the Sally is locked in to its current position on the calendar.
