(NEW ORLEANS, LA) – Legendary golfer Billy Casper will participate in activities celebrating the re-opening of the North Course at City Park on Saturday, August 30 at 9 a.m., three years after the layout was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Known for his mastery around the greens, Casper will give a free putting and short-game exhibition at 9:30 a.m. with special guests from Fore!Kids Foundation of New Orleans and The First Tee of New Orleans. Casper will also sign autographs, pose for photos and generally entertain golfers with stories from his decades on the PGA and Champions Tours.
Casper’s appearance coincides with the 50th Anniversary of his win at the Greater New Orleans Open Invitational in 1958 at City Park, for which he will be honored by Fore!Kids.
“New Orleans will always have a special place in my heart,” says Casper, a member of both the PGA and World Golf Hall of Fame. “It’s a privilege to witness City Park’s revival and the ongoing re-birth of New Orleans, and to welcome area golfers back to their home course.”
“Billy Casper is the ideal guest for this special and emotional occasion,” says Bob Becker, CEO of City Park. “He brings genuine enthusiasm for the game and New Orleans, as City Park is where his legendary career took flight.”
Casper is the namesake of Billy Casper Golf (“BCG’), the recently-appointed operator of the North Course at City Park. BCG and City Park are awarding 56 complimentary foursomes for Saturday, August 30 to winners of a free raffle. In addition, four individuals who submit the best stories about playing the North Course at City Park will comprise the ceremonial first foursome that day. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., leading golf manufacturers Nike, Callaway and Titleist will demo golf equipment.
The North Course is the first City Park layout to re-open. The East and West Courses, also devastated by Katrina, are slated for restoration in coming years. A par-67, 5,700-yard layout, the North Course at City Park originally opened in 1968 and the past three years has undergone a $1.3 million restoration. This includes the addition of tee boxes, re-grassing of greens, widening fairways, re-shaping bunkers, a new irrigation system and a re-routing of several holes on the back nine. BCG has procured new golf carts and maintenance equipment to replace those which languished under three feet of water for nearly a month, post-Katrina.
City Park was a regular stop on the PGA TOUR for 15 years, hosting the Greater New Orleans Open Invitational. Casper won the tournament in 1958 and again in its second iteration as the First NBC New Orleans Open, held at Lakewood Country Club, in 1975. That victory marked Casper’s 51st and final PGA TOUR win prior to playing on the Senior PGA TOUR.
To reserve a tee time for the North Course, submit your City Park golf story or enter the raffle, visit www.cityparkgolf.com or e-mailinfo@cityparkgolf.com.
About City Park
City Park offers 1,300 acres of year-round family fun. Located in the heart of New Orleans, City Park offers a wide menu of natural attractions, activities for kids, sports and recreational offerings, including the New Orleans Botanical Garden, Storyland Fairytale Playground and the CarouselGardens Amusement Park. The Park is home to multiple special events each year. In addition, several facilities are available to host any public or private event from a formal wedding to a casual picnic, a concert to a business meeting. The hundreds of acres of park land provide enjoyment for young children playing on our playgrounds and walkers, joggers, and bicyclists winding through the park’s streets and trails.
About Billy Casper Golf
Headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, Billy Casper Golf was co-founded by Robert Morris and Peter Hill in 1989 along with professional golf legend Billy Casper, the Masters and two-time U.S. Open winner who ranks seventh all-time with 51 PGA Tour wins. The company manages 96 golf courses in 23 states, the District of Columbia and Costa Rica. Combined with Buffalo Communications, the golf-lifestyle PR division of BCG, 24 of their courses were honored in the recent Golfweek’s “America’s Best” state-by-state rankings.
For more information about Billy Casper Golf, visit www.billycaspergolf.com or call 703.761.1444.
Contact:
Nick Lashinsky
Billy Casper Golf / Buffalo Communications
703.891.3324
nlashinsky@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
www.billycaspergolf.com