2023 Play With Pete Invitational at Scioto Country Club - How to Sign Up and All the Details

The legendary Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio is a cathedral of golf.  It's hosted the most prestigious tournaments and competitions in the world.  Scioto's distinctive course architecture evokes the Golden Age of early American golf.  Luminaries of the game have competed and won here including the likes of Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus.

And on August 2nd, four of you will become a part of Scioto Country Club's storied 107 year history and leave your own footprints on this hallowed ground.

The moment you step foot on Scioto Country Club it becomes a part of your being.  You feel the history in your bones.  Breathe in the air and the ghosts of legends who played here will speak to your soul.  This is the kind of course that sends you back in time with sloping fairways, slanted greens, and masterful bunkering.  Scioto CC is a perfectly manicured labyrinth maze with pitfalls lurking at every corner and the most satisfying rewards if you maneuver around with skill and poise. 

 

Bobby Jones won the second of his four U.S. Open Championships at Scioto CC in 1926.  Walter Hagen captained the United States to Ryder Cup victory here in 1931 (the second Ryder Cup contested on U.S. soil).  And in the early 1950's a 10 year-old Jack Nicklaus grew up playing and learning the game at Scioto CC.  This is really where Jack learned to become Jack.

 

Scioto was the petri dish that awakened Nicklaus' passion for golf and forged his competitive nature.  And Jack has said on many occasions that growing up on a course that hosted the U.S. Open, Ryder Cup, and 1950 PGA Championship gave him a definite advantage in knowing how champions play different holes.

 

 

Nicklaus listened to Scioto members talk of Jones hitting it here or making a putt from there in the 1926 U.S. Open.  And Jack spent hours upon hours pretending to compete with his idols, having to make shots or putts to beat Jones or Hogan.  Some years later as Jack's immense talent and promise blossomed, Jones would say after meeting Jack for the first time "that Ohio strong boy has the finest potential of any young player in many years."

 

Legends of all generations have fond memories and reverence for this 1916 Donald Ross design on Riverside Drive.  And Scioto Country Club also holds the distinction of being one of only five courses in history to host the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, and U.S. Amateur.  The other four are Hazeltine, Oak Hill Country Club (East), Oakland Hills Country Club (North), and Pinehurst Resort No. 2.

 

 

The inaugural Play with Pete Invitational was at Oakland Hills Country Club in 2018 and it's grown astronomically ever since.  So much so that we're looking at something like a PGAPappas Tour much sooner than later, with Play With Pete Invitationals multiple times a year from historic courses all around the country.  We've also played this event at Inverness Club, Pasatiempo Golf Club, and the Kiawah Resort Ocean Course.  And interest keeps growing from courses, sponsors, partners, and of course the stars - you, to be a part of Play With Pete.

 

The last few years alone, I've received over 1,000 emails and DMs on twitter and Instagram to participate in each Play With Pete Invitational, and I'm especially excited about this year's edition from Scioto. I can promise you right now Scioto Country Club will be an anchor site for Play With Pete Invitationals moving forward.  By any and every standard or measure Scioto is one of the world's greatest venues.

 

 

Scioto Country Club has undergone multiple and drastic renovations since its establishment in 1916.  In the 1960s some of the greens were raised and rebuilt to provide better drainage.  Years later in another renovation greens were moved closer to water and greenside and fairway bunkers were relocated to make shots more challenging.  Even the natural topography of the course was reshaped. And eventually the uniqueness and variety of the original Donald Ross design was sacrificed.

 

So in 2019 Scioto Country Club membership approved a $7M master plan and Ross-inspired restoration led by Andrew Green.  And today Scioto green complexes, slopes, shapes, sizes, and all surrounding areas are again 1916 Ross authentic in stunning detail.  With history as the primary focus fairways and bunkers were also adjusted and rebuilt to recapture the 1916 originality and wealth of options available for players of all skill levels from tee to green.

 

I'll have a full course review for you detailing the gloriously restored Scioto in the coming weeks.  Consider it a roadmap for those of you following along with Play With Pete and and local knowledge for the players competing.  Before and after photos will illustrate how shapes and positioning of critical course features once again make Scioto Country Club its dynamic Mona Lisa self.

 

 

Play With Pete Invitational at Scioto Country Club will be Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023.  When the players arrive they'll meet and greet and I'll start handing out some of the swag they'll be receiving (more on that in a bit).

 

Your day will start with a tour of the spectacular Scioto Clubhouse (which could legitimately be called a museum).  It's absolutely fascinating and feel free to take photos and videos throughout.  I'll also be capturing pictures and videos of the four players throughout the entire day.

 

 

You'll also know what it's like to be a pro golfer for a day, because you're going to be sponsored by some of the biggest names in golf.  And you want to buckle up for this one.

Play With Pete Invitational from Scioto Country Club baby!!! 🚨💯🔥

Coming in August. Here’s just a little taste of the crazy train field of dreams awesomeness you can expect. 👀😁👍 pic.twitter.com/9Jx9WIzdOR

— Pete Pappas (@PGAPappas) June 21, 2023

FootJoy will be providing all the players with polos, pants, shoes, and gloves.  You'll be able to choose any styles from the #1 Shoe and #1 Glove in golf you want.  Pick from Premiere Series. Pro/SL, Pro/SL Carbon, HyperFlex, whatever you want.  I'll have your outfits waiting for you on arrival so you can walk this historic course in perfect comfort and style.

 

Titleist will be providing brand new TSR drivers, stand bags, and all the golf balls you need.  Yeah... I just said brand new custom fit TSR drivers baby!  After players are selected I'll have them get fit near their homes for the Titleist driver that's best for their game.  When they arrive at Scioto County Club I'll hand out these new custom fit TSR's.  Stand on a tee box with a TSR driver in your hands and you breathe in courage and exhale fear.  Titleist is making sure you're ready to take on Scioto.

 

All the players will also have new Titleist stand bags waiting for them at Scioto.  You know the bags I'm talking about. Feature-rich bags with mouthwatering good looks that give you the perfect combination of proven performance and reliable construction round after round after round.

 

 

It's about armament and ammunition for Titleist so players will also get to choose from the new Pro V1, Pro V1x, Pro V1x Left Dash, AVX, or whatever Titleist ball model they play.  And this year the Titleist balls will once again have the PGAPappas logo as you loved these the last time.  There might even be more Titleist swag for the players but I'm going to keep it a secret for now because honestly it's going to be wildly fun and I want to see the shocks on everyone's face live and in person.

 

Like always I'm going to capture all the action not only for the players but also for everyone following along on twitter and Instagram.  The entire event will be livestreamed and I'll also have pics, videos, player interviews, jubilant triumphs, crushing defeats, and some incredible insight into Scioto's championship personality throughout the day.

 

We'll even have chances for all of you following along to win prizes, as well at surprise contests for the players competing.  Titleist balls, FootJoy shoes, and more.  It's going to be an absolutely unforgettable day and insanely amazing experience for all.

 

 

After the round is finished, we'll all regroup back at the Scioto Clubhouse to have dinner, drinks, share stories about the day in the 1916 Room (overlooking the 1st tee and 18th green), and no doubt have memories and new friendships that will last a lifetime.

 

So how do you enter to join my Play with Pete Invitational at Scioto Country Club?  Same as it's always been.  Just leave a comment here on my blog or on twitter or Instagram, or DM me, or email me and tell me why you want to be one of the four players to join this event and play at Scioto CC.  (NOTE: Because of the volume of entries coming in and wanting to read and reply to all of you, I'll only be able to accept entries through this Saturday, July 8th.)

 

 

 

Over the last five years I've read messages from people in every state in the U.S., even from other countries wanting to join Play with Pete.  And again for this one, I welcome everyone from all over the world.  You'll have to make your own transportation to get here, but once you step on Scioto Country Club grounds, it's all taken care of and just get ready for the time of your life.

 

It's that simple, I'll read every single comment, DM, or email, and I'll announce the four players on Monday, July 10th. 

  

A storied championship pedigree.  An architectural masterpiece rich in challenge, tradition, and lore.  And a history of the game's greatest players atop it all.  Be brave.  Be bold.  Scioto Country Club glory awaits.