News
9 Questions on the OnCore Golf mega-facility in Buffalo
As land for golf becomes scarce and precious, as golf courses are repurposed as mixed-use communities, our game endeavors to find a new landscape in which to fit. Forgotten, under-used urban sites find themselves suddenly desirable, as cities redevelop factories and warehouses into recreational spaces. Enter OnCore, one of many boutique golf-ball companies (think CutGolf, Snell, Vice) to enter the marketplace over the last fifteen years.
OnCore is much more than golf balls, and has larger goals focused well in its lens. In September, the Buffalo-based company announced plans to build a massive, urban facility adjacent to the revitalized downtown of the Queen City. With a hotel, arena targets for golf, and other recreational offerings, OnCore is betting that America’s love affair with golf will continue into the next few generations. The brains behind the project, Bret and Keith Blakely of OnCore, answered some hard-hitting questions on how this dreamscape can possibly become reality in the USA’s favorite, snowy city.
Will this facility be able to handle Buffalo weather?
KB: Absolutely. The engineering of the frame is designed to divert and deflect winds off Lake Erie, the game board will be engineered to handle snow loads, and a variety of snow removal options will be integrated into the final design. The hitting bays are covered and will be heated both from above and below, providing exceptional comfort to customers year round. Many of the attractions and activities are fully-enclosed and unaffected by the weather and another advantage will be the 225 covered parking spots situated below the game board.
What makes this different from Topgolf?
KB: A number of things are unique to our approach. There will be complete ball-tracking technology in each hitting bay allowing golfers of all skill levels to not only enjoy the entertainment aspect of the facility but can use the information and data that will be available to improve their skills. We are using a proprietary game board construction and layout that will allow for a number of different competitive games including both skill and luck elements. Our games and ball-tracking do not require the use of special golf balls like Topgolf so customers will enjoy the ability to use the best balls in golf – those offered by OnCore Golf. A number of other elements – social media integrations, novel food and beverage services and offerings, different spatial configuration inside the clubhouse that provides enhanced entertainment and socialization opportunities, other forms of athletic experiences, and expanded meeting, event, banquet, and hotel space – are all distinctive factors.
Aside from golf, what other sports activities are planned?
KB: We are currently planning to offer some “active sports” activities including indoor water surfing, skateboarding, and simulated snowboarding. We also expect to offer simulated skills challenges in baseball, soccer, basketball, archery, and many others.
Why choose Buffalo?
KB: As the home of OnCore Golf, we felt strongly that this “first-of-its-kind” facility ought to be introduced in Buffalo. Buffalo deserves something that the world points to as the best of the best and there just aren’t other facilities in existence that will offer everything OnCore Buffalo will.
How is OnCore planning to use this to benefit the community in ways other than just the entertainment aspect. What sort of access will local junior and high school programs have to the OnCore Golf Buffalo facility?
KB: We have already committed to providing the First Tee of WNY with free space for their operations and to allocate time in the facilities for them to conduct their important programs. We will be reaching out to both athletic and educational programs to encourage and assist them in utilizing our facility for a wide range of initiatives. We are in talks with others about different ways we can use OnCore Buffalo to make a positive impact and assure that this is a huge reason for our bringing this project into existence.
Tell us about the environmental impact of this facility on Kelly Island and the Buffalo River.
KB: We have already completed environmental studies and will be conducting remediation of issues created by previous industrial use of the site prior to breaking ground. Local government officials have indicated strong support for improving the infrastructure improvements for both vehicles and for pedestrians looking to access Kelly Island from downtown. We have also met with Buffalo River Keepers to ensure that our development efforts support and complement their work to improve responsible use of the waterway.
What changes will need to be made to the roadways in the immediate area (known as the Old First Ward) to accommodate the increased amount of traffic generated by the facility?
KB: There currently are over 1 million visitors to RiverWorks, which is also located on Kelly Island so the existing infrastructure is adequate to support the estimated 350,000 visitors to OnCore Buffalo. However, as indicated already, there have been a number of encouraging regarding the improvements that could be made to the roadway and creating a waterfront greenway for pedestrian access.
Discuss how the facility will benefit different age groups. Activities that kids love, don’t necessarily translate to seniors and middle-agers, and vice-versa.
KB: It is our plan to offer a complete spectrum of fun activities for all ages and to ensure that families can enjoy time at OnCore Buffalo without having to split up. The use of augmented reality glasses and simple gaming hardware to allow kids to launch golf balls towards the targets in a “virtual” mode, instead of having to actually swing a golf club, is just one example of that approach. There are a few others that are going to be incorporated into the facility that are so unique, we are not ready to disclose them!
Why will people stay at this hotel, when they could be in the heart of downtown, or near the airport?
KB: The OnCore Buffalo facility will be located within a mile of every major attraction in downtown Buffalo including Canalside, HarborCenter, Seneca Buffalo Casino, Buffalo Rowing Club, RiverWorks, the Cobblestone District, Sahlen’s Field, and Keybank Center. The question is why anyone would want to be anywhere else!
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship
GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.
While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.
Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Michael Block – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Patrick Reed – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cam Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Josh Speight – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Takumi Kanaya – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kyle Mendoza – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Adrian Meronk – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jordan Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jeremy Wells – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jared Jones – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Somers – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Larkin Gross – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tracy Phillips – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Keita Nakajima – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kazuma Kobori – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- David Puig – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Ryan Van Velzen – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brad Marek – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rich Beem WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Phil Mickelson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Matt Dobyns – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Lucas Herbert – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jason Dufner – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Daly – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Taylor Gooch – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dean Burmester – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dustin Johnson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
Pullout Albums
- Ping putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Bettinardi covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cameron putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Max Homa – Titleist 2 wood – 2024 PGA Championship
- Scotty Cameron experimental putter shaft by UST – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – new Ping putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka’s new Cameron putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s Cobra bag and Aerojet driver – 2024 PGA Championship
- Super Stroke grip – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tiger Woods – 2024 PGA Championship
- Michael Block’s new TaylorMade “Proto” 7-iron, from address – 2024 PGA Championship
- Odyssey putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
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News
Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue
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News
Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls
This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)
This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms
There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.
This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.
Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.
Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte
Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.
Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.
HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!
He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week
It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.
The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.
Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.
Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie
Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.
In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.
Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.
At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.
Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024
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ScottF
Oct 6, 2019 at 3:30 am
Hahaha Buffalo seriously???
Ronald Montesano
Oct 6, 2019 at 9:06 pm
Seriously. Come see us and enjoy what we have, all year round.
Jon Barone
Oct 23, 2019 at 4:23 pm
Totally agree. I actually moved back here after being away for decades. 2 family members and 2 friends have moved back in the past 3 months. Affordability, access to so many Summer and winter activities is amazing, the Falls & Canada close by. The question is, why wouldn’t you want to live here. Only wimps that can’t handle the 3 or 4 bad snow days we have on average in the winter need not apply. ??
Jon Barone
Oct 23, 2019 at 4:24 pm
Totally agree. I actually moved back here after being away for decades. 2 family members and 2 friends have moved back in the past 3 months. Affordability, access to so many Summer and winter activities is amazing, the Falls & Canada close by. The question is, why wouldn’t you want to live here. Only wimps that can’t handle the 3 or 4 bad snow days we have on average in the winter need not apply. ??
Juan Pablo
Oct 4, 2019 at 6:37 am
Ask them if they’ve ordered steel for their new building yet. Yes, it will be built. No, it’s never getting off the ground.
Ronald Montesano
Oct 6, 2019 at 9:06 pm
Interesting take. Can you elaborate on the steel concern?
Keith Blakely
Oct 23, 2019 at 5:14 pm
Ron – Not sure what Juan was saying? Yes it will be built but no, it’s never getting off the ground? Seems contradictory! Regardless, we have been working with global architectural, engineering, and construction firms so there will not be any surprises on cost, timing, or availability of all of the structural and technology elements needed.