Sam Snead Festival Coming Up in July

Serious golf and some fun are on tap July 9-13 for the 2006 celebration of the Sam Snead Festival at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.V. The event is named after Slammin’ Sammy Snead, winner of a record 82 PGA Tour events and golf professional emeritus at The Greenbrier from 1993 until his death in 2002.

The festival, sponsored by Callaway Golf and EZGO, attracts 200 golfers from across the nation for a 54-hole pro-am tournament. Participants play all three of The Greenbrier’s championship courses – The Greenbrier, The Old White and The Meadows.

Entries are limited to the first 40 five-member teams. Each team consists of a PGA or LPGA club or touring professional and four amateur players. The event also includes a spouse/guest tournament and a variety of social functions, including receptions and dinners.

The festival celebrates Snead’s immensely successful career. It began in 1948 when The Greenbrier reopened after four years of service as a World War II Army hospital. Snead had returned to his home courses where he started in 1936, and hosted an impressive field of professionals at a tournament that was part of the reopening party. The first event was won by British star Henry Cotton, who went on to win his third British Open that year. A tradition was born.

Several moments in festival history stand out. In 1950, Ben Hogan started an astonishing comeback from a near-fatal automobile accident by beating Snead with a tournament record 259 (64-64-65-66). In 1953, Bob Hope shot the best round of golf in his life (76), and in 1955, Arnold Palmer won his first professional money.

For the next 15 years, the Sam Snead Festival was the highlight of the golf and social calendar at The Greenbrier. After a break, the Festival resumed in 1994.

The restoration of The Old White Course adds a special touch to the 2006 Festival. Now complete, the project increases the course’s USGA slope rating from 129 to 136, making it The Greenbrier’s toughest course from the championship tees.

As a complement to the Sam Snead Festival, The Greenbrier will also present The Tom Watson Fall Golf Classic on September17-20, which will feature a two-day pro-am. Golfers interested in either event should contact Sarah Forrester-Skelding at 800/624-6070 or by email at specialevents@greenbrier.com.

The Greenbrier, known as America’s Resort, has a hospitality heritage that dates to 1778. It offers 802 guestrooms, including deluxe suites, guesthouses and estate houses, and more than 50 recreational activities. The award-winning resort occupies a 6,500-acre estate in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia approximately four hours’ drive from Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.greenbrier.com/site/leisure/leisure_default.aspx.