Golf 'Unfolds' in Ocala

Bernadette Castro, heir to the Castro Convertible empire, brings North-Central Florida its first USGA Championship.

Most people know Marion County, FL, as "the Horse Capital of the World." But a new dimension was revealed in October, when Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club, in Ocala, FL, took the spotlight as it hosted the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Golf Championship. One of the fastest-growing championship events, it is open to all female amateurs 25 and older.

"I see no reason why Marion County can't be known for both horses and golf," says Bernadette Castro, who owns Golden Hills. "The championship is a step toward giving Ocala a place in the national consciousness as a golf venue."

If anyone can turn Ocala into a national golf venue, it's Castro. She's an expert at transforming things. You might say it's in her blood. Her father, Bernard Castro, gained fame for converting sofas into beds by inventing and selling more than 5 million Castro Convertibles. She became famous in her own right as the little girl who opened the sleeper sofa with the "feather-lift mechanism" in commercials during the early days of television.

During the '60s, her father purchased land in an undeveloped area of Florida, called Ocala, where the hills reminded him of his native Italy. In 1963, he had Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club built on his best 500 acres. Marion County's first private country club was born.

Once deeded to its membership, the club returned to the Castro family in 2002 when Bernadette and her children bought it, partly for sentimental reasons and partly to revive it and restructure the golf course, while preserving property values in the community in which she owns hundreds of acres.

Well Connected

How did a little-known course in Florida get the opportunity to host a national championship? Because of the relationship Castro has with golf's chief bureaucrat, David Fay, who runs the United States Golf Association (USGA). Castro, who was the commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation under Governor George Pataki, is credited with helping secure the contract that brought the storied U.S. Open, sponsored by the USGA since 1895, to a public course for the first time—Bethpage State Park's Black Course in Farmingdale, NY.

"In '02, we broke every record. We had more people in attendance. The USGA sold more tents, more advertising, more merchandise," Castro explains. "It was just a huge success. I remember the wave taking place by those who were sitting in the bleachers." The event, won by Tiger Woods, was such a success that the USGA returned there this June.

"David Fay is a visionary. He took a leap of faith to have the U.S. Open on the Black Course. It had never been held on a public course; he knew it needed work, but he saw its potential," recalls Castro. "Then Fay comes to Ocala, horse country, and discovers this course and takes a chance again based on the fact that he knew I would deliver on everything I promised like I did in 2002."

And deliver she did. There were more public spectators at this U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Golf Championship than ever before. Over the course of the six-day championship there were close to 4,000 who came to look on.

Going for It

The event took two years of solid work to pull off. "I treated this like it was an Open," acknowledges Castro. "The difference was the USGA was not carrying the ball with this one. With the Open, you hand the USGA the keys and they take over. In this case, they handed the club a $25,000 grant and a four-inch-thick manual and said, 'Go for it.'"

One of the first calls she made was to "the Doctor." That is the moniker given to Rees Jones, the architect who takes old courses and rebuilds them for major championships. Friends as teenagers, the two were reacquainted in 2002 when Jones was hired to get the Black Course ready for the U.S. Open.

Jones traveled to Ocala to check out Golden Hills and was so impressed by the course that not only did he upgrade it, he became a financial partner with Castro and her grown children: Terri Keogh, David Austin, Jonathan Austin, and Bernard Austin.

Getting the right group of organizers was also important. E.B. Gee, Jr., who has worked on and played in many USGA championships, served as co-chair.

In turn, 15 subcommittees were created to tend to virtually every detail of the event—from the transportation committee and the medical committee to the hospitality and evacuation committee.

"Certainly the golf course is extremely important," says Castro. "But, it's also about hospitality."

The welcome party, held on Castro's 180-acre homestead across from the country club, wowed. Held under a tent with seating for 350, there was everything from sushi to barbecue, a band, a bar, and a horse exhibition.

Planning a championship of this caliber is extremely demanding and Castro says she couldn't have done it without the support of her husband, Dr. Peter Guida, a retired surgeon.

The economic impact the championship had on Marion County was approximately $1 million. Plus, Ocala was introduced to the world, exposure that area leaders hope will lead to future business. "This championship put Ocala on the national golf map as a golf destination," Castro says. "The USGA has 900,000 members, and we're getting that national recognition."

Castro had a $165,000 budget, including a $4,000 grant from the Ocala/Marion County Visitors & Convention Bureau, a $5,000 grant from the Florida State Golf Association, a $25,000 grant from the USGA, and the rest from private donors, including a noteworthy gift for $10,000 from Golden Hills member Paul Hertenstein.

From the beginning, Castro promoted the championship as a community event, and the response was overwhelming. She needed about 350 volunteers, which was no problem. "Supporters" of the event (the USGA frowns on the word sponsorship) included local businesses that provided everything from food to vehicles to tents.

Marion County embraced the championship. "Our players were treated so graciously by the whole area," says Maggie Giesenhagen, director of the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Golf Championship.

Castro was meticulous in overseeing preparations for the championship and delivered a real, big-league presentation, reports Rhonda Glenn, USGA manager of communications. "I've seen a lot of Florida courses and Golden Hills is one of the better ones. A fine, championship layout," she says. "I love this part of the state. It's so beautiful with the rolling hills and the great oaks."

Building on Success

Now that Castro has proven herself by hosting a successful USGA championship, she hopes to host many more USGA events—and she has already called Fay to discuss future events.

"When the USGA arrives at your club in force it is a thrill. There are only 13 championships a year, so it is quite an honor to host one," says Castro. "The USGA represents what is good about the sport. They are the keepers of the game. There are so few things left in life that exude tradition and structure and the USGA is one of them."

On December 4, Castro is being honored by the Advancement for Commerce, Industry & Technology (ACIT), a Long Island, NY, business networking organization, with a lifetime achievement award. "Castro is the best parks commissioner the state has had since Robert Moses (the urban planner responsible for much of New York's parkland)," says Doug Manditch, past president of ACIT and chairman and CEO of Empire National Bank, based in Islandia, NY. "She was such a major influence in upgrading the parks and in bringing the Open to the Black Course."

As she talked about her recent success and reminisced about the satisfaction she felt bringing the U.S. Open to a public course for the first time, she exclaims, "I wouldn't mind if Golden Hills became known as 'The Baby Black.'"

Originally published Nov. 1, 2009

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