Schuylkill Country Club’s inaugural Yuengling Oktoberfest Golf Championship and Brewfest combined two traditions: golf and a fall celebration.

The inaugural Yuengling Oktoberfest Golf Championship and Brewfest, held at Schuylkill Country Club in Orwigsburg, Pa., on October 12, combined two long-held traditions, golf and a celebration of fall, into a new one-day event.

The idea of sponsoring an Oktoberfest event at the property was suggested to General Manager Jim Rattigan by Dick Yuengling, a longtime member of Schuylkill CC who is President of D.G. Yuengling and Son, America’s oldest brewery, which is located in Pottsville, Pa., six miles from the club.

The event included all-you-can-eat-and-drink fare for those who purchased a $35 ticket. Those in attendance also received a Yuengling glass and $25 gift certificate.

Bill Shugars, Executive Chef/Food & Beverage Director, began roasting a whole pig (see photo at right) at 5 a.m. on the morning of the event. The club’s staff also prepared homemade brats, potato pancakes, cole slaw, and a German ham-and-lentil soup (which proved to be a hit, with temperatures dipping 15 degrees lower than usual), all served buffet-style.

The Brewfest itself was located between holes nine, 16 and 17 on the course, a prime location for attendees. The club assembled a tap system to feature three Yuengling beers—Oktoberfest, Chesterfield and Light Lager. Shugars also incorporated beer into different sauces and desserts on the menu, and Yuengling’s Ice Cream (a company founded by the brewery during Prohibition) donated flavors, including spiced pumpkin roll, for the event.

For the golf, the club promoted amended “Chesterfield” rules (named after the Yuengling beer) designed to welcome more casual and non-golfers while also speeding pace of play. Players were allowed to hit their balls whenever they were ready, drop a new ball where it was last seen before going out of bounds, and move balls to give themselves better lies. Eight-inch holes were set up in addition to standard four-inch holes, with golfers who chose to play the larger holes adding half a stroke to their scores. The club has incorporated the larger holes with some success with casual golfers, Rattigan notes.

Ninety-nine golfers participated in the tournament, and 20 more played the course casually at the event. The Brewfest drew a larger crowd, with the 200 in attendance sitting around a bonfire and listening to a live performance by country singer Pat Garrett that included the debut of an appropriate song for the occasion, “Drinkin’ This Yuengling Beer.”

“The event was more positive than I expected—there was big buzz,” said Rattigan, who added that the club has already begun to plan ways for making the event even better next year.