Welcome to the Ithaca Best Ball
What began as a memorial to Skip Wallace, a legendary Ithaca golfer who died tragically in 1969, has become a tournament and event that welcomes golfers of all skill levels celebrate other legends of Ithaca golf.
In Memory Of
By all accounts, C. Stewart “Skip” Wallace was one of the best players to grow up in Ithaca, NY. He is remembered by those who competed with him as a guy who loved to play and practice and had the “killer instinct” every time he teed it up.
There may be no other family more synonymous with Skip Wallace weekend like the Gates family. Jason loved this tournament and often remarked how the weekend was like “Christmas morning” having the family together and being able to compete. Jason passed away in December 2009.
In 1972, Gordon was appointed PGA Golf Professional at the Country Club of Ithaca, a position he held for 25 years. Gordon championed junior golf programs, while serving on many PGA Committees. Gordon was a great ambassador for the game and the Skip Wallace Invitational. Gordon passed away in June 2010.
There may be no other person who had a greater impact on the Skip Wallace Invitational than Charlie Bell. Charlie was an avid golfer but was much more passionate about people. For many years Charlie was the Master of Ceremonies of the Saturday night dinner at the Skip Wallace Invitational. He transformed post-round dinner into a Gala type event which was extremely well attended. Charlie passed away in October 2015.
There may be no other family more synonymous with Skip Wallace weekend like the Gates family. Reeder was passionate about the tournament and for many years served as chairman of the event. Reeder passed away in October 2019.