The Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB) made a noticeable impact on the women’s golf circuit this past May and will continue to do so in 2019. The VFTCB today announced that women’s golf fans will be treated again in 2019 as the Valley Forge Invitational will return to Montgomery County.

“The entire Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board staff is ecstatic with how well the Valley Forge Invitational panned out and we look forward to hosting a stronger and better event in 2019,” said VFTCB President & CEO, Mike Bowman. “Having an event of this caliber made a significant, positive economic impact on Montgomery County and the region. We look forward to improving all aspects of this event from spectator hospitality to sponsorships.”

After a successful inaugural year, the Valley Forge Invitational will be contested yet again at Raven’s Claw Golf Club in Pottstown, May 28 through June 1, 2019. A confirmed event on the 2019 Symetra Tour schedule, the Symetra Tour prepares the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour.

Several thousand attendees walked the grounds at Raven’s Claw last spring and VFTCB hopes to improve all aspects of the tournament from guest experience to increased sponsorship dollars. With the support of local businesses, sponsors, VFTCB, and Raven’s Claw Golf Club, a $17,500 check was presented today to the Valley Forge Invitational’s title sponsor, Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation (PAHWF).

“We are proud of the donation the tournament was able to contribute to the Pottstown community by bringing the Valley Forge Invitational to this pocket of the county,” said Bowman.  “But just like any event, we want to double this number next year and in years to come.”

Three of the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation’s grantees are serving as beneficiaries of the Valley Forge Invitational including The TriCounty Community Network (TCN), a nonprofit membership organization, providing meaningful and sustainable partnerships to support community needs in the Greater Pottstown Area; the YWCA Tri-County Area, an organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women; and the Foundation for Pottstown Education which supports, promotes, sponsors and carries out educational, scientific or charitable activities and objectives within or related to the Pottstown School District.

“The Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff are pleased with the success of the Valley Forge Invitational in its inaugural year and the LPGA’s commitment to return to Pottstown in 2019,” said PAHWF President Dave Kraybill. “We look forward to the growth of the tournament and its continued support of our local nonprofits and the communities they serve.”

The Valley Forge Invitational marked the first professional golf event played on the challenging, Ed Shearon-designed course, and the first time the Symetra Tour has played a tournament in the Philadelphia region. Since it opened in 2005, Raven’s Claw Golf Club has been a consistent selection on the list of “Pennsylvania’s Top 10 Daily Fee” courses, as selected by Golfweek.