AMSTERDAM — Avid golfers, area residents and anyone else interested in celebrating the 70th birthday of Amsterdam’s Municipal Golf Course will gather Saturday for a communitywide bash.

Daniel DeRossi, co-chair of the organizing committee, said the event isn’t just for golfers, but for the entire community.

“Both golfers and non-golfers helped put this together and we’ve got a decent program lined up,” DeRossi said.

The birthday celebration of Amsterdam’s famed Robert Trent Jones-designed course, will begin at noon Saturday featuring a scramble-style tournament with a shotgun start.

A group of bagpipers will open the ceremony, re-enacting the course’s opening day ceremony on July 19, 1938, when pro golfer Gene Sarazin set off with the golf pros from area courses.

The event will recognize past city champions, concessionaires and the four course record holders. The course record is a 64, seven shots under par. There will also be raffles and giveaways, DeRossi said.

Ron Barone, Golf Course Commission chairman and a member of the event organizing committee, said the anniversary celebration got off to such a slow start that a few weeks ago, the committee was thinking of canceling the event.

“Only two foursomes had signed up,” Barone said.

As of Wednesday, 27 foursomes were expected. Tournament registration continues until Saturday morning.

The entire day of activities, including the tournament, costs $100. Residents can enjoy a buffet dinner and listen to live music from local band, the Bell Aires, for $30 beginning about 6 p.m.

All of the proceeds from the event will help pay for improvements to the course, specifically for the repair of the cart paths.

“This is a time for members to step up and help themselves fix the course. All the proceeds will go toward their benefit,” DeRossi said.

In March, Mayor Ann Thane caused outrage from members of the Golf Course Commission and avid golfers when she proposed amending the City Charter so the mayor and Common Council had more control over the municipal course. The Golf Course Commission would act as an advisory panel. The proposal was passed by the council, only to be revoked a few months later, after Thane instituted a new tee time policy in an effort to generate more money for the course.

Thane could not be reached for comment, but Barone said she was invited to the celebration, along with the Common Council.

With the controversy surrounding the course this year, DeRossi said the celebration will be a time for the entire community to participate in what many call the city’s greatest asset.

“I remember when my brother and I were young, we’d sit out on the patio and have a drink with our dates,” DeRossi said. “There is more to the course than just playing golf.”