Local Golf Club Hosts Children’s Hospital Charity Event
Sunny Croft Country Club hosted Shriner Nemesis Temple Tournament
I was really looking forward to this annual golf outing.The Shriner Nemesis Temple sponsored the tournament, with proceeds going toward various club activities, namely, sponsorship of their children’s hospitals.
This is a picture of the Nemesis Shrine Center in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
It was a glorious day for golf. Golfers from all over the state gathered for a most worthwhile purpose. This was taken while we listened to welcomes and last-minute instructions from the tournament organizers.
No one can organize, administer, and execute a tournament like the Shriners.
The Sunny Croft Tournament Committee (Rick Barnhart and Eric Giaquinta) set the foundation by per-registering teams and securing carts, making sure the course was in fine condition, and assisted the Shriner's as needed. Note: Sunny Croft has limited club-owned carts and must rely on its members to loan their personal carts for outside tournaments. It helped that many club members are Shriners who played and assisted, along with their wives and significant others.There were 72 golfers signed up for the 4-person scramble. Some even signed up as ‘singles,’ yet everyone was eventually paired with a team.
Here is my team (l-r): Me, Tim Ross, Mack Kiger, and Don Jones. We refer to Don as “DMD”, (Down the Middle Don) because he not only hits long off the tee, but you can count on his tee and second shot to be right down the middle.
There were many special elements of this tournament, but one the golfers could take advantage of while playing is ‘food and beverages' on the course. Behind one green, we enjoyed barbecued wings and beverages. My apologies for not recording the name of our chef. I was too busy licking sauce from my fingers.
Several holes away, behind another green, 4’somes clogged up a bit - we had a “Hot Dog Hold Up!” Hotdogs (a West Virginia staple) and beverages were provided – with all the trimmings.
Something special was prepared by Eric Giaquinta – his legendary fried peppers, which added some extra ‘kick’ to what was already outstanding dogs with homemade chili prepared by our chef (pictured). Again, I failed to record her name, my mouth was full and I had chili sauce on my right hand. This was his 'hot' version of the legendary 'Giaquinta Peppers.' He also makes them 'Mild' and, for the bravest of the brave (or foolish), 'Cardiac Arrest.'
Here is ‘DMD” launching one over our Par 3, # 16’s ‘Death Valley.’
When the tournament was over, there was a 3-way tie for first. Instead of having a playoff, organizers ‘went back on the card.’ Again, note: What is normally a four-hour round was already extended to six hours because of the number of participants. Personally, I was already seeing ‘colors’ of blue, green, and yellow in the back of my eyes. I have always called them, “Fatigue Bursts.” To me, it means, “Quit Fool!”
In the end, the low score was carded by (l-r) Chris Bowers, Mike Gulley, Jim Courtney, and John Cleavenger. Congratulations!
But, we were not done, not by a long shot. The Shriners provided pulled pork barbecue, coleslaw, potato salad, fried potatoes, and sweets for all of us after the tournament. Also, several, actually many items were raffled off and golf 4'somes were given away to local courses.
I cannot thank the members of the Shriner Nemesis Temple enough for everything they did to make this a memorable experience. Their members were everywhere (setting up, cooking, taking money, filling coolers, and taking care of the golfers) before, during, and after the tournament.
However, none of this would have been possible without the countless hours of preparation and organization by Rick Barnhart ...
and Eric Giaquinta, Sunny Croft's Tournament Committee.
Of course, then there are the members of Sunny Croft for loaning their personal carts to (often to) perfect strangers. It takes a lot of hard work and a special club to pull this off.
And finally, I must point out something many of you may have missed. Look back! At no time did I say there was a tournament winner. That is because, the real winners are…
(secure2.convio.net)
For decades, Shriners have been working tirelessly so…
Kids can be Kids!
