The Talawanda Athletic Boosters will host its 6th annual Golf Scramble to benefit the school district’s athletic program at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at the Indian Ridge Golf Club, 2600 Oxford Millville Road.
Bonnie Norris, president of the boosters, said she is excited for the event, especially since interest and participation seem to be higher this year.
“Last year we had about 22 teams with four players each,” Norris said. “But this year we are actually full with 27 teams.”
Norris said that the tournament is set up “shotgun” style, which she explained means that each team begins at a different hole simultaneously, playing 18 holes from that point on.
Norris said that last year’s event was cut short by rain, but the forecast for this Sunday is for sunny weather. The golf scramble is one of the largest fundraising events for the booster’s program, second only to the Booster Bash party in January.
Norris said the goal is typically to raise $30,000 through the booster’s program. The money goes toward a variety of things such as equipment, uniforms and extra things not covered by the school district’s regular budget.
Last year, the boosters’ money was used to help construct a weight and fitness room at Talawanda Middle School. This year, the boosters plan to put the money raised toward renovating the high school weight room. The group also hopes to raise $20,000 for new wrestling mats and a new pole vault pit at the high school, and to give four $1,000 college scholarships to athletes from Talawanda, she said.
Andy Anderson, general manager at Indian Ridge, takes extra steps to ensure that the golf scramble is a success.
“We definitely hire more staff for the event to get the golf carts ready with everyone’s names on them, coordinating holes and where people are supposed to be,” Anderson said. “Then at the end we have the barbecue cookout.”
Anderson said he wants to keep building the relationship with the schools and has hired employees who also played golf at Talawanda.
The venue features a 72-par course and just over 7,000 yards of competitive landscape.
The entry fee per golfer is $75, or $300 for a team of four. Each golfer entered receives 18 holes of golf, a golf cart, range balls, lunch, dinner and two drink tickets for the day. In addition, there prizes are given to the first and second place teams in accordance with the team’s overall stroke score. There will also be other small contests such as closest to the pin, longest drive and longest putt.
For supporters who are not golf savvy but want to donate, the event offers the opportunity for local families or businesses to sponsor individual holes for $100. With this, their business name or family name will be displayed by the tee box on a particular hole.
