|
Golf Fest set for weekend
Published September 28, 2005
Golfers are creatures of habit — like most other athletes — and the Brazosport Convention and Visitors Council is trying to take advantage.
The Gulf Coast Golf Fest saw about 100 golfers compete at The Wilderness Golf Course, Riverside Country Club and Columbia Lakes Resort a year ago, and organizers are hoping to increase that number heading into the event’s second year.
But, as has been the case with most activities recently, Hurricane Rita had other plans.
Edith Fischer, director of tourism of the Brazos-port Chamber of Commerce, said organizers expected a gradual increase from the initial event but lost about a week’s worth of advertising time because of the evacuation of the Texas Gulf Coast.
“I think we would have picked up more, but we lost some days with everyone out of town,” she said. “We had about 100 players from around the state last year and we’ve got some coming in from Dallas, Central Texas and even Georgia. We probably have about half from the area and half from out of the county or out of state.”
Golf Fest is a 54-hole, two-person best-ball tournament and can accommodate as many as 320 golfers.
Registration for the first day at The Wilderness begins at 7 a.m. Friday and golfing begins at
8 a.m. Registration begins at
11:30 a.m. for Columbia Lakes and Riverside, with tee times at
1 p.m.
Each course opens play at
1 p.m. Saturday, and the final round at each course begins at
8 a.m. Sunday.
The tournament will include several new prizes in an
attempt to draw increased interest.
A 2005 Precedent Club Car will be raffled Saturday and tickets are $25 each or five for $100. Only 500 tickets will be sold. Raffle tickets are available at the Chamber, Columbia Lakes and Riverside Country Club.
The tournament also will feature hole-in-one contests at each course.
At The Wilderness, the hole-in-one prize is a new car sponsored by Gulf Coast Auto Park. Terry Vaughn RV’s will provide a recreational vehicle at Riverside and Calvin’s Marine and Em-Print Company has provided a new boat and trailer for an ace at Columbia Lakes.
“We’re hoping it’s going to bring some more attention to the area,” Fischer said. “We’re giving away three prizes, so someone could walk away with a boat, a car and an RV.”
While the tournament’s goal is continued growth over the years, Columbia Lakes golf professional Jeff Bietz said it also gives Brazoria County a showcase for four of its golf courses.
“Everyone has a reason why they golf where they do and when they do,” Bietz said. “We’ll try to put our best foot forward. It’s a unique tournament because golfers get to play three courses.”
Golf Fest is attempting to model itself after a couple of similar long-standing golf fests that have grown to accommodate massive numbers of golfers.
Fischer took some hints on how to run the event from the Central Texas Golf Fest, in which 1,300 golfers participate each year. There is a waiting list to enter the 20-year-old tournament.
Bietz said the New Braunfels area hosts a golf fest that features hundreds of golfers competing on nine courses.
He expects the Gulf Coast Golf Fest to become a staple in the area in the coming years.
“With the amount of golfers in the area it should grow steadily,” Bietz said. “As Houston continues its progression to the south, we’ll have a better chance of getting more golfers to come out. We’re trying to entice as many people as we can.”
For information on the Gulf Coast Golf Fest, call Fischer at (979) 265-2505 or (888) 477-2505, or visit the event’s Web site at tourtexas.com/brazosport/golf.
Matt Tasler is a sports writer for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0161.
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print
|
|
|
 |
|
FREE BAY BOAT WITH WATERFRONT PURCHASE Get
...
Click for all
Top Ads listing
|
