2021 ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT

 

By Des Jardine

 

St. Stanislaus College (Guyana) Alumni Society (SSCGAS) held two golf tournaments on 10th July and 11th August, 2021, at the Lebovic Golf Club in Aurora. Both tournaments were tremendous successes. With a donation from the Lebovic Foundation and after expenses for club fees and small gifts for participants, the income from the tournaments was about $50,000 (Can.).

 

All of our participants spoke very highly about the course, the staff, the food and beverages and the event,overall. We have set the standards and the ground work for a continued Golf Tournament at this venue that will deliver outstanding value for participants, raise substantial funds for the the Society and, ultimately, the students at St. Stanislaus College.

 

The funds spent on the gifts for our players were about $2,500. Jimmy Fung needs to be thanked for taking the initiative of sourcing and paying (he was reimbursed) for golf caps (handed out at the first tournament) and golf gloves (at the second tournament).

 

Also BIG THANKS to Paul Hazlewood and Alfred Carr for their involvement in making the initial preparations of registering golfers and making sure the collections of fees were accurately coordinated and collected. Also BIG Thanks to everyone who reached out to our players to get them to register and pay up front. This was the first of our tournaments where we collected 100% of our fees before the date of play. This is a BIG accomplishment and should be continued.

 

We had a full complement of golfers for both tournaments, set at 132, due to the pandemic, which was slightly less than the 144 that we had always strived for in a shotgun start in the past. The course was well prepared to handle the event, and all the feedback received from the staff and the course managment team was positive. Any slight hiccups were handled immediately , and everything went smoothly.

 

The winning score in the first tournament was -16, and there was a tie for the win in the second tournament with scores of -14, both great scores.

 

Again due to the pandemic, we were obviously unable to have a gathering in the clubhouse where we could officially announce the winners and deliver trophies,prizes,etc. If there is one thing we have to address and get back to, it's the presentation of the event itself in a clubhouse setting where we can make the announcements of winners (best score, longest drive, nearest to the pin, etc.). We will also need to investigate what the golf club will allow us to conduct as to 50/50 draws, raffles, etc.. The Golf Sub-committee will need to be ENGAGED next year, for sure.

 

To that extent, we have spoken to the club management to express our gratitude for the opportunity to have our tournament at the Lebovic Golf Club, and we look forward to their invitation for next year. We took the opportunity to speak to as many players as we could during both tournaments, and made a pitch to have them acknowledge how outstanding our offer was this year. We mentioned that we will be moving the cost of the event next year to $300 and are expecting their return participation. We hardly heard a dessenting voice as they all recognized the value of such an outstanding proposition, and the extra bonus of supporting our charity.

 

We are in contact with the club to finalize the event date (hopefully,dates) for next year, and will let everyone know how those contract negotiations are coming along.

 

Our final note has to be one of BIG THANKS to those who participated in the tournaments and who trusted us to deliver an exceptional event in spite of the pandemic and the increase in fees over past years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     

                                        

                                 

 

 

 

 

 

       

 

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