Habitat for Humanity builds and rehabilitates houses. Families and neighborhoods benefit.
Four years ago the Little Crow Country Club began a fundraiser to help the West Central area chapter.
Sunday's Hard-hat Pro-am event will have 76 golfers playing on four-person teams, each headed by a PGA pro. It's a best-ball format with both a net and gross score kept.
"It's a charity event that raises $10,000 annually through entry fees and hole sponsorships," said Sam Drodofsky, head golf professional and general manger at Little Crow.
Many of the incoming pros are familiar: Barrett Boe from the Benson Golf Club, Bill Isrealson from Vintage at Otsego, Aaron Jacobson of Rush Creek, Tim Hegna of Sundance at Maple Grove, Ron Rebrovich of Alexandria and formerly Koronis Hills and Judd Bonham of Kimball. Mankato Golf Club head pro Mike Zinni has a high finish on the PGA Seniors Tour.
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Each pro will play with three local amateurs, friends or visitors. Brothers and Willmar natives Scott and Tom Swansson will be playing with Mike Flaherty of Valleywood Golf Course in Apple Valley.
"There's a lot of charity events but we like this one because the money stays local and you can see it working," said Drodofsky. "It's been very successful. It's just a great tournament."
Sunday's shotgun start is 12:30 p.m.
The local West Central Habitat program began with Kandiyohi County in 1993. It has expanded to include Chippewa, Meeker, Renville and Swift counties. To date, 49 homes have been built or noticeably improved.
Taste of Appleton
At the Appleton Golf Course secretary/treasurer Dana Spry is bragging up the dining. "It's the best food in the area. It's a big draw for us," he said. "It's home-made cooking. We make our American fries from scratch. None of that frozen stuff. And the course is in fantastic shape."
Appleton, lucky for them, got four inches of rain on July 20.
The Men's Club championship is today. Mike Stegner of Appleton is the defending open champion. Spry will defend in seniors.
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The Ladies Golf League Tournament was determined earlier. First-place in the 3-person best-ball went to the trio of Chee Chee Halvorson, Yvette Johnson and Marilyn Van Liere. In second came the threesome of Peggy Thompson, Laura Vaala and Liz Gades.
Bailey to Redwood
Warren Bailey is the new Director of Golf at the par 70 Redwood Falls Golf Club. He's looking to increase traffic to the striking 18-hole course tucked into the ravines along the Redwood River.
Bailey wants to attract more business from the Twin Cities, Sioux Falls and the Willmar area. The Pipestone native is a former teaching pro at Brookview in Golden Valley. He spent eight winters at golf course in the south, including Miami Beach.
The country club holds its club tournaments Aug. 20, a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
One of the big events on the Redwood colander is the annual Morton Open today. About 180 golfers of all skill levels are expected. The only qualification is that one must live in Morton or did at one time. Forty-four foursomes will tee off at 10 a.m. To achieve some degree of parity, players are rated "A-plus" to "C-minus" and a drawing held. Final standings are based on gross score. If there's a tie, a chip-off is held at the 9th hole from 100 yards out.
Hole-in-one
Dick McClure of Hutchinson notched his career ace Friday at Oakdale Golf Club in Buffalo Lake. McClure used a 7-iron from 121 yards out on No. 12 to post the second hole-in-one of the season at Oakdale.
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Extra holes
The Valley Golf Club at Willmar holds its Junior Tournament this coming Friday. The last two Couples Nights will be Friday and Aug. 25. The almost weekly event attracts 20 or more pairs each time. Valley welcomes walk-ups. No reservations are needed.
The Olivia Golf Course's Junior Club Tournament comes up August 12 and Men's and Senior's Aug. 27. The competitive season concludes with the popular 27-hole, two-person President's Tournament on Sept. 10. The 36 teams will play nine-holes each of best-ball, scramble and alternate shot.
The Little Crow Country Club holds its Senior Tournament next Friday and the annual Couples Tournament next Saturday. The club championships are Aug. 19-20.
