Sink or Swim Hole-in-One Golf Classic was a success for the second year in a row. The golf tournament proved to be a great success with 70 golfers taking to the Carlyle Golf Course on Aug 6 to raise funds for the Carlyle and District Leisure Complex.
The five-man best ball tournament had an 11 a.m. shotgun start. The first and second place teams went home with cash prizes donated by Zedcor. A three way tie for first place resulted in a count-back in order to determine a first place winner.
As a result, first place went to the team of Trevor Morrison, Lisa Morrison, Jordan Fenwick, Ray Fenwick and Dale Valentine. The team was presented with $1,000 in cash.
Second place went to the team of Ted ONeill, Gordon Paulley, Martin Tourrand, Orval Brown and Mike Makelki. They went home with a cash prize of $500.
The business community once again showed its generous support to the fundraiser and its cause with more than $325,000 worth of hole-in-one prizes up for grabs. Mandy Irwin, one of the organizers of the event, said "Carlyle and surrounding town has a phenomenal business community and we could never, ever have the success we have without their support. I continue to be overwhelmed by the awesome donations and prizes."
While this year's tournament did not end with a hole-in-one winner, there were a number of additional prizes to be won by those in attendance. The grand prize this year was a BBQ package donated by Total Oilfield. The winner of this prize was Leisa Grimes of Carlyle.
A prize was given out to the winner of the pitching contest which was Martin Tourrand. Tourrand went home with a 42" TV which was co-sponsored by Fosters Audio Video and CanElson.
A trip for two to Las Vegas was donated by Preston Brigden Welding. A very excited Janice Bee went home with the trip. Additionally, the Headache Cooler donated by Matrrix Energy Technologies was won by Ryan Irwin.
In addition to the golfing, team members were treated to a delicious supper at Lions Park. Irwin said "Along with the 70 golfers, we had approximately an extra 50 people come out. With the Carlyle Cardinals hosting provincials at the park, we were happy to have some ball players join us for supper. Supper was put on by David and Shelley Slykhuis and was sponsored by Moose Mountain Mud and Equal Transport."
The tournament raised more than $20,000 this year, meaning that a total of approximately $40,000 has been raised over the past two years. That money will help support future capital projects at the Leisure Complex.
Irwin said "It is always a dream to be able to move on to phase two of the pool, which is a zero entry facility making it much safer and user friendly, especially for our younger patrons. But unfortunately we are constantly battling upkeep and repair of the facility as it sits. This year we have had to replace the hot tub at a cost of $40,000 and we have had second and third opinions on the state of the liner for the pool. And we are now required to replace it as well or we will not be able to open next season. We are still waiting on final quotes and options for the liner, but [they] are in the ball park of $80,000 to $100,000."
In terms of whether organizers feel the fundraiser was a success, Irwin said "I am very pleased with how things turned out. We have already had really great feedback. Thank you to all the volunteers that sat out on the course for the day and worked other jobs for us. But most of all to all of our sponsors who continue to make this tournament what it is becoming."
With an increase in the number of golfers since last year, the golf tournament is only expected to get better and better as the years go on.
