Kevin Murphy
Our community was graced this past Sept. 9-11 with visitors from across the country, both family and longtime friends, all who came to town to participate in the Men’s Golf Association’s annual Member Guest Tournament. There were brothers, longtime friends, and old neighbors who got together for three days of camaraderie, catching up, golf, food, and a libation or two, all centered around a celebration of friends, family, and the remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on our nation.
The tournament started Wednesday evening, Sept. 8, at registration, and the “talking smack” was already in good form as to what team was going to win. Registration of 76 teams, many of which had a drink or two already, was a herculean effort, but thanks to the organizational skills of Lawry Cohen, it came off without a hitch.
The tournament included numerous “side events” each day for both the golfers and their spouses and significant others. There were “Closest to the Pin” contests; men’s putting contest; Hole-in-One contests for new cars, trucks, and golf carts; a women’s luncheon; a fashion show; a women’s “Putting for Diamonds” contest; scoring parties on the patio with lunch and cold beer; and, of course, what is a golf tournament without a little side wager with friends.
The first day of golf started with a breakfast for all participants on the patio, and then a shotgun start across 18 holes. Following the day’s round, the participants gathered on the patio for lunch, a cold drink of their choosing, and some playful banter about the next day’s “whoopin” someone was going to deliver.
Day two saw more of the same, with the day starting early with breakfast and then off to a shotgun start on a different 18-hole rotation, so our guests could experience all three of the courses while here. Stationed across the courses each day were several drink and snack stations serving fruit, snacks, water, and for those who could not wait for the post-round scoring party, an adult beverage. A shout out to Jeremy at The Grill and Rhett Hubbard for helping with the logistics.
On day three, Sept. 11, the day started out with an invocation, followed by a flyover commemorating both the Sept. 11 attack on our nation and the resilience of our nation. While Sept. 11 is a day to never forget, the Member Guest Committee made the entire three-day event both memorable for golf and a reminder that we are one nation, united, no matter our politics. On the last day of golf, many teams came dressed to the nines to add some additional flair to three days of great weather and course conditions. At the end of the final round, each player was presented a framed American flag and plaque commemorating the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11: “We Will Never Forget.”
The event culminated Saturday night with a dinner, door prizes, raffle drawing, sponsor recognition, live entertainment, and, sadly, farewells to friends, both new and old. It was a great three days, and from the comments, it looks to be an event that our “guests” will want to attend again.
This event could not have come off without those behind the scenes helping with registration, delivering snacks to the players on the course, running the putting contest, managing the door prizes, and setting up the Ladies Luncheon and fashion show. There are too many to name, and many of them were volunteers from the different women’s golf associations, and our “Thanks!” go out to you. And, of course, thanks to the Pro Shop for all they do.
Finally, we would be remiss if we did not thank the numerous sponsors who helped support this event through their sponsor donations. While there are too many to name in this article, and you can see the entire list of sponsors and the services they provide by going to www.rrmga.com, we do want to extend a very special thank you to our Title Sponsor—Tarrant Roofing. There is also a “Picture Slide Show” on the website of the event. Stop by and take a gander.