INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Golfers from all over Indian River County will have the chance this Labor Day weekend to hit the greens while raising green for children of military servicemen and women to go to college.
Five golf courses in the county have signed up to participate in Patriot Golf Day, which will be held Sept. 3 through 6. They will be asking golfers to donate at least $1 on top of their greens fees, which will go toward raising money for the Folds of Honor Foundation.
Grand Harbor Club is taking the event one step farther than asking for $1 donations. On Saturday, the club will host a golf tournament in hopes of generating more financial support.
“We raised a little bit last year,” Golf Pro Frank Mentzer said of participation in Patriot Golf Day in 2009, when they only asked for donations.
This year, the club plans to make the fund-raiser a major event, complete with the Marine Corps Color Guard presenting the colors at 8:50 a.m. Saturday, an officer with the Vero Beach Police Department singing the National Anthem, and displays representing all five branches of the Armed Forces.
The golf tournament will get started at 9 a.m. and there is still room for more golfers to participate.
Sandridge Golf Club is another of the participating courses, the second year for the club.
“It’s a great cause,” Director of Golf Bob Komarinetz said of the fund-raiser, noting that Sandridge raised $430 last year.
“We hope to at least match that,” he said of this year’s event.
To sweeten the pot, Komarinetz has offered 10-minute golf lessons to those who donate this weekend. They can either take the lesson at that time or come back later, he said.
Though the PGA, which organizes the annual event, asks golfers to donate at least $1, many golfers donate more than that, according to Komarinetz.
“Some people donated as much as $20,” he said of the participants last year.
Quail Valley Golf Club, The Indian River Club, and the Vero Beach Country Club will also participate this weekend.
Quail Valley’s golf pro, Don Meadows, said the club has participated in Patriot Golf Day for the last couple years as a way to give back to the men and women who protect the nation.
“It’s something (the members) enjoy being a part of,” Meadows said of the fund-raiser.
The Folds of Honor Foundation provides scholarships to children and spouses of military servicemen and women who have been killed or disabled while in service.
Over the last three years, Patriot Golf Day has raised more than $5.4 million, going to more than 1,100 scholarships across the country.
To learn more about Patriot Golf Day or the Folds of Honor Foundation, visit www.PatriotGolfDay.com or www.FoldsOfHonor.com.Want to golf?Dates: Sept. 3-6Cost: Prices may vary; Donations of at least $1 are requested to benefit Folds of Honor Foundation; Golf tournament Saturday at Grand Harbor.Locations:
Quail Valley Golf Club – 6545 Pinnacle Dr., Vero Beach; (772) 299-0093
The Indian River Club – 800 Carolina Circle SW, Vero Beach; (772) 569-5066
Sandridge Golf Club – 5300 73rd St., Vero Beach; (772) 770-5000
Grand Harbor Club – 4985 Club Terrace, Vero Beach; (772) 778-9200
Vero Beach Country Club – 30th Street and Country Club Dr., Vero Beach; (772) 562-2775
