Photo by Jordan Hays.
Hoover Chamber Golf Classic
Valeria Collier holding the flag stick as Lynda Kern makes her putt on the Riverchase Country Club Golf Course.
Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic
Aug. 24, 8:30 a.m.
Riverchase Country Club
Registration: $650 for four-man team, $200 for individuals
The Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding its 20th Annual Golf Classic on Monday, Aug. 24 at Riverchase Country Club at 8:30 a.m.
Bill Powell, executive director and CEO of the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, started the chamber’s first Golf Classic when he began working there in 1995. He said he began the tournament as a way to make money for the chamber and keep dues low for its members.
By holding fundraisers such as the Golf Classic, Powell said he is able to pay off much of the overhead associated with running the chamber.
“We need to have non-dues revenue functions ... so the small business owner or one-person business operating out of their home or small office can afford to be in the chamber,” Powell said. “Otherwise we’d have to charge $450 a year instead of $225.”
Powell also said a portion of the money raised at the golf tournament goes towards scholarships for students in the Hoover area.
The chamber founded the Lila Parks Scholarship Program in 1997, named after a volunteer who served the chamber for 10 years and served on the chamber’s board. In May, the chamber gave out $21,000 in scholarships.
The Golf Classic competitors will compete in a four-man scramble. Each team’s four members will tee off and then choose the best shot of the four. The members will then take the second shot from that location, and so on, until the hole is completed.
Chamber members and local business owners make up most of the audience, but Powell said the public is still welcome to come and watch.
Ronnie Blakney, manager of South Hall Self Storage, has played in the past 15 Golf Classics. He said participating in the Golf Classic has helped him develop business relationships and brand his company.
“It’s made an opportunity for people to know who we are,” Blakney said. “[The Golf Classic] is always outstanding.”
Each hole will have a sponsor, and that sponsor will have handouts. Prizes for the tournament will include gift certificates to golf pro shops, and the raffle will include gifts from business members of the chambers. Additionally, there will be a hole-in-one prize for a Ford Mustang.
Hendrick Hoover Auto Mall will be a sponsor of the event and provide free breakfast and lunch.
“It’s a real good outing, and it’s a good way to network and meet other people in the business community,” Powell said. “It’s the most fun you can have and still call it a work day.”
It costs $650 to register a four-person team for the tournament, $375 for two and $200 for individual players. Raffle tickets cost $5, or $20 for five tickets.
To register or receive more information on the Golf Classic, visit hooverchamber.org/sports/golf.
