Photo by Erin Nelson.
Joe DiBenedetto watches his ball after teeing off at the first hole in the 2019 Links Fore Scholars tournament.
The Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce is holding two golf tournaments this year to raise money for college scholarships since it didn’t get to have a tournament last year.
The first one will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on May 11, and will be different than any tournament the chamber has ever organized. It will be at TopGolf in downtown Birmingham, with teams competing against each other in up to 10 bays, chamber President Toni Herrera-Bast said.
The more traditional golf tournament will be at the Riverchase Country Club in October, she said.
So far, response has been good to the new format, Herrera-Bast said. “I think everybody just likes doing something different,” she said. “The experience is definitely different from a traditional golf tournament. But people also are looking forward to getting back out there on the golf course (in October).”
The cost to participate is $200 for an individual and includes lunch. There also is a non-playing option to be present to network and have lunch at the event for $50 per person.
The chamber also is offering sponsorship opportunities. There is a $900 silver sponsorship that includes entry fees and lunch for four players, plus sponsorship of one of the holes; a $1,250 gold sponsorship that includes entry fees and lunch for four players plus a company logo displayed on a rotating basis on TVs in the tournament’s 10 bays; and a $2,500 platinum sponsorship that includes entry fees and lunch for four to six players, a logo prominently displayed on TVs in 10 bays and the lunch room, and a President’s Circle membership to the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce.
American Airlines is the main luncheon sponsor, and there also is a $1,000 hole-in-one sponsorship opportunity, Bast said.
All money raised goes toward scholarships. Last year, the chamber gave out four scholarships totaling $11,000 to high school students in the Class of 2020. Applications are open to employees of chamber members or employees of the city of Hoover, or their children. The winners are chosen based on academic achievement, financial need and contributions to the community.
To register for the tournament or a sponsorship, go to hooverchamber.org and click on Events. Only 60 players will be allowed.
