One benefit of moving the APT golf tournament from the Highlands to the Country Club may be the number of spectators. Watching professional golfers compete will be more comfortable at the new location, Charlie Teal of the Bella Vista Foundation said.
The Foundation is helping to organize the tournament, the Northwest Arkansas Charity Classic, which will take place June 10 to 15. He's hoping the community comes out to watch.
At the Country Club, you can sit on the clubhouse patio and watch the 18th hole, as well as action around the first tee and the ninth hole. Or you can sit inside and enjoy a sandwich or a beverage and still watch the course, he said.
For more adventurous spectators, there are several pretty areas where you can enjoy the view as well as the competition within a short walk from the clubhouse, Teal said. Volunteers at each hole can answer questions and offer advice. Spectators can bring along their own lawn chairs.
He expects to see spectators around hole number 5, where the competitors will need to hit across the creek. Most nonprofessionals can't make that shot, but the pro's will, he said. The hole is located close to where the cart path goes under Lancashire Blvd.
Golf operations director Darryl Muldoon said he expects local golfers will want to watch because many of the APT contestants are going to move up to the PGA in time. The winner of the first NWA Charity Classic in 2017 recently played in the U.S. Open. Their resumes are all posted on the APT web site, so spectators can choose who to follow at the tournament.
Katy Henkel has volunteered with the tournament for the last two years, partly so she can watch the young golfers.
She watches golf on television too, but the tournament is different.
"These are the young guys coming up who want to be the pros," she said, "They are all nice young men -- very polite -- It's fun to watch and follow them."
Tournament events start with preview bidding for the silent auction on June 8 and 9. The auction items will be located at the Country Club. There will also be a wine pull in which bidders get a random number that will be matched with a bottle of wine. The wine will range in price and includes some expensive bottles.
The silent auction will continue at the Pro-Am Party on June 10.
On June 11, the Pro-Am tournament will give everyone the chance to play with a pro, Teal said. The teams, three amateurs and one pro, range from a group of high school golfers to the Concordia team made up of residents of the retirement facility. There is still room for a few more teams, he said.
The professional tournament will be played on the 12th through the 15th. There's also a junior clinic and a long drive contest for the professionals on the 11th.
The charities that will benefit from the tournament are Village House, The Boys & Girls Club, the Bella Vista Sunrise Rotary Club, Courtesy Van and the Bella Vista Animal Shelter. Last year the tournament raised $21,00 for four charities.
Volunteers are still needed for the tournament.
General News on 05/15/2019