Putting for funds - golf benefit hosted for PHS golf

PLAINS – Parents, teachers, coaches and friends hit the golf links last Saturday, in the annual Plains High School golf team fundraiser.

Wild Horse Plains Golf Course served as the host for the daylong golf tournament to benefit the local high school athletes, which took place on Saturday, August 2.

Teams competing in the benefit tourney teed off around 10 a.m. and ended their 18 holes of golf shortly after 2 p.m.

Nine teams and 36 individuals competed in this year’s edition of the annual tournament.

In addition to the day full of friendly and spirited golf competition, there was a dinner donated by local businesses, once all the teams returned to the clubhouse at the conclusion of their rounds.  

Carl Benson, a science teacher at Plains High School, who helped organize the summer golf tournament, was pleased with how the event turned out.

“The tournament went really well. The pace of play today was great,” Benson said.

The day’s events also included an auction, as part of the team’s fundraiser, where all manners of items including new golf clubs were up for bidding.

According to Benson the money raised by the event goes towards covering general costs of the high school golf team from year to year.

“Last year they bought the kids on the team rain gear,” Benson said.

The 18-holes of tournament play featured a scramble format, where teams of four would play the best ball of the collective group during each hole of the championship.

Scramble style golf, a common format for fundraiser tournaments, not only makes a tournament including a large number of individuals go faster, it also makes the event more fun for less experienced golfers.

Those looking to have fun and even skilled golfers who hit an errant ball aren’t stuck playing each and every one of their shots due to the format of the tournament.

Rich Magera, the head coach of the Plains High School golf team, was also on hand and a participant in the weekend tournament.

“We had a great day out on the course,” Magera said.

First place in the tournament went to the team of Gary Revier, Jack Revier, Jeff Revier and Scott Rice.

The first place group of four shot a score of 56 on the day and used some strong early round performances in addition to multiple eagles in their final holes to comfortably pull away from the rest of the field.

In addition to bragging rights the first place team walked away with four free passes to the Wilderness Golf Club in Eureka. The wilderness club is one of the top rated golf courses in the state.

Benson noted the warm weather, which has come to characterize the past few days around Plains didn’t have too much of an effect on the competition.

“The heat wasn’t too bad. It did get a little warm at the end of the day,” Benson said.

The day’s events also included a closest pin competition on the third hole of the course.

Golfers could enter the 50/50 competition for five dollars.

At the end of the day Denise Montgomery was the golfer with the winning shot.