Golf In and Around Hoover

Chamber's Fourteenth Annual Golf Tournament Set For August 31, 2009 at Riverchase Country Club!

Mark Your Calendars! The 14th Annual Hoover Chamber Golf Classic is coming up fast, so get your registration in soon! Scheduled for Monday, August 31, at Riverchase Country Club, this is one of the area�s fastest growing tournaments - and one of the most popular in the area. Without a doubt, the field will be full with some 130 golfers participating, according to Golf Committee Chairman Joe DiBenedetto of American Osment.

St. Vincent�s Health System is the title Sponsor again this year. Gold Sponsor AT&T - The Real Yellow Pages is our host for this year�s tournament luncheon, as they have been since Day One. Key sponsorship slots are still available, including several Hole Sponsorships. This is the largest fund raising event for the Chamber, with the majority of proceeds funding over $15,000.00 in scholarship for area students through the Lila Parks Scholarship Fund and the Miss Hoover Pageant. It is a great way to support the Chamber while promoting your company to dozens of members, golfers, and volunteers from around the Hoover area.

Golfers will play a �two-man, modified best ball� format, based on actual scores. The lower of the two players� scores on each hole is the team score. Teams will be sorted into three flights after scores are turned in. Identical awards will be presented to the top three teams in each of the three flights. Flights will be divided based on the number of teams participating - this is not a scramble format! Handicaps are not considered in the tabulation of the winners.

For more information on sponsorships and registration, contact Bill Powell at 988-5672 or bill@hooverchamber.org .

Gold Sponsorship - Six Players + Hole Sponsorship - $1000.00
Silver Sponsorship - Four Players + Hole Sponsorship - $750.00
Bronze Sponsorship - Two Players + Hole Sponsorship - $500.00
Power Pack - (2 Mulligans, 2 Raffle Tickets, One Putting Contest Putt) - $25.00

Regions Charity Classic Golf Tournament Coming Next Month! (This Article was for May 2009 Tournament)

The Hoover Chamber of Commerce has participated heavily since 2002 in supporting the Regions Charity Classic Golf Tournament, providing countless volunteers and sponsoring the Business After Hours held during the Pro-Am events of the Golf Tournament. We have committed to provide volunteers to serve as marshals on the 11th and 12th Holes of the Ross Bridge Robert Trent Jones golf course during the week of the tournament, with special activities during the two Pro-Am events, as well as during the actual 3-day Champions Tour Tournament.

The dates for 2010 are Wednesday, May 12 through Sunday, May 16. Over forty volunteers are needed to work some sixty 4-6 hour shifts during that period.

All volunteers will be required to pay $65.00, but the actual value of the volunteer package is over $400.00. Included in this package is the Regions Charity Classic Cap and Golf Shirt; six good-any-day passes for family and friends (worth $90.00); their own badge which serves as a pass for any of the seven days of the event; and meals for all shifts. For those who volunteer and work at least three shifts, a free round of golf for a "Volunteer Play Day" at Ross Bridge Robert Trent Jones golf course ($100.00 value) is included.

The Chamber will again host a "Business After Hours" event on Wednesday, May 13, at the AT&T SkySuite in the Hospitality Village, sponsored by AT&T Yellow Pages, Alabama Power, BB&T Bank, Fi-Plan Partners, and others. Tickets for the event, including a virtual smorgasbord of food, will be $15.00 each, (advanced ticket purchase required) including one drink ticket. The advance ticket includes admission to the Regions Charity Classic for the day.

$30.00 will be reimbursed for volunteers who work three shifts, or both weekend shifts as hole marshals on holes 11 & 12. There are two shifts to choose from for the Pro-Am Days of Wednesday and Thursday, but for the professionals-only days of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, there is one shift for each day.

Anyone interested in working the event as a volunteer may register on the Regions secure website by going to /stoneCMS/tools/cute-editor-6.0.7/CuteEditor_Files/www.regionscharityclassic.com/volunteer-package.php for complete information. This will lead you to a completely secure sign up page where you can enter your credit card information and order additional shirts, hats, etc. if you like. The reimbursement checks, of course, will be sent after the event, May 12-16, 2010.

(Anyone registering as a Hoover Chamber volunteer should designate Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce in the Club affiliation space on the form.)

Shown l-r, overall winners, Cook's Pest Control Team Robby Cole, Golf Committee Chair Dan Ellis, and Mark Barron won the 13th Annual Hoover Area Chamber Golf Tournament with a team score of 62. Both are members are Riverchase Country Club where the tournament was held, and both are scratch golfers or better.

The Thirteenth Annual Chamber Golf Classic, re-scheduled for September24, 2009 at Riverchase Country Club was a huge success! With over 118 golfers participating, it was held in perfect Chamber of Commerce weather!

The two-man, best-ball format is more popular than ever, with one particular change made this year in the individual awards that seemed to make everyone happy.

Instead of a long-drive contest that eliminates all but five or six participants, we had two straightest-drive contests. In a straight-drive contest, every golfer at least has some chance to win.

The overall winners in the First Flight were the team from Cook's Pest Control, Mark Baron and Robbie Cole, with a Team Score of 62. Second Place winners in the First Flight were from EMPAC, Inc., with a team score of 64; while Third Place went to the St. Vincent's Team of Brad Stein and Kenny Nezat with a score of 66. In each flight, identical prizes were awarded, with first place winners receiving Garmin GPS devices; second place winners receiving iPod Nanos; and third place winners receiving 24-volt reversible power hammer-drills.

In the Second Flight, First Place went to the Alabama Power Company Team of Emily Boles and Gary Hearn; Second Place to the Birmingham News Team of Robert Holder and Danny Harold; and Third Place to the AT&T Team of Matt Mayo and Earl Niven. All three winning teams in the Second Flight scored a 75. Ties were determined by scoring backward from the 18th hole scores.

In the Third Flight, First Place went to the First Southern Services Team of Jon Lord and Jim Scott; Second Place went to the Rocky Ridge Retirement Community Team of Gerry Gruen and Gary Archer; and Third Place to the American Osment Team of Joe DiBenedetto and Johnny Weirengo.

Individual Proximity Awards went to Robert Holder of The Birmingham News Team for Closest to the Pin on Number 3 with a tee-shot 6-½ feet from the pin. He also won this hole last year with a tee-shot 13 inches from the pin; to Brad Stein for Closest to the Pin on Number 12 (194 yards) with a tee shot four feet from the pin.

Straightest Drive Winners were UAB Medical West Team Member Daniel Drennen on Number 7, and Cook's Pest Control Team Member and overall winner Mark Barron on Number 10. Each individual winner won a $50.00 Gift Card donated by Michael's Steaks and Seafood.

Regions Charity Classic Golf Tournament at Ross Bridge.

Over sixty volunteers signed up for more than 1,000 hours at the Regions Charity Classic Golf Tournament at Ross Bridge in May, dozens as marshals on the two fairways adopted by the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Holes Eleven and Twelve. A few even helped as the Greater Shelby County Chamber adopted Hole Thirteen with their first year of involvement.

Shown here in a group shot before players arrived at our holes on Saturday morning are, left-to-right, Chamber Director Bill Powell, Hole Eleven Captain Joe DiBenedetto, Steve Schumm, Steve Nix, Randy Horden, Phyllis Scott, Chris Harper, Beau Lee, Josh Cornutt, Barry Cornutt, and Hole Twelve Captain John Kirkpatrick. Marshals not available for this photo were Chris Harper, Skip Earnest, Joe Thomas, Peggy & Bob Thompson, John Boeker, Joe Comer, Keith Culver, Ginnie Sue Hess, Dennis Lathem, Harrison Lowery, Pat Lozito, Collin Pharr, Debbie Rockwell, Buddy Spidle, and Tommy Vines. This photo was taken by Rhonda Pyatt, who also volunteered.

Shown here at the Regions Charity Golf Classic Hoover Chamber Business After Hours is the only two-time winner of the tournament, Brad Bryant, left, with Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos, and Brad's wife, Sue. Brad has attended the Chamber Business After Hours event for three consecutive years and considered it almost a good-luck charm, since he had won the tournament the first two times he attended. The After Hours events is one of the most popular events the Chamber hosts each year, and this year, held in the AT&T Sky Suite on the 18th Green, some 250 people were able to attend. The event this year was sponsored by Alabama Power Company, Allied Waste Services, Brookdale Place at University Park, Colonial Bank, Hoar Construction, and UAB Medical West.

Rotary Golf Tournament - Please click here.

Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce member golf courses include:

Public
Ballantrae Golf Club (Pelham) 620-4653 http://www.ballantraegolf.com/ <<....more
Highland Park Golf Course (Birmingham) 322-1902 www.honoursgolf.net/highlandpark

Robert Trent Jones (Oxmoor) 769-1308 http://www.rtjgolf.com/
Ross Bridge � Robert Trent Jones (Hoover)http://www.rossbridgeresort.com/

Private Country/Golf Clubs
Hoover Country Club 822-0647 http://www.hoovercountryclub.org/
Greystone Golf & Country Club 986-5120 http://www.greystonecc.com/

Riverchase Country Club 988-4140 http://www.riverchase.com/

Pelham's Ballantrae Golf Club � A Golfer's Paradise!

Ballantrae Golf Club, one of several public courses in the Hoover Chamber, opened in nearby Pelham in June 2004, with Championship-level quality and wide-open fairways. Ballantrae offers both memberships and public golf course packages. The length of the course, located just four miles east of Interstate 65, ranges from 5,000 to over 7,000 yards

Since Ballantrae Golf Club opened its greens to the public on June 1, 2004, many businesses, corporations and individuals have been enjoying the lush grounds. The beautiful new Ballantrae Golf Club features an 18 hole championship course designed by Bob Cupp, and the breathtaking scenery comes complimentary with each round. The hills and valleys are framed within a forest to create a picturesque and private setting for the challenging course. With that said, Ballantrae remains true to its original goal, to provide golfers with "World Class Greens - Working Class Fees." Head PGA Golf Pro Phillip Wright is no stranger to breaking in new golf clubs. He played a vital role in establishing The Capstone Club in Tuscaloosa, where he remained on staff for sixteen years.

According to Phillip, Ballantrae has exceeded his expectations. "We have had an amazing response thus far, and our membership sales have surpassed our goals. Many first-time visitors greet me with a 'wow' as they enter the club. We've heard nothing but positive comments, and the scenery, well, it's simply breathtaking. I'm just proud to be a part of it all." Brian Barker and Hal Brown serve with Phillip as assistant golf pros at the club. Ballantrae's "old-world clubhouse" resembles a Scottish manor house. The first floor features a fully-stocked pro shop, the Fireside Grill and Dining Room, as well as a locker room for club members to use. The second floor of the clubhouse serves as the new home office for the PGA Dixie Section. Executive Director, Dave Berry, has been with the PGA for seventeen years and says the Ballantrae site is just the scenario they've been searching for. "It's fabulous, a great arrangement for everyone involved," Dave said. Paul Andrewjeski, formerly GM at the Pelham Civic Complex, will serve as the director of the golf club.

"I look forward to this new challenge with the city, and I want to thank the mayor and council for having such confidence in me. I am grateful to Phillip Wright, our Golf Course Superintendent Gary Bush, and all those on staff for putting forth a great effort in making this a first-class facility," Paul said. Ballantrae Golf Club is located off Highway 11, at the end of Weatherly Club Drive. For membership information or to schedule a tee time, please call 620-Golf (4653).

Make plans now to visit Ballantrae - a golfer's paradise�and take advantage of all that the club has to offer.