Never let it be said golf isn’t a great way to raise a bunch of money for good causes in a hurry.
Century 21 Prospect Realty hosted its fourth Charity Golf Tournament at the Yellowknife Golf Club on June 10. Once all the loonies were counted and bills were paid, a total of $40,000 will be given to the NWT SPCA and Home Base Yk, with each getting $20,000.
Dwayne Simmons, one of Century 21’s realtors, said $40,000 was his target as the organizer of the 2022 event.
“That’s what I wanted this year,” he said. “We had some very generous donations near the end of the day to help get us up there, but I was determined to get to $40,000.”
A total of 96 players signed up to play. They went around the course in groups of four in a shotgun-style format, meaning every group teed off from a pre-determined hole and played their round from there.
“Six of the holes were doubled up because of the amount of people we had out playing,” said Simmons. “We were lucky that some of the club’s members allowed their personal carts to be used, so that ensured everyone had a cart and that the pace of play was good.”
Once the action on the course came to an end, it was into clubhouse for dinner and a silent auction, which raised approximately $7,000, said Simmons.
“(There were) lots of great prizes and that’s because of the generous business community we have here,” he said. “It’s been tough on businesses the last couple of years and especially now with the economy being rough. But we have the luxury of being one of the premier charity tournaments in the city and we can get donations from businesses before the big summer rush comes. They recognize the benefits of being a part of our event.”
The dinner included a live band, and that gave people a chance to mingle afterward, he added.
“You get some tournaments where you play, have dinner and it’s all over,” he said. “We wanted to give people a chance to stick around, enjoy some music, network a bit and we had a large group stick around until the late evening.”
The amount raised this year represents the biggest annual total yet. Last year’s tournament, held under pandemic restrictions, raised around $28,000 following a one-year absence because of Covid-19. The 2019 tournament saw a total of $36,000 raised.
“We’ve raised more than $100,000 overall for the community,” said Simmons. “I don’t have a crystal ball going forward but I think we can hit $40,000 next year.”