PRINCEVILLE — A four-person scramble on a beautiful North Shore golf course should be reason enough to register for the second Patriot Golf Day.
But if you need a few more reasons, here they are: prizes, lunch, a chance to meet some veterans, and honor the families of fallen vets.
“We’ll have the American flags flying high that day,” said Doug Sutter, general manager of the Princeville Makai Golf Club.
The tournament is set for Saturday, Oct. 12. It’s $140 a player. The lunch at the Makai Grill will be the perfect time to “talk about all those great golf shots you hit out there,” Sutter said.
It benefits Folds of Honor, an organization that provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members.
Last year’s inaugural Patriot Golf Day attracted about 70 participants, and organizers are hoping to attract even more this year.
“We have great golf on the island,” Sutter said. “When we do host a special event like this, we hope golfers come together and support a great cause.”
The course, as usual, is in great shape, and the greens are beautiful, he said. Depending on which tees are played from, the course ranges from about 6,100 to 7,200 yards.
“Those six oceanfront holes are waiting for people to come enjoy them,” Sutter said.
Sutter heard about Folds of Honor and met its founder and CEO, Maj. Dan Rooney, when Rooney stayed on the North Shore and played the Makai course.
“Ever since then we’ve supported the foundation,” Sutter said.
The Patriot Golf Day tourney is important to Sutter and staff for many reasons.
“We have some veterans on our team. I think everyone in the world, especially in the United States, has a veteran that’s in relation to them. So our team, we wanted to come up with an event to honor them.”
“We love running golf tournaments,” he added. “It’s a passion of ours. Why not do it for a good cause?”
“Princeville Makai Golf Club fully supports Folds of Honor, and it comes with great pride to know that there are 18 scholarship recipients in Hawaii alone who receive almost $100,000 in financial aid,” according to a statement.
Some veterans are expected to play, and there might be veterans at some of the par 3 holes to greet golfers, “so people can shake their hands.”
“It’s just going to be a great time,” Sutter said. “We’re all about having some fun out there.”
To register: pgd19.golfgenius.com
Info: Lindsay 651-5259 or iwaller@troon.com
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
