By Kayce Patton
Purgatory Golf Club will be holding its World’s Largest Golf Outing event Aug. 1 to give back to those who serve.
Purgatory Golf Club’s management, Billy Casper Golf, created the event in 2011 to help injured veterans and their families. The organization will hold this event at 140 courses on the same day, and Purgatory Golf Club was a part of the team that raised more than $3 million in five years.
Last year, 12,397 golfers teed it up at 132 courses in 28 states and raised a record $1,024,287 for injured veterans and their families.
The event gives its proceeds to Fisher House Foundation, which provides free, temporary lodging for military families to be near loved ones receiving critical medical care at major military and VA medical centers.
Purgatory Golf Club Food and Beverage Assistant Manager Kelli Ondrovic and her son, Nikolas Shannon, discovered Fisher House Foundation while he was stationed overseas.
Ondrovic said with 70 houses in operation across the world, Fisher House has served more than 277,000 families since 1990 and saved them more than $320 million in lodging and travel expenses.
“It’s simply stunning the support they provide to families in their toughest times,” Ondrovic said. “Our veterans need to be surrounded by the love and support of their family when they return from the battlefield. Fisher House is making that happen every day.”
Entry fee includes a $10 per player donation to Fisher House Foundation, green fee, shared cart, range balls, lunch, WLGO gift bag and local prizes.
Also, all registered golfers will be entered into a grand-prize drawing to win a trip for four to the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Ore., for custom club fitting, and the highest national fundraising team will win a trip for four to Destination Kohler, site of the 2020 Ryder Cup.
Ondrovic said all teams were encouraged to raise additional funds outside of the automatic $10 donation. She said the WLGO is about giving back and having a little fun doing it.
“Simply put, Fisher House Foundation provides peace of mind to military families across the country,” she said. “Knowing that an organization has your back should anything happen to your loved one serving in the armed forces is an incredible feeling.”
On the day of the event, registration begins at 8 a.m. To register online, visit bit.ly/2a11A0n. Cost is $79 for a single golfer, $158 for a twosome and $316 for a team of four. All golfers are welcome to participate, and there is no USGA handicap required.
