Golf: Making the Turn – Vermilion Links Club continues efforts

Dan McDonald, the Advertiser, Aug. 3, 2016

The first goals have now been reached, but the Vermilion Links Club has a lot more in mind to help elevate the UL golf program.

A group of core supporters, many of them former Ragin’ Cajun players, first banded together in early spring to help get the program on solid footing in several different areas — financially, facility-wise and in its interaction with the Acadiana area.

The first of those has now been reached. David Church, one of the board members for the Vermilion Links organization, said this week that the group has reached its first target of 50 members pledging $5,000 each over the next five years.

“We officially have founding members,” Church said. “We’ve completed our commitment to the building fund from our 50 founding members, and now we can continue to drive support of Cajun golf through this program and other levels of commitment from the golf and alumni community.”

Some of the results of those efforts will likely start taking shape this fall. The approximately $250,000 raised by the Vermilion Links Club will supplement an original pledge from the Mosing family and make construction of a permanent facility for the team possible. That building, which will include offices, locker rooms and technology-loaded indoor hitting bays, will be located at Oakbourne Country Club if legal agreements between that club and UL become finalized.

Cajun golf coach Theo Sliman is hoping that happens sooner than later.

“It’s an overwhelming thing personally,” Sliman said, “to see the support that’s being poured into this program. Mr. Mosing, his father and family were the spearhead for this facility, and to see the Vermilion Links take off and just explode to enhance the facility, it’s pretty special to me both as a former player and now as the coach.”

If all legalities are finalized, construction could begin within the next couple of months and the team could potentially have use before the end of the 2017 spring season. That’s an ambitious goal, but everything that’s happened with the Vermilion Links group has been ambitious.

Consider that the group didn’t exist at the start of this calendar year, and now the Vermilion Links is already into “Phase Two” of a master plan to help the Cajun program. Plans are to attempt to fund an assistant coaching position, increase travel and recruiting budgets and supplement the equipment budget, while at the same time get more local involvement in the club and the Cajun program.

That “phase” unofficially starts later this month, when the club hosts its inaugural Jimmy “Chicken” Thomas Golf Classic on Monday, Aug. 29, at Oakbourne. The two-person scramble is open to all golfers and is a primary fund-raiser for the Links’ upcoming projects, but Church said its most important function is community involvement. Along with the funding level provided by the initial founding members, the Vermilion Links will announce plans for other membership levels during its upcoming tournament.

“We want to get other people involved in being Vermilion Links Club members down the road,” Church said. “We’ve tasked all of our founding members to invite a non-member to play and take part in all the activities, and we’re trying to contact former players from different eras to contact their teammates and talk to them about getting involved.”

The Thomas tournament is something long overdue, Sliman said.

“It’s fitting, because this is something that’s been on my mind and was on coach (Bob) Bass’ mind for a lot of years,” Sliman said. “It something that Coach Bass and I talked about when he passed the mantle to me, and it’s something that was near and dear to Mr. Jimmy’s heart. He was what the whole Vermilion Links Club idea is about … not just supporting the program, but supporting the players so they feel invested and stay in the community, and stay a part of the university and the program as they move on.”

That will start on the Sunday night prior to the tournament, when the club holds a dinner and social at 6:30 p.m. at Oakbourne. All Vermilion Links members and all tournament players are invited for a “meet and greet” with the 2016-17 Cajun squad, and the Cajun players will also be stationed around the Oakbourne course for the next day’s tournament which has an 11 a.m. lunch and a 1 p.m. shotgun start.

“It’s going to be an opportunity to get to know the players and coaches on a different level,” Church said. “We’ve also got plans for travel opportunities to college events, and offseason group travel will also be an option as we move ahead.”

The Thomas tournament has a $200 per person or a $400 per two-person team entry fee, and all monies raised go to the Vermilion Links’ efforts to financially assist the UL program. All 50 of the Links’ founding members may play at no charge, and more information is available from Church at dchurch@dartenergyservices.com.

Other support levels beginning as low as $100 will be announced during the tournament.

“So far, it’s been really well received by everyone,” Church said. “Everybody knows the current state of our oil and gas economy, and the Lafayette economy in general, so it’s taken us a little longer to start reaching our goals. But now we’re going to have different membership levels and anyone can join up and be a part of it, because we know how important it is for us to keep supporting Theo and the team going forward.”

“Making the Turn” appears each Wednesday from February-November in the Daily Advertiser. Clubs, courses and individuals with information about local golf events may email Dan McDonald, editorial director at Golfballs.com, at danmcdonald@cox.net, FAX to (337) 857-8763 or call (337) 857-8754 and leave a message with phone number.