Golf: Making the Turn – Labor Day means golfing for a cause – Bill Bass Open – Thomas Classic Moved

Dan McDonald, The Advertiser, Aug. 30, 2016

Bill Bass Open

Save the date … with the arrival of football season, the Bill Bass Open won’t be far behind.

UL’s annual Homecoming golf tournament returns to provide local golfers and Ragin’ Cajun fans the opportunity to play golf one day before the annual Homecoming game and help raise funds for the UL golf program at the same time.

The tournament is set for Nov. 4, one day before the Ragin’ Cajun football team takes on Idaho in the annual Homecoming game, and provides a unique opportunity for local golfers to meet and interact with members of the UL squad.

The four-person scramble event features availabilities for morning and afternoon shotgun starts, with play beginning at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the two waves. Registration begins 90 minutes before each tee time, and lunch will be served after play for the morning wave and before play for the afternoon session.

Snacks and beverages will be available on the course, and there will also be special “Homecoming” holes in play throughout the round.

This year for the first time, RCAF members will get a bonus, with those members paying a $125 entry fee per player. Regular entry fee is $150 per player or $600 per team. Players may make up their own four-person team or may enter as individuals to be paired up on teams, and a team handicap index will be used so that all players have a chance at the Cajun-themed prizes that go to winning squads.

Entry forms will be available soon at local courses and golf outlets as well as several UL locations. Forms will also be mailed out to RCAF members in that group’s September mailing, and forms and information are also available by calling (337) 857-8754. An online form will also be available in the near future at www.ragincajuns.com.

Thomas Classic moved

The Vermilion Links Club, the recently-organized fund-raising group to support the Ragin’ Cajun golf program, had hoped to hold its Jimmy “Chicken” Thomas Classic this weekend. That, of course, was before the flood waters inundated the Oakbourne course and washed out next Monday’s scheduled date.

The event has been rescheduled for Sept. 26 with the same time and schedule of events. The two-person scramble is open to all golfers and is a primary fund-raiser for the Links’ upcoming projects, and the Vermilion Links will announce plans for a newly-created membership tier during the tournament.

Activities will begin Sept. 25, 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.

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. Tournament coordinator David Church said that players who had previously entered do not have to enter again, and that other players may enter up until Sept. 21. More information on the event is available from Church at dchurch@dartenergyservices.com

Softball golf

UL’s softball team will hold its annual fundraiser golf tournament on Oct. 3, at The Wetlands, with the four-person scramble raising funds for the program. The event has a 1 p.m. shotgun start and entry fee is $125 per individual or $500 per team, with sponsorships also available beginning at $150 and a silent auction also available.

Information on registration and sponsorships is available from Bobby Neveaux at 884-2345 or at bneveaux@yahoo.com. Information is also available from the softball office at softball@louisiana.edu.

“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.