What could be a better way to spend your Saturday night than smacking a few balls around the golf course? Smacking a few glow balls around the Bradshaw Ranch Golf Course at the first Glow Golf Tournament in support of the American River College women’s golf team .
For a $50 green fee, participants receive dinner, water and soda, a nine-hole round of golf, glow stick and one glow ball.
The game is played in the dark, but participants must wear the provided glow necklaces so they can see one another on the course, according to Gary Johnsrud, manager of Bradshaw Ranch.
“Then everyone has a … glow golf ball with a one-and-a-half inch glow stick you insert in it … (making them) real easy to see,” said Johnsrud.
There will be six-inch glow sticks on the tee boxes and glow sticks on the pins on the green and inside the cups. Flashlights are encouraged.
The water elements are taken out of play during night golf, but golfers who tend to sink their balls anyway may purchase additional balls.
Participants also receive a goodie bag filled with swag from local businesses.
Golfers will play the course with a “shotgun” style start. All teams will start play at the same time at different holes and work their way through all nine holes of the course to finish around the same time.
This helps the game progress more quickly than if teams had to wait for players with large handicaps to finish a hole before moving on. It also gives players who are new to the game an opportunity to participate in a worthwhile cause.
There will be a putting contest and a raffle with prizes including green fees for a foursome at Haggin Oaks, a putter, gift certificates to Sterling Bridges and The Cricket and several food items, according to athletic coordinator Raye Maero.
Glow golf is a popular fundraiser for many different types of organizations, from Boy Scout troops to soccer teams.
“We do 20 of them a year,” said Johnsrud.
The deadline to register for the glow golf tournament was April 23.
Contact Maero at (916) 484-8281 for more information.
