The 27th annual Andrew Haley Memorial/Smith Mountain Lake Lions Junior Golf Tournament again welcomes girls and boys, ages 10 to 18. This year, the tournament begins on Monday, June 26, at The Waterfront Country Club and ends on Tuesday, June 27, at Mariners Landing Golf & Country Club.
Two days of 36 holes of stroke play tests all participants’ mental and physical abilities. Golfers who want to participate in the tournament register on line at http://haleylionsjrgolf.com. The entry fee of $75 ($70 before May 26) includes one practice round at each golf course. The junior golfers also receive personalized bag tags along with lunch each day and a sleeve of golf balls.
Monday, June 26, includes a longest drive contest and a putting competition at The Waterfront in Franklin County. Tuesday, June 27, sees the final 18 holes of golf and the awards ceremony at Mariners Landing in Bedford County. Tournament organizers award more than $3,000 in favors, trophies, plaques, and prizes to the top finishers.
All participants between the ages of 16-18 are eligible to receive either of two Andrew Haley Memorial college scholarships that are provided by the Haley family and friends. Golfers apply for these scholarships by submitting an application through the web site. Scholarship winners are announced at the awards ceremony.
The tournament typically attracts golfers from a wide region. In 2016, entrants included golfers from Maryland, North Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as 26 different localities in Virginia.
SML Lion Joe Brown is the tournament chair; Jody Brown handles record keeping and publicity. Joining him to prepare for the contest at Mariners Landing are Ric Heinemann, Kyle Johnson (golf professional), Greg Haley (superintendent), Doug Schmidt (club manager) and many volunteers.
At The Waterfront, Brown works with Ron Jamison, David McCartney, Tom Hofelich, Mark McKee (PGA, head professional), Read Harris (course superintendent), Paul Hassel (food services), The Willard Companies, and a large number of volunteers to handle the operations.
Individuals or businesses who want to be represented by hole sponsorship signs or acknowledged in the Tournament booklet should contact Lion Tom Smith at 297-3227 or Lion John Porter at kportsml@earthlink.net. This funds raising supports a wide variety of SML Lions service projects including four-year scholarships, transfer scholarships, and career and trades scholarships for Franklin County High School seniors.
