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Golfers will be using more than clubs in this tournament

Participants will be playing with everything from a lacrosse stick to a rugby ball in upcoming Whack the Rock Golf Fundraiser.
NEWS-Games golf
Darren Stuber gives a softball a ride off the tee box at Crystal Ridge Golf Club on Aug. 17. The 2023 Alberta Summer Games director was plotting out specialty shots using sports equipment for the upcoming Whack the Rock Golf Fundraiser.

Even the most experienced golfer is unlikely to have stood on the tee box and reached into their bag for a lacrosse stick or a baseball bat. Few have been in the fairway, checked yardage and then pulled out a football or volleyball. 

That’s exactly what golfers will face next month in the Whack the Rock Golf Fundraiser, a golf tournament with a twist in support of the 2023 Alberta Summer Games. 

Set for Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Crystal Ridge Golf Club, the nine-hole tourney will feature one specialty shot per hole using equipment from the 14 sports that will be contested at the Games, which are being held in Okotoks and Black Diamond next July. 

Darren Stuber, director of Friends of the Games, was at Crystal Ridge Aug. 17 to plot out a specialty shot for each hole, experimenting with everything from a kayak paddle to a rugby ball, in a bid to create a challenge for tourney participants as well as awareness for the Games. 

“We were going to throw a baseball for the second shot on No. 7 but I actually threw it in the water so we decided to do a basketball lay-up instead. We don’t want to be losing a pile of baseballs in the water,” Stuber joked. 

He said people will have a lot of fun trying out the various sports, which will give them a taste of what the athletes at the Summer Games will experience.  

“Maybe you played one or two or three sports, but you probably didn’t play all nine,” Stuber said. “There's going to be stuff for most people that they’ve never done and that’ll be a challenge on its own, let alone putting that on a golf course.” 

Beyond the specialty shot on each hole, foursomes will play regular golf in a best ball format. 

The tourney will be a 1 p.m. shotgun start and the field is limited to 18 foursomes. After the round will feature a baron of beef or chicken dinner, prizes, entertainment and a silent auction. 

Entry fee is $180 per person or $648 for a foursome. Registration can be done at 2023asg.com. To volunteer, sponsor or donate an auction item, email [email protected]

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