Inaugural Battlegolf tournament a smash hit
By TRAVIS BOLIN
Special to The Sun
Before the sun brightened the sky on Saturday morning, many volunteers were gathered at the Wakulla Sands Golf Course to prepare for the first-ever Battlegolf tournament.
There was a noticeable buzz in the air as golfers began to arrive at the course, ready to battle it out as part of the 32 team field that registered for the event.
Hosted by Battle14, a local faith-based, non-profit event ministry, this new and exciting style of golf tournament was held to raise money for Wakulla and Franklin county’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, also known as FCA.
Locally known for their ever-popular Battleball tournaments, Battle14 has now created a way to impact the community in a positive way through the wonderful world of golf. Battlegolf is a two-man scramble golf tournament that incorporates a unique style of scoring and a few strategic twists.
After hearing the rules, an awesome testimony, and a few words of encouragement, teams sped off in their golf carts to battle it out on the course.
The excitement continued to mount throughout the beautiful day on the Wakulla Sands golf course, reaching its pinnacle as the final scores were being reported around 2 p.m. that afternoon.
Two teams were tied atop the leaderboard and the crowd urged them to “battle it out” on the 18th hole. Once the smoke cleared, the 1st champions of Battlegolf, Morgan Hays and Stone Cowie (Team Complete and Putter Madness), were crowned. They took home the title belts and will have their names engraved on the Battlegolf trophy.
Adam and Casey Dodson (Team Dodson) were the runner-ups and absolutely battled it out to the very end.
The tournament truly ended with a bang and the buzz continued as teams left the course sharing stories about their first experience playing in this one-of-a-kind golf tournament.
“It was just a perfect day,” said local FCA Area Director Donny Bennett. “Everything went smooth and we are so thankful for all who came out and participated. As always, the best part of a Battle14 event is being able to share testimonies, encouragement, and the good news of Jesus Christ with so many people. We were also able to share a few stories about how important FCA is in our local schools and its daily impact on the lives of our students.
“I am truly blessed with all of the people that continue to support both of these awesome ministries,” said Bennett.
Battle14 plans to host at least two Battlegolf tournaments each year, along with six Battleball tournaments.
The local FCA organizations are actively impacting students at Wakulla High School, Riversprings Middle School, Wakulla Middle School, Wakulla Christian School, and Franklin County High School.
Both organizations are dependent on community support, partnership and donations, which help keep these non-profit ministries making a big difference in the community!
