Could you get up at 4 a.m. in the morning for a day of golf?
Now, after that first tee shot, imagine playing non-stop for until darkness settles in… could you meet the challenge?
That’s what Aberdeen Glen Golf Course is hoping to achieve as its assistant club professional Jessey Church is set to participate in the PGA of BC’s annual Golf-a-thon, an event that raises funds and awareness for ALS.
“It’s one of those things that affects a lot of Canadians,” says Church in an interview with PrinceGeorgeMatters as he gets ready to tee it up on June 26 from sunrise to sunset.
“I would like to see people get more informed on it. [...] The research centre is in B.C. too, so I think we should be helping out with that as much as we can. I hope to continue doing it, even if we raise only $500-$600, that’s still money for the cause.”
The PGA of BC has verified that this will be the first attempt at a full day’s worth of golf and fundraising by a Prince George course in the event’s history.
Since its inception, the organization has raised close to $2 million for ALS research.
Church says Aberdeen Glen’s goal is to raise as much as $5,000 for the ALS Society of BC, but believes the cause needs to be brought up in conversation more often as about 3,000 Canadians are currently living with the disease.
“I heard about it a couple years ago from a friend in Williams Lake, and it was something I wanted to do,” he explains, who’s worked for Aberdeen Glen for 15 years, his last five as the club’s assistant professional.
“It’s been a really good year staff-wise and for hosting tournaments, so with us having that time now available, I was able to do it [...] It’s one of those things that affects people that would go out and enjoy sports and that kind of stuff, so I feel that, as a golfing community, if we have the opportunity to help out with that kind of thing, then that’s what we should be doing. It doesn’t even matter if we only raise $1,000, as long as we’re raising awareness for it and helping people keep it at the forefront of their mind, that’s what we’re trying to do. ”
The Golf-a-thon is set to consist of nearly 30 PGA of BC pros across the province.
Church says his strategy is to keep going, while also respecting the COVID-19 public health guidelines and recommendations made by B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“The game plan is to get two rounds, hopefully start my third round before the public gets out there, so that puts me at about 6:30 or 7 a.m. Normally, there would be a staff member or someone else that goes out with you, but with the COVID-19 social-distancing rules and everything, we’re going to try to keep things as in-house as we can. Some foursomes who’ve booked a round for that day have said, ‘Hey, you can jump on with us for the round,’ and while I would’ve jumped at that to help spread the awareness, we don’t want to ignore the regulations.”
Church explains he’s reached out to a number of businesses, club members and local residents asking for donations and/or sponsorships to help raise funds for the ALS Society of BC.
He hopes to get eight to nine rounds of golf before the end of June 26.
For more information or if you wish to make a donation, you can contact Aberdeen Glen by visiting its website.
