The smell of freshly mown grass filled the air as the sun shone down on the golfers dropping off their bags, grabbing some free coffee and doughnuts, and riding onto the Sand Creek Country Club golf course. Today, the Duneland Chamber of Commerce held their annual golf outing to support the meaningful impact they have on the surrounding community.
“We have about 94 golfers today,” said Beth Luncsford, Marketing Director of Duneland Chamber Commerce. “We just love this event because we get to see all of our members out on the course having a good time and networking.”
While members chitchatted about children going off to college, new job prospects, and other life events, they also were supporting their community.
“This is a big fundraising event for the Duneland Chamber, and we really just appreciate how our members come out to support us,” Luncsford said. “It’s a great way to support each other. It’s a cool event.”
Duneland Chamber of Commerce staff made sure that everything ran smoothly. Golfers purchased mulligans and were offered Jolly Ranchers as placeholders. Sand Creek Country Club staff offered shuttle service to and from bag drop-off and the course.
“Our mission is live, work, and play,” said Maura Durham, Duneland Chamber of Commerce President. “We organize quite a bit of the festivals and events that are in town and it also helps our operating costs.
Durham has been hosting this annual golfing event for four years but this was the first time that the Duneland team would be golfing.
“It’s kind of fun because we don’t usually get to take part in the events we organize,” Durham said. “It’ll be nice to gain a different perspective on what our golfers are enjoying and things we can improve.”
The Boys and Girls Duneland Club’s President, Ron Ranta, and staff helped to sponsor the event. The Club held a marshmallow drive where golfers who drove a marshmallow the farthest out of their group could win a Boys and Girls Club golf umbrella.
Durham and her team shared that these sponsors and participants are what make these events such a huge success.
“We really appreciate the golfers coming out today,” Durham said. “I know a lot of them are members and they bring business partners or clients. We really appreciate seeing a lot of these guys that are coming out and enjoying the day with us.”
You can learn more about the 2018 events hosted by Duneland Chamber of Commerce by visiting their website.