MyTurn
by JIM DUCIBELLA
Holliday’s Charity
Tournament Defying Odds
C
40
Staunton River High School graduate Cassidy Chambers was awarded a $30,000 scholarship for her
exceptional academics, athleticism and community service.
days are more inclined to say, ‘What am I
after that, they began giving door prizes to
getting out of it? Other than the cause, is
every participant, 288 of them.
this worth me playing in?’”
“It could be anything,” English said,
Two factors have been crucial to the
“from strawberry pies to balls to golf bags.”
Holliday’s uncommon success: finding
The Holliday people studied other tour-
sponsors and knowing when to turn over
naments. They decided they didn’t want to
the reins and embrace other—code for
copy them. English once had beach music
younger—strategies.
piped throughout the course, and started
The Holliday was lucky. A former schol-
calling it “a party within a golf tournament.”
arship winner offered to get involved. He
Others wanted in on the action, and
was put in charge. Employed by a finan-
asked the Holliday for help. They obliged,
cial firm, he recruited some buddies to
but suddenly, there were so many tour-
pitch in.
n a ment s a nd s o m a ny
English admits he didn’t
courses occupied, English
agree with everything they
said, that regulars couldn’t
did, like jacking the entry
play their home course
fee from $85 to $125 now.
on a Saturday morning.
English’s group once fea-
Players beca me bit ter,
tured 38 annual sponsors
and selective.
– Jerry English
at $1,000 each. The young-
“ I f you r son’s L it t le
er guys increased the cost
League team or your church
to $1,500.
is having a golf tournament,
“I’ve got to admit, what they’ve done
you’re probably going to play in it,” English
has worked,” he said.
said. “At some point you say, ‘Well, there’s
Finally, Holliday organizers tell their
five tournaments, and I only want to play
entrants they don’t care who wins, or
two of them.’ The other three are left out.”
by how much. They can blow away the
English has a litany of reasons events
competition. The field is flighted, and the
falter. College football kicks off earlier each
winners all get the same prizes.
year. There are 56-inch HD TVs to watch in
“We say, ‘We’re all about scholarships,’”
comfortable man caves. In Indian summer,
English said.
it’s too hot. In early fall, too cold.
Whatever they say, one figure speaks
“Those are some of the little factors that
loudest: $30,000.
come into play,” English said. “People these
V IR GINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER/ O CTOBER 2018
“We’re all about
scholarships.”
vsga.org
assidy Chambers is a lucky young
lady. In late May she learned that
she had been selected to receive a
four-year, $30,000 Don Holliday Memorial
Scholarship that she will take to college
this fall. A graduate of Staunton River
High, Chambers’ outstanding grades, ath-
letic prowess and community involvement
made her a worthy choice.
What’s lucky about it is that there’s still
a Don Holliday Memorial Scholarship
around for her to receive.
Believe it or not, the number of charity
golf tournaments is dwindling. They’re
being squeezed by an outrageous amount
of competition.
According to peertopeer.com, there are
more than 100 types of charity fundrais-
ers. They range from baby showers (for
UNICEF’s World Baby Shower) to boxing
(Haymakers for Hope) to the Nun Run 5K
(Little Sisters of the Poor).
In April, a well-known tournament in
Portsmouth—founded the same year as
the Holliday, 1986—was getting ready to
add to the more than $250,000 in schol-
arships it has distributed. In May, orga-
nizers announced the 2018 event was
canceled due to lack of participants.
Jerry English, one of the founders of
the Holliday Memorial, said recently
that it is the only tournament in the
Roanoke Valley that still raises money
for scholarships. Other former tourneys
still present scholarships but do so from
their reserves.
English recently provided some insight
into the extremes the Holliday Memorial has
gone to keep its tournament healthy for more
than three decades. It’s not a slam-dunk
roadmap for success. If you’re not careful,
and lucky, there are potholes and hairpin
turns that can easily throw you off course.
Eight men formed the tournament in
honor of Holliday, a district sales manager
for Piedmont Airlines. The debut event
was for individual players, cost about $40
to enter and they turned players away. The
next year, they doubled the field. The year