AUBURN - More than 400 people showed up at the Auburn Holiday Inn for the 15th annual Hotel Miniature Golf Tournament sponsored by the Cayuga County United Way.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Helen Mahony, of the Literacy Volunteers of America Inc. team, reacts to making her shot at the United Way of Cayuga County-sponsored miniature golf tournament, Wednesday afternoon.
Helen Mahony, of the Literacy Volunteers of America Inc. team, reacts to making her shot at the United Way of Cayuga County-sponsored miniature golf tournament, Wednesday afternoon.
The tournament gave teams a chance to raise money for the United Way while competing for the top score, best costume and best team name prizes. Teams also got to vote for the best designed miniature golf hole.
Local businesses and organizations joined up with United Way partners to sponsor and create unique, theme-based holes. The YMCA joined forces with Nucor Steel to build a soap box derby golf hole promoting the YMCA's race on May 24, while manufacturer Schott North America Inc., and Unity House had a fiber optic-light theme hole that included two fake water traps. Teams enjoyed popcorn and drinks as they worked their way through the 19-hole course while showing their support for the United Way's cause
“It's a great benefit,” miniature golfer Joe Odrzywolski said. “It's great to support the (United Way) when they give back so much to the community.”
The United Way oversees a countywide fundraising campaign and distributes all the money they raised to qualifying organizations such as the YMCA. Cayuga County United Way Executive Director Gail Homick said the tournament was organized as a fun event to kick off the 2008 fundraising campaign.
And with registration costing $50 for a team of four people, the event usually raises around $5,000.
To make things more convenient for the teams and the organizers, Honeywell International supplied an electronic score-keeping system to eliminate the need for paper. Last year's event introduced the new system which uses bracelets supplied to each team to wirelessly update scores in real time. The scores were then updated and displayed instantaneously in the hotel's ballroom allowing teams to view the most recent team leader board.
“It saved a lot of time in computing scores since [the system] does it automatically,” said Erik Todeschini, who wrote the software for the score-keeping program. “This way people can see what they have to do to get in the lead.”
But the event was not just about winning, it was also about having fun.
“We just shoot and go,” said Mike Bennett, a team member for Average Joe's from the Seneca Falls Savings Bank.
“This hole looks pretty fun, or at least very entertaining,” Bennett said as he volunteered to jump rope for his team.
Bennett was talking about the A&M Vacuum and Cayuga Home for Children hole, which required teams to work together to finish the hole successfully.
One person would putt, while the other three worked a Hula Hoop, yo-yo and jump rope all at the same time.
Anyone who messed up one of the three activities would add a stroke onto their team's overall score.
But whether it's their first tournament or 15th, the fun atmosphere and worthy cause is enough to bring teams back year after year for another round of miniature golf.
“This is a lot of fun,” said Deb Rourke, who was attending her first tournament. “We will be back next year for sure.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
Local businesses and organizations joined up with United Way partners to sponsor and create unique, theme-based holes. The YMCA joined forces with Nucor Steel to build a soap box derby golf hole promoting the YMCA's race on May 24, while manufacturer Schott North America Inc., and Unity House had a fiber optic-light theme hole that included two fake water traps. Teams enjoyed popcorn and drinks as they worked their way through the 19-hole course while showing their support for the United Way's cause
“It's a great benefit,” miniature golfer Joe Odrzywolski said. “It's great to support the (United Way) when they give back so much to the community.”
The United Way oversees a countywide fundraising campaign and distributes all the money they raised to qualifying organizations such as the YMCA. Cayuga County United Way Executive Director Gail Homick said the tournament was organized as a fun event to kick off the 2008 fundraising campaign.
And with registration costing $50 for a team of four people, the event usually raises around $5,000.
To make things more convenient for the teams and the organizers, Honeywell International supplied an electronic score-keeping system to eliminate the need for paper. Last year's event introduced the new system which uses bracelets supplied to each team to wirelessly update scores in real time. The scores were then updated and displayed instantaneously in the hotel's ballroom allowing teams to view the most recent team leader board.
“It saved a lot of time in computing scores since [the system] does it automatically,” said Erik Todeschini, who wrote the software for the score-keeping program. “This way people can see what they have to do to get in the lead.”
But the event was not just about winning, it was also about having fun.
“We just shoot and go,” said Mike Bennett, a team member for Average Joe's from the Seneca Falls Savings Bank.
“This hole looks pretty fun, or at least very entertaining,” Bennett said as he volunteered to jump rope for his team.
Bennett was talking about the A&M Vacuum and Cayuga Home for Children hole, which required teams to work together to finish the hole successfully.
One person would putt, while the other three worked a Hula Hoop, yo-yo and jump rope all at the same time.
Anyone who messed up one of the three activities would add a stroke onto their team's overall score.
But whether it's their first tournament or 15th, the fun atmosphere and worthy cause is enough to bring teams back year after year for another round of miniature golf.
“This is a lot of fun,” said Deb Rourke, who was attending her first tournament. “We will be back next year for sure.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
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