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Business leaders gather for chamber golf tourney
4 Golf Tourney pic
Team Fred Reed paid extra to dress as women in order to play from the ladies tees during the Dawson County Chamber of Commerces annual golf tournament. - photo by David Renner Dawson Community News

Dawson County Chamber of Commerce members spent Monday on the fairways of Crystal Falls Golf Course.

The chamber held its annual golf tournament at the scenic golf course and lake. Sixteen teams comprised of more than 60 people teed off at 9:30 a.m. to see who could get the lowest score.

"We had a good number of new players this year," said Chamber of Commerce President Christie Haynes. "It's always fun to see new faces."

Haynes said the tournament gives business leaders in the community a chance to get together in a less rigorous environment.

"It's definitely a fundraiser, but it's also great networking for the people of the community," she said. "It's one of the few times they get to relax and just spend some time on the course without having to worry about being in a more enclosed atmosphere."

Groups come in different sizes, with some preferring long-standing teams while others take a gamble at their partners.

"Some people register together, but we also take individual players and group them up to put teams together," Haynes said. "A lot of people will play with the same people for years and then some like to mix it up."

One example was County Attorney Joey Homans' team.

"We had a couple of guys that had to drop out, but we picked up two more, so we got to make some new friends," he said.

Prizes were given for lowest net score, lowest gross score, the closest to hole putting contest and the longest drive.

Taking first place in overall gross points was Carla Boutin's State Farm team. First place net was Northside Hospital-Forsyth's team. Awards for individuals went to Bruce Howerton for closest to the pin, Todd Buckner for longest drive and Zach Moore for the putting contest.

"My favorite hole is the ‘Dress in Drag' hole. Our men pay extra to put on women's clothes," Haynes said. "Then they can take their shot from the ladies' tee. Since its closer, it actually is a pretty big benefit."

Overall, the participants enjoyed golfing in the fall weather.

"It was great. We had a lot of fun," Homans said "I've played in this one every year. I think we're in the middle of the pack this year. We always are."