While the weather Monday morning was gloomy and overcast, that didn't stop Dawson County Chamber of Commerce members and friends from showing up to golf.

The chamber held its 18th annual golf tournament at Chestatee Golf Club, beginning with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.

"We were really excited to have our tournament this year at such a beautiful golf course," said Christie Haynes, chamber president. "We were a little nervous about the weather, but it held off and ended up being a great day."

The annual tournament is a long-held tradition of the chamber. It provides the opportunity for local business leaders to interact or entertain clients in a relaxed atmosphere on a championship course.

"What we love about our golf tournament is that it's a great time for business leaders in our town to come together, but in a way that's a little more social and fun. You can build some great business connections out here on the golf course.

The event was sponsored by Northside Hospital -Forsyth. Entrance fee included breakfast, practice range, awards lunch, green fees, cart and a gift bag.

While the weather looked like it was going to be "a bit of a downer," according to Haynes, nearly 80 people showed up for the tournament.

"We had a great turnout. We had 21 teams and a great number of players," she said. "We saw a lot of new faces and also some loyal faces, so it was a great mix - lots of new connections to make."

The chamber holds the tournament each year to help raise money for the organization.

"We do everything we can to take the burden off of our members when it comes to financial matters," Haynes said. "This golf tournament is one of our main events to ensure financial stability to our organization and to make sure we can continue to provide for our members."

Additional sponsors included: Medical Plaza 400, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta-Forsyth, Dawsonville Gun & Pawn, Bojangles and the University of North Georgia.