Golfers prep for annual tourney, Celina Record

Golfers prepare to tee off at annual Celina Main Street tournament Lisa Ferguson, lferguson@starlocalmedia.com May 8, 2016 Fingers are crossed for good weather Monday when the 23rd annual Celina Main Street Golf Tournament is scheduled. The 2015 event was postponed until last November after heavy spring rains plagued the area. The tournament, a fundraiser for Celina Main Street, this year will be played at The Bridges Golf Club in Gunter. The venue is new for the tournament, which has been played in past years at courses in Frisco, McKinney and, most recently, Prosper. The decision to move the event this year was made after volunteer members of the organizing committee recommended the relocation to the Celina Main Street Advisory Board, explained Main Street Director Bridgette Bise. Bids went out to four area golf courses, she said, and The Bridges got the nod. “We’re excited to go to a new course and try it out,” Bise said. “It’s a beautiful course and I think people are really going to enjoy it.” Despite the change of location, the tournament will stay largely the same. Up to 36 teams of four players will play 18 holes. Players can partake in a Bloody Mary bar before teeing off and will be served gourmet hot dogs followed by a barbecue dinner. Golf-related contests will be held throughout the event, which will also feature a silent auction and awards presentation. Most of the teams are comprised of or sponsored by corporations and others “who are doing business in Celina,” Bise said, including construction, engineering and investment firms and residential developers, among others, who pay $700 per team to play in the tournament. The event “is a fun way to host the people that [the city does] business with,” Bise said. “They all step up and know that this is going toward a great cause.” A team from Herrin Realty in Celina has played in the tournament for several years. Broker Buddy Minnett this year also sat on the event’s organizing committee. “It’s always fun,” he said. “It’s really about getting together and spending time with folks. At the end of the day, you don’t pay as much attention to the scores as you do just having a good time.” Since 2006, up to $30,000 of the funds raised each year through the golf tournament have been used mostly to pay the city’s debt service for the construction of the pavilion built on the downtown square. However, the final payment was made following the November tournament. Going forward, funds raised will be earmarked for use on other events and projects set to take place downtown. “That’s why people are moving to Celina,” Bise said, noting that there are at least 27 events scheduled to take place on the square this year, with more in the works for 2017. “It’s very important to keep your square growing,” she said. “This is where the heartbeat of our community starts, in our downtown square, and we want to keep that functioning and thriving.” Follow the Celina Record on Twitter @celinarecord.