Hoteliers play golf for scholarships

The rain on Thursday, August 14, didn’t stop the Pigeon Forge Hotel & Lodging Association from successfully hosting their 7th Annual Golf Tournament. “Everyone came,” said Judy Ann Dial, PFHLA president. “All of our registered teams played. We’re real proud of the support we’ve received from our lodging and allied members, and from our sponsors. We also had a great volunteer committee.”Almost 200 hoteliers and friends braved the weather to play golf during two flights at the River Islands Golf Club in Kodak. “The more rain, the better,” stated Drake Grosser with Guest Supply. “When it was raining, then we were birding, and when it stopped raining, we were par. Thank God the rain came back again, and so did the birdies.”“We raised over $40,000,” said Ray Ogle, chairman of the golf tournament. “Ten thousand dollars will go towards scholarships. Five $1,000 scholarships will go to graduating seniors from Pigeon Forge High School who plan to study hospitality. Five more $1,000 culinary scholarships will be awarded through the Tennessee Hotel & Lodging Association. The balance of the money we raised will be split between the Boys and Girls Club and the hotel PAC (political action committee) fund, the majority going to the Boys and Girls Club. We’re trying really hard to help the Boys & Girls Club get a building in Pigeon Forge.”“This is an amazing tournament,” said Lila Wilson, special events director for the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, who came to help as a volunteer and to pick up pointers for a golf tournament she’s planning to host during next year’s Celebrate Freedom! festival. “They’ve got excellent prizes and great trophies. I think it’s safe to say that the Pigeon Forge Hotel & Lodging Association also knows how to offer hospitality on the golf course.”