Golfers in Aiken tournament look to help local vets 'bridge the gap' (2024)

Red, white and blue were sprinkled overWoodside Plantation's greens May 20, with the 15th annual Aiken Augusta Wounded Warrior Charity Golf Classic taking place in sunny, breezy conditions and providing some colorful moments along with about $65,000 in support for local military veterans and their families.

Golfer John Felak chose the word "outstanding" to describe the overall arrangement– one of Aiken County's biggest annual golf tournaments.

"The weather was perfect and the course was in great shape. The play moved very quickly, I thought," he said, acknowledging the organization needed to keep 236 golfers moving smoothly for more than four hours on two 18-hole courses.

Scott Singer, the tournament's chairman, noted that the event, over the course of its 15-year run, has brought more than $500,000 so far tohelp bankroll scholarships for veterans at Aiken Technical College and USC Aiken, with the concept of "bridging the gap." Support also goes to help provide a Christmas retreat for families atGravatt Camp and Conference Center.

Representatives of all three beneficiaries addressed the hundreds of golfers in the opening ceremony, expressing thanks for veterans' contributions in local life and offering an overview of programs to help "bridge the gap" for vets looking to take a forward step in education or in dealing with unwelcome after-effects of military service.

Comprising this year's top foursomes on the fairways were Gregg Hann, Steve Eichenberg, Ted Cain and Jack Clemmens; Jack Silday, Gene Godwin, George Kipp and Robert Taylor; Bill Blosser, Bill Humburg, Tom Hollowell and John Morelli; and Howard Bush, Ed Kopp, Jim Faulk and Greg Gullickson.

The event was "handled very smoothly," in the words of Rob Braithwaite, participating for the first time. "It was a fantastic turnout, and all attributable to the hard work of the organizers. It was fantastic," he said.

Air Force veteran Dick Chelchowski gave a similar review. "It was a great day, and the folks that sponsored it did a spectacular job," he said, expressing particular thanks for Chick-fil-A, Outback Steakhouse and Grumpy's Pub for their beverage support.

"Woodside did a spectacular job putting the whole event together," he said, adding "a great shoutout to all the volunteers that worked the event."

Singer noted that the tournament's volunteer corps numbered about 75, with USC Aiken – a beneficiary of scholarship support– providing some of the helpers.

Dale Haas added a personal exclamation point, bagging a hole-in-one on a 125-yard downhill challenge. The "exciting moment" was the ninth hole-in-one in the course of Haas' decades of golf, and he confirmed that he appreciated the occasion.

"We couldn't have asked for a more pristine day to play golf than we had today, ... It couldn't have been more special to me, because I lost a brother in Vietnam in 1968," he said, recalling Army veteran Ray Ira Haas.

Top sponsors of this year's festivities included the local Janney office (run by Singer, Jim Foley, Alex Vlahos and Pete Sampson), Murphy Auto Group, Silver Bluff Animal Hospital, Anchor Post-Acute and Physicians Service Group of South Carolina. Dozens of organizations and individuals sponsored specific holes.