ATHOL — When the sun went down and everything went dark, dozens of golfers took to Ellinwood Country Club of Athol for its annual “Glow in the Dark Golf” event Friday night.
“I’m excited, everyone is saying they’re having a great time,” said Ryan Whelpley, who put together the event along with Vicki Johnson. “It’s a lot of work but in the end it’s worth it for me.”
At roughly 8:30 p.m., golfers began playing the final five holes of Ellinwood Country Club in the complete dark. Golfers went out in foursomes in scramble fashion, with each golfer taking a shot from the tee box and the foursome playing the best shot of the group. They then got in their carts and drove down pathways lit up by neon glow sticks. Golfers used Night Flyer golf balls that lit up in neon colors such as green, orange and purple.
“This experience is great,” said one golfer, Kevin Kaczmarczyk. “I’ve grown up, since I was a little kid, playing with my grandfather and grandmother up here. Then to be able to grow up into adults and be able to play here, it’s fantastic. It’s a great event. You get everybody out, wives, families, everybody playing, it’s a good event.”
Club Champion Nelson Leadbetter hits a shot from the fairway during Glow in the Dark golf at Ellinwood Country Club pic.twitter.com/tvwV4btHvM
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It was the third year the golf course hosted the event.
When golfers got to the greens, each flagstick was lit up almost like a Christmas tree, with lights going up the pole.
“It’s fantastic, it’s what it’s all about,” said Kaczmarczyk about having everything lit up. “Good times and people getting together. You go out and you whack the ball and you go find it.”
Setting up the golf course for the event took several days while the lighting of the course took about two hours, according to Johnson. Whelpley booked a DJ for the event’s “glow dance” portion and organized raffle prizes. Johnson set up a beer tasting from the golf course’s beer distributor, Girardi Distributors of Athol, for all participants. Girardi Distributors distributed the beer for free.
“They are so good to us,” said Johnson. “Anything I need, they give us stuff all the time.”
Whelpley created the event to bring members and players together for a more social event at the golf course. Whelpley and Johnson said the event has improved every year.
“This has been our best one so far,” said Whelpley.