Houston County football hosts annual golf scramble

WARNER ROBINS Ga. — Monday, June 5 the Bears will take the field — but not in pads and helmets. They’ll trade in the football gear for some polo tees, visors and golf bags for their annual golf scramble.

The event will take place at Southern Landings Golf Club, and registration will begin at 11 a.m.; lunch will be held at 11:45 a.m. and golfing will start at 1 p.m.

“Right now we’re up to 23, 24 teams. So it’s a big turnout,” Head football coach Jeremy Edwards said. “We’ve still got some people trickling in, but it has grown. We went from 12 teams last year so it’s doubled. When you win people want to get more involved. We had a good season last year so we’re kind of feeling the momentum from that, but we’re still humble and hungry.”

A big theme for Edwards and the Hoco football program is family. That’s no different for this event.

“We do a lot of things [with] family with our program,” Edwards said. “During the season we have hot dogs with dads every Wednesday night. We have breakfast with moms on Thursday mornings. We do a moms clinic towards the end of May around Mother’s Day to give back to the moms. We don’t do a dads clinic so we do a golf tournament.”

“Now that doesn’t mean the entire tournament is just fathers. It’s for sponsors and folks that love golf,” Edwards added. “We do try to get the dads to come out and get more involved. We have quite a few who come and play.”

Though one of the main goals is to bring family together and reach out to the community, it’s also an opportunity for people to help support this budding program.

At the time of writing there were already 35 hole sponsors, and at $150 a piece that’s no small amount.

“It’s just an opportunity to show of your business and your support for Houston County Football,” Edwards said. “Everything we do from a fundraising standpoint goes directly to our kids.”

The proceeds directly fund things like team meals, protein shakes after workouts and equipment to help further the players’ physical health and performance on the football field.

“Every night [the kids] are going to eat with us from Tuesday through Friday. Whether it be a dinner or a breakfast,” Edwards said. “The only day they don’t eat with us is Saturday, Sunday and Monday. In addition to that we provide them with protein daily after workouts. Everything we do is to try and give our kids an experience similar to what they’re doing at colleges and universities across the nation.”

Monday will also kick off the Bears’ summer practices. So while donors and supporters are out playing golf, rest assured your Houston County Bears are hard at work on the field.

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