The Ray Rice Memorial will be hosting their 28th annual Georgia State Amputee Golf Tournament on July 22-24 at The Club at Lake Sinclair.
The Ray Rice Sr. Memorial was formed in 1993 by the family of Roy Ray Rice Sr. Rice was a below knee amputee and an avid golfer who worked to form the first Georgia State Amputee Golf Tournament in the 1960’s and 70’s. The tournament would take place in Warm Springs until his death in 1987 and then the tournament was turned over to the family. In loving memory of Rice and his enjoyment of golfing, the family decided to continue the tournaments as a tribute to him.
“He (Ray Rice Sr.) loved to play golf. As a family, we decided that we could probably do the tournament in Milledgeville,” said Bill Eason, coordinator of the Georgia Amputee Golf Tournament and Ray Rice Memorial. “We talked to David Franklin, at the time who was the pro at the country club, and he supported the idea and helped us set up the first tournament in Milledgeville about 28 years ago.”
The tournament is open to amputees, their families and their friends to offer three full days of golf, food, prizes and fun. According to Eason, the tournament is one big reunion for amputees every year and helps to bring awareness to others that amputees are no different than anyone else.
“Amputees are just like everyone else,” said Eason. “This tournament allows people to see what they can do and they’re (the amputees) an inspiration because some of them have been through traumatic experiences and still get up and go each day.”
The tournament has two key golf events. The 4 Person Scramble is a tournament where everyone is put into teams of four. Each team has at least one amputee among their ranks. The tournament is an alternating shot golf session where everyone hits their best ball and then each person takes their best score.
“We ensure every team has at least one amputee because we want people to be able to interact with the amputees who sign up and it gives people an idea of what they go through to come out and play golf,” said Eason.
The Shotgun Tournament lets everyone shoot at once. This is referred to as receiving a shotgun start, hence the name of the tournament. Everyone will start at a different hole and by theory will finish at the same time.
“After the tournaments, we will have a cocktail party to announce award and prize winners,” said Eason. “All prizes are donated by the local community and we also received a Yeti cooler prize from Zschimmer & Schwarz.”
In addition to the donated prizes, the tournament awards a scholarship of $1500 to one approved applicant amputee or immediate family member of an amputee who played in the tournament. Applicants must be high school graduates and enrolled in an accredited technical school or college.
“Our scholarship is one of the largest things we do through the tournament,” said Eason. “Besides that, we gather every year for what feels like a family reunion and we all get together and play golf to have a big, fun time.”
Generally, the tournament has between 70-90 participants each year. This year 75-80 participants are signed up for Friday and between 50-60 participants will be taking part in the tournament on Saturday and Sunday.
“If there is an amputee out there that plays golf and wants to play, please, come Friday morning and we’ll put them on the golf team,” said Eason. “We want everyone to be able to participate.”
Eason thanks their sponsors, the Club at Lake Sinclair and the overall community for coming together to allow the return of the Georgia State Amputee Golf Tournament.