June 2015

Driving Forces

Cape Cod Life  /  June 2015 / ,

Writer: Taylor Lange

Driving Forces

June 2015

Cape Cod Life  /  June 2015 / ,

Writer: Taylor Lange

On the first day of the event, June 28, a special golf clinic will be held free of charge for all veterans and military personnel with a barbecue to follow. “This is a very special day,” Errhalt says. “We have World War II veterans participate and currently active military who may be only 18. Together, they bond over golf and lunch regardless of their rank, or branch, or generation.”

The tournament itself is held Monday, June 29. Errhalt says one of the event’s unique attractions is the annual Putt for Dough competition, in which 10 participants putt for the chance to win $10,000. “The 10 individuals who are closest to the pin on one of our “Par 3s” are asked to make one putt from 50 feet at the conclusion of the event—with the entire field of golfers and friends watching from the patio,” Errhalt says. “If an individual makes the putt, he or she wins $10,000! Nobody has putted it in yet, but every year there is one that makes the whole group collectively gasp!”

The Vineyard Club

Photos Courtesy of the: Vineyard Golf Club

Over the years, Errhalt says the local community’s support for the tournament has been great, and many businesses and individuals have chipped in. One of the biggest backers has been Marty Shaevel, the owner of the club. “Mr. Shaevel has been very supportive of this effort to assist our local veteran community,” Errhalt says. “He donates the use of the golf club, including greens fees.” In addition, Errhalt says the tourney’s 150 slots always fill up and as a result, approximately $263,000 has been raised in just six years.

Errhalt says she is proud to be part of an organization that is so committed to giving back to the community. “I have been fortunate to see first-hand some of this impact,” she says. “The last two years, The TGC Fund has granted funds to the Military Support Foundation to provide an Easter egg hunt and party for the military children of Cape Cod at Joint Base Cape Cod. I have had the honor of being the Easter Bunny and saw the little happy faces of all the children who were treated to this special day.”

The cost of the tournament is $1,750 for a foursome. For more information, visit tgccc.com/tgc-for-the-troops.asp.

The CHIP’s House Golf Tournament

New Seabury Country Club—July 13

Upcoming golf tournaments to raise funds for Cape and Islands charities

Photos Courtesy of the: Vineyard Golf Club

The 23rd annual CHIP’s House Golf Tournament is held Monday, July 13 at the New Seabury Country Club in Mashpee.

“There’s a real nice feeling to the whole thing,” CHIP’s House  president, CEO, and co-founder, Roy Richardson says of the tourney. “The course is right on the ocean in New Seabury, there’s great service, and it’s a really great social event.”

The mission of CHIP’s House—an acronym for Cape Head Injured Person’s Housing—is to provide comfortable, community-based housing for individuals who have traumatic head injuries. Richardson says the facility was founded in 1994 with the goal of bringing an end to what he described as “institutionalized living arrangements,” where large numbers of disabled individuals are crowded into a large group facility.

Richardson’s son, Stephen, 47, has lived at CHIP’s House since it opened more than two decades ago. A former auto mechanic who loved cars, Stephen was seriously injured in a car accident when he was 18. His father says that after a period of hospitalization, Stephen was transferred to a head injury rehabilitation center where he stayed for eight years. “It became obvious,” Richardson says, “that he was going to be wheelchair-dependent, and not capable of self-preservation, and in need of round-the-clock personal care for a long period of time—if not forever.”

Taylor Lange

A resident of Boston and a native of Cummaquid, Taylor Lange has written a number of articles for Cape Cod LIFE in recent years including a piece on five great winter hiking areas on the Cape and Islands. When not working, Taylor enjoys skiing in Vermont or boating and fishing on the Cape.