The 24th annual Triple Crown Golf Classic, which has a $10,000 hole-in-one prize, has plenty of room for more golfers. The tournament, which benefits Helping Hands Inc. and the Tri-Development Center, will be played Monday at Woodside Plantation Country Club, 1000 Woodside Plantation Drive.

Ron Jones, the chairman of the tournament committee, has been helping organize the tournament for the past 12 years.

“This tournament brings the golfing community together in Aiken to assist these two wonderful agencies,” he said during a recent committee meeting. “It’s a lot of fun and a lot of prizes, but it’s not so much about the winning as it is the enjoyment of the game of golf and helping others.”

Sponsors include Chick-fil-A, which will provide lunch, and Outback, which will provide dinner. The Triple Crown Golf Classic Committee is sponsoring a prize of $10,000 for a hole-in-one. Jones said he hopes to see a large number of women playing in the Women’s Division, which is sponsored by Women of Woodside.

“I’m looking forward to the comradery between the golfers, and watching everybody have a good time,” Helping Hands CEO Carmen Landy said. “We are excited about having former golfers come back and see each other and also to see new supporters come in. We just want everybody to have a fun time and to enjoy the club and the beautiful courses.”

Founded in 1973, Helping Hands is a private, nonprofit organization for child victims of abuse, abandonment and/or neglect. The Tri-Development Center works to help children and adults with disabilities, along with their families.

Tri-Development Executive Director Ralph Courtney is looking forward to “everyone having a good time in an effort to assist people with disabilities and to see the people served by Tri-Development and Helping Hands having a good time in their lives as well.”

Appeared on Aiken Standard