Orlando Golf

Timacuan Golf Club has been selected to host a PGA Pro-Pro Series tournament during the week of the annual PGA Merchandise Show.

The Pro-Pro Series will visit this Ron Garl/Bobby Weed-designed course on Tuesday, January 26. The Pro-Pro Series is comprised of several events during PGA Show Week, and PGA golf professionals choose a tournament that fits their schedule or course preference. Each event consists of two-man teams. PGA Magazine and PGA Golf Exhibitions are the Series' sponsors.

Orange County National is stepping up to support select Orlando area charities in their efforts to assist local families in need of food, clothing and shelter. With the effects of the recession taking a large toll on many central Florida residents, the need for this type of assistance is greater than ever. Five charities that perform outstanding work in this area have been selected to be recipients of the funds raised by OCN in this effort:

• Coalition for the Homeless
• Orlando Rescue Mission
• Orlando Sentinel Family Fund
• Second Harvest Food Bank
• St. Vincent DePaul Society – Holy Family Catholic Church

Michael Thompson knew exactly where he stood going into Thursday's final round of the NGA Hooters Winter Series event at Timacuan Golf Club - two behind the second-round leader Matthew Kohn. But even after shooting a 29 on the front 9, he wasn't sure where he stood when he teed it up on the tough 18th, the final hole of the 54-hole event.

"I didn't know at all. I do know that I was really nervous," said the 24-year-old Thompson.

Nerves or not, he drained a 16-foot birdie putt to finish off a nine-under-par 63 and what proved to be a five-shot victory. It was his first win after two years on the NGA Hooters Pro Golf Tour, and was worth $12,400 pushing him to the top of the Winter Series money list.

The Birmingham, AL, resident carded a three-day total of 18-under-par 198 and a five-stroke victory over Kohn (Maitland, FL), Robbie Greenwell (Georgetown, ON) and Zack Sucher (Loxley, AL).

Orange County National has partnered with the Laser Link Golf Company to include range finder yardage prisms on all of their hole flags on each of its two award winning courses, Crooked Cat and Panther Lake. They will also offer the most state of the art Laser Link Yardage finders in their golf shop for purchase.

"We are pleased to be able to offer an extra amenity to all of our guests," said Bruce Gerlander, general manager, Orange County National. "We boast about the added value benefits we offer all our guests, and want to go above and beyond other Orlando golf courses and show our guests the amount of value we offer at Orange County National."

Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge already offers state of the art on board GPS yardage through it's partnership with Parview Technologies. The addition of the Laser Link system is a benefit for the avid, skilled player who needs to know "exact to the hole" yardages.

Mystic Dunes Golf Club would like to invite golfers to swing into the holiday season at the 3rd Annual Holiday Invitational Golf Tournament on Sunday, December 6th. In the spirit of holiday giving, the four-person scramble golf tournament is again collecting unwrapped gifts for the Toys for Tots program.

Registration for the event will begin at 11:00 a.m. followed by a 12:00 p.m. shotgun start. The tournament will be followed by an awards banquet and dinner.

In a follow up to a previous news story we have learned the second annual Kitson & Partners Clubs/Orlando Magic Free Golf Day netted a donation of $10,772 to the Orlando Magic Youth Fund.

On Monday, July 27, four Kitson & Partner courses, including Timacuan Golf Club in Lake Mary, offered free golf while accepting donations to the Orlando Magic Youth Fund, a fund of the McCormick Foundation.

The 2009 Norma DiMarco Tee Up for Life event hosted by PGA Tour player Chris DiMarco announces the successful completion of this year's charity golf tournament at the Country Club at Heathrow on Monday, Nov. 2, where it raised more than $330,000 - bringing its nine-year total to more than $4 million.

Benefitting the American Cancer Society's Reaching Out to Cancer Kids, or R.O.C.K. Camp, as well as a variety of research initiatives, proceeds from the two-day event help send sick children and teenagers to Camp Boggy Creek in Orlando. Established in 1976 as the first camp for children with cancer in the U.S., the year-round R.O.C.K Camp offers participants an opportunity to experience the fun and adventure of summer camp without having to feel different from other kids.