Sponsored by several businesses, churches, and private individuals with the aim of supporting the college, the first ever Luther Classical College Open raised nearly $10,000 for the college.
Aside from the good cause and the good company, the morning of August 11 proved to be a great time for golf. After Casper experienced a heatwave in the 90s, ten teams of four golfers apiece arrived at the beautiful Three Crowns Golf Club under a friendly canopy of clouds with no wind and a projected high in the mid-80s. With a 9 a.m. start time, golfers trickled into the parking lot an hour before. They headed over to the driving range and putting green to warm up for the competition ahead, but not before passing by the registration table. They were able to pick up their breakfast burritos, drink vouchers, and goody bags as well as purchase mulligans for the game ahead.
At 9 a.m. the contestants went to their assigned holes to begin a friendly scramble in support of LCC. As they progressed through the course, golfers could take in the variety of hole sponsors and compete in several competitions for prizes. On the par three holes of four and six, golfers vied over who could land their ball closest to the pin and who could make the longest putt. Holes seventeen and fourteen presented different challenges of strength, skill, and nerve. Seventeen’s prize went to one able to drive the farthest, while fourteen’s prize went to the person who hit the shortest drive and, by extension, the team willing to use that drive as the basis for their second shot. Meanwhile hole one tested the resilience of each team, as they chose to take the best drive handed to them by a seven-year-old and LCC’s CFO, who has not practiced all that much.
After a morning of golf, the contestants returned to the Refinery at Three Crowns, where they found a catered brisket meal and air conditioning awaiting them. Over the lunch hour, Dr. Caleb Karges, dean of students, announced winners and losers, handing out prizes accordingly. Thanks to the generous support of businesses like Durbin Street Golf, Gringo, and the Range at 5150, Dr. Karges was able to hand out nice golf gear, food vouchers, and golf simulator credits. After the prizes, the lunch culminated with the announcement of the winner of the raffle for a PSA Dagger donated by Van Dorsten Custom Firearms.
Overall, the LCC Open proved to be a great day out and a success for Luther Classical College. The generous support of LCEF, Gannet Wealth Strategies, and Tommy Russell Realtor, the tournament’s three sponsors, helped offset many of the tournament’s costs. Moreover, the hard work of LCC’s volunteers and the Three Crown’s staff helped the event run smoothly.
Lastly, LCC would like to thank those who sponsored holes:
Tournament Sponsors
- Lutheran Church Extension Fund
- Gannett Peak Wealth Strategies
- Tommy Russell – Realtor, Coldwell Banker The Legacy Group
Hole Sponsors
- RBC Wealth Management: Central Wyoming Management Group
- St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE
- Casper Winnelson Company
- Van Dorsten Custom Firearms
- LCC Board of Regents
- The Range at 5150 and Gringo
- Mt Cavalry Lutheran Church, Bayard, NE
- Don and John Sides
- Rocky Mountain Line Systems