Downtown golf tournament raises money for Red House

By the river, across alleyways and past the courthouse, golfers of all ages were swinging their clubs Sunday afternoon as they participated in the First-Ever Eighth Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial World-Famous Downtown Golf Tournament.

The tournament, which raises funds to benefit the Red House Interpretive Center, is far from typical. Participants are given BirdieBalls, the design of which is more similar to a napkin ring than a golf ball. Charlie Herbst, one of the event organizers and an associate Cape Girardeau County commissioner, said the BirdieBall is ideal for "urban golfing."

"They only go about 30 feet, then they fall," he said. "So it's interesting to watch people who are golfers come out and think they're really going to hit it."

This year, he said the number of participants was divided pretty evenly between newcomers and familiar faces. Each golfer is given a score card at the beginning. The decision to keep score and possibly win one of the trophies or to play for fun is up to each individual.

"It's really all for fun," Herbst said.

About 40 people braved the Sunday rain to walk to the nine holes scattered across downtown. Julia Thompson, Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation director, said the inclement weather did bring participation down some this year, but she believed those who did attend would still enjoy the game.

The first hole, also the "signature hole" according to Herbst, was at the fountain at the Common Pleas Courthouse. Golfers teed off next to the gazebo aiming for a hole-in-one, right in the fountain.

Susan Kemp, who was participating in the tournament for the second year in a row, was warming up near the fountain. She said she first heard about the tournament from friends.

"I remember when I first heard about it, thinking 'I couldn't imagine what it would be like playing golf downtown,'" Kemp said. "It more than met my expectations. You're really swinging the golf club."

Kemp and her friends planned to keep score at each hole and hoped to bring a few trophies home.

Lloyd Gipson and his two sons started near the fifth hole, in an alley between Themis Street and Broadway. Gipson, also playing for the second year in a row, said he enjoyed the creative planning that went into the tournament.

"Some [of the holes] are really creative," he said. "And they can be challenging."

Gipson, a regular golfer, said even though he was using a BirdieBall instead of a golf ball, not much was different.

"You still gotta keep your head down and swing straight. And the ball still goes where it wants to," he said.

Other holes were in front of the courthouse near Spanish Street, behind the Red House and along the floodwall near the Broadway floodgate.

Stan Baughn, co-chairman of the Red House Executive Committee, was a "hole monitor" for the riverfront hole. He said the tournament was the major fundraiser of the year for the Red House. The money goes toward events such as the Fall Frolic, an open-house event with free arts, crafts and activities for children.

"This is how we pay for events like that," Baughn said. "It's our way of giving back to the community."

The tournament also featured an all-you-can-eat catfish buffet for golfers to enjoy after the tournament and to announce the day's winners.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.