Fore! Downtown tourney is just for fun and fundraising

About 50 people teed off downtown Sunday afternoon to raise money for the Red House Interpretive Center.

The First-Ever 10th Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial World Famous Downtown Golf Tournament course used the lawns of the Common Pleas Courthouse, fountain, downtown sidewalks and the river walk as a course.

Steve and Linda Oakley were among the participants.

"The first time I heard about it was in a magazine that the Parks and Recreation Department comes out with in the fall," she said. "This is our third year doing this."

While they go golfing together about two or three times a year as a couple, Linda said they participate in the tournament for the fundraising aspect.

Linda Oakley hits a BirdieBall along the floodwall Sunday at the First-Ever 10th Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial World Famous Downtown Golf Tournament in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

"We just did a golf tournament a while ago, but we do this just for fun. This is totally different," she said.

Rather than using golf balls, participants used "Birdie Balls" -- small plastic rings designed to not damage buildings or windows. Event organizer Charlie Herbst said they're the reason the event can be held downtown safely.

"We're their first and longest-continuing Birdie Ball event," Herbst said, pointing to a member of his party. "It's a good thing these float, too, because Kelly ended up in the river twice."

But golfers such as Tom Hughey say they don't mind a flubbed stroke here or there, as long as they're enjoying themselves.

"The strategy is to keep it low and hit it toward the pin," Hughey said. "And no cheating, of course. The real strategy is creative scorekeeping."

Camie Wulfers chips a BirdieBall onto the third hole on the Common Pleas Courthouse terraces Sunday at the First-Ever 10th Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial World Famous Downtown Golf Tournament in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

That's where people like Stan Downs stepped in. Downs manned the first hole to make sure there was no use of the "foot iron."

"No funny business," he told the golfers. "No funny math, either."

Downs, co-chairman of the Red House, has volunteered his time to the tournament for the past nine or so years, he said.

"I've played some golf over the years," he said, but added he didn't need to play anymore. "It's just another way for us to raise money. Our goal is to get the Red House self-supporting. We're hoping to expand it in the next few years, give the people some more things to see."

All in all, Red House co-chair Paul Nenninger said, Sunday's event was a success.

"I think we're going to clear about $2,000," he said. "Every hole has at least one sponsor, and most have a hole sponsor and a tee sponsor, so that's around 18 [sponsors total]."

"If they're looking at $2,000," Downs observed, "that's one of our better years, then."

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627