LAMGA By David Kubissa In 2005, Lake Ashton resident Bill Ferrieri floated an idea to his fellow board members of the Lake Ashton Men’s Golf Association. Bill, LAMGA’s tournament chairman at the time, had played in member-guest events at his former club, Palm Beach National, and he thought Lake Ashton should host one too. In April of 2006, the Lake Ashton tournament launched with 42 teams in what has become an annual event that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Over the years, much from that first year has remained. The format is a flighted best-ball match consisting of five nine-hole rounds. Today, the field has 60 teams with as many as 80 sponsors. That first year, the three-day event concluded with a shootout among all the flight winners to determine an overall champion. On the final day at the clubhouse, there also was a sit-down dinner and awards ceremony along with a DJ for participants and spouses. Back then, there was only one course – East. In 2006, the pro shop was in the clubhouse, and that was where hole No. 1 began and No. 18 ended. There was no Eagle’s Nest at the time. Three Lake Ashton residents remain from the 2006 LAMGA board that started the tournament: Bill, Tom Di Laura and Doug Franz. Tom and Bill have participated in every member-guest since 2006. Together, the two of them recruited participants and sponsors for the inaugural event. Tom then became president for several years, while Bill continued as tournament chairman. Here in Bill’s words are his recollections and perspective on the tournament. What were the challenges of that first tournament? I had to develop and print out an extensive pamphlet listing each team’s players as well as the schedule and format of play. In addition, I went out and recruited sponsors. We also had to solicit members to play. Many had not belonged to a private club and had no idea what a member-guest was. 41 Today the fee is $400 per team. What was the fee in 2006? It was $100. That was made possible by the support LAMGA received from the Lake Ashton developer, Larry Maxwell. What were the gifts for players? Balls, tees and gloves. At the dinner, everyone got a prize from a drawing. Who was your partner in that year? My brother, Bob, who played as my guest until he passed away in 2017. Much like the current tournament, the first member-guest offered a car for a hole-in-one. How did that work and what kind of vehicle was the prize? It was a Hyundai supplied by Red Hoagland. The hole was No. 14, the green of which is now the East putting and chipping green. As you reflect on the evolution of the tournament, what are your thoughts about your role in an event? It was a lot of work but very satisfying. We had 42 teams, and the next year we had 60 and a waiting list. It is great to see that the tournament’s popularity has continued. Pictured: Tom Di Laura and Bill Ferrieri worked together to help start the annual LAMGA memberguest tournament in 2006. They have played in the event every year since then.
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