Kamloops golf pros hope to complete 15 rounds for ALS Golf-a-thon

KAMLOOPS — Early Thursday morning (June 22), before the sun had officially risen in the Kamloops sky, Alec Hubert and Andrew Bentley were teeing up on the first hole at Kamloops Golf and Country Club. The club’s head pro and general manager were golfing from first light to sunset Thursday, all for a good cause through the ALS Golf-a-thon.

For the two pros, this isn’t their first year taking part in the Golf-a-thon. Last year, they were able to complete 13 rounds. Through experience, they know it’s all about finding a groove early.

“We were saying at the start, you just stop thinking and just free-swinging. And that is usually golfers’ hardest battle — getting out of your head. It’s hard to get in your head when you are already hitting your next ball by the time you are thinking about it,” said Head Pro Bentley.

“Lots of three-quarter shots. You don’t try to kill any shots, so that usually helps over time,” added GM Hubert.

This year, the goal is to complete 15 rounds of golf, or 270 holes, before the sun sets Thursday evening — all to raise money to support families battling ALS with equipment like wheelchairs and for research into the deadly disease.

“The PGA of BC has been part of the Golf-a-thon for ALS. It is for an amazing cause and golf pros all around B.C. kind of spend their day trying to help out and do the best we can. It’s for a great cause — a little tiring, but it’s fun,” said Bentley.

“I think we average usually about an hour and 20 minutes for a round roughly. They go pretty quick,” said Hubert.

So far, the duo has raised more than $6,000 for the cause, still short of their goal.

“The goal is $8,000. I checked yesterday (and) we were over $6,000,” said Hubert. “We will probably see some donations come in today and hopefully more from the community. People can go online and donate.”

Despite the fact they were completing their 90th hole, they were still knocking down spectacular shots.

Those looking to support the cause can find more information at GolfathonforALS.com.