Golf event helps women

Donations help Transition House

Victoria Golf Club guest Susan Barkley plays hole No. 5 during the charity event held last week.

Victoria Golf Club guest Susan Barkley plays hole No. 5 during the charity event held last week.

Adding men to the mix worked well for the Victoria Golf Club charity tournament.

Originally known as the VGC Ladies Charity Golf Tournament – the event includes a gala night and this year added a men’s tournament to the annual fundraiser.

“It used to always be a ladies charity event, but we tried to make it all-encompassing,” said Scott Kolb, general manager of Victoria Golf Club.

More than 100 men and women each took to the links for the two tournaments. Another 300 came out for the gala night. It’s well worth the staff and volunteer hours required for the event that started in 1995, Kolb said, raising some of the largest donations for its charity of choice the past 12 years – the Victoria Women’s Transition House.

In the last three years, the tournament has provided the largest annual gift for the shelter. They beat the 2012 goal and surpassed $100,000 with this year’s event.

“We have other charities we help out, but this one seems to be growing,” Kolb said.

The Victoria Women’s Transition House sheltered 144 women and 83 children last year, thanks in part to the golf club partnership.

“It’s the largest single donation we get for our shelter resources each year,” said Tracy Lubick, development director with Victoria Women’s Transition House.

“Our annual budget is around $2.2 million, around $800,000 of that comes through community resources.”

Get a head start on next year’s tournament, or check out photos online at vgccharity.com. Learn more about Transition House at transitionhouse.net.

Oak Bay News