(This TownTalk post was originally made Aug 12, 2025)

Whether you’re a scratch golfer or if you’ve never swung a club, an upcoming charity tournament at Kerr Lake Country Club will fit you like a glove – in this case, a golfer’s glove.

Men, however, need not register – the Sept. 6 Mulligan Island is a women’s invitational.

Proceeds for the fundraiser will benefit Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society, and organizers are expecting a fun morning of golf to support a worthy cause.

A formidable foursome – Vance County Tourism’s Pam Hester, RCAPS representatives Michele Wood and Tracey Tsoumbos and Kerr Lake Country Club Manager Jan DeMarco – provided details about the tournament on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

DeMarco said the club has seen an increase recently in women enjoying the golf course, and a ladies’ league formed. “That gave us the idea that we really should have a women’s invitational,” she said.

Hester suggested that organizers connect with a local charity, and that’s when RCAPS joined the mix. There’s a division for serious golfers, she said, but there’s also a division for beginners, who may be hard-pressed to tell an eagle from a birdie.

Registration and breakfast begin at 8 a.m. and the 2-woman scramble will have a shotgun start at 10 a.m. The $75 registration includes lunch, a tee gift and lots of prizes along the way.

There are still opportunities for sponsorships, which range from $2,000 all the way to $100.

Players can buy a Mulligan Package for $20. These packages, as well as the hole sponsorships, go directly to animal protection.

Wood has worked with RCAPS since 2014, when the need was urgent to get unwanted animals out of the shelter and into foster and rescue organizations so they could be adopted.

She estimates that RCAPS has saved nearly 19,000 animals. In July alone, 170 animals were transported from the shelter.

“The impact we’ve been able to make in Vance County is huge,” Wood said.

In recent years, RCAPS has shifted its focus from transport to spay and neuter programs and education as a way to reduce the unwanted pet population and decrease intake at the shelter.

Tsoumbos, who joined RCAPS in November as executive director, said the current spay/neuter voucher program is for any pet owner – regardless of income level – to get a $20 voucher to present to participating local veterinarians when they have their pet spayed or neutered.

Education is a key component to reducing the number of dogs and cats that end up in the shelter. RCAPS has put the finishing touches on a new program designed to educate the community about ways to help.

RCAPS also has monthly yard sales at their office at 165 U.S. Hwy. 158 across from Petco. The next one is this Saturday, Aug. 16 and then again on Sept. 13 and Oct. 18. There are spots available for individuals to sign up to participate.

Then make plans to attend Pet Palooza – Holiday Bazaar edition – on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the former Boyd dealership at the intersection of Ruin Creek Road and U.S. Hwy. 158.

Visit https://www.kerrlakecountryclub.com/ or call 252.492.1895 to learn more or to register for the women’s invitational golf tournament.

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