Osoyoos Golf Club head professional Drew Bolokoski looks on while assistant pro Andrew Goncalves lips out a putt during one of the 242 holes of golf they played last Monday as part of the BCPGA ALS Golfathon. The event has helped raise almost $1 million over the past decade and the professionals at the Osoyoos Golf Club have raised more than $30,000 over the past five years. (Keith Lacey photo)
Drew Bolokoski and Andrew Goncalves are proud members of the B.C. Professional Golfers Association. (BCPGA).
They are also equally proud that the BCPGA decided 10 years ago to get involved with an event that has raised almost $1 million over the past decade for one of the most cruel and punishing diseases known to mankind.
Last Monday, Bolokoski, the head professional at the Osoyoos Golf Club, and Goncalves, the longtime assistant professional, spent almost 17-straight hours playing golf to help raise funds during the ALS Golfathon.
This is the fifth-consecutive year Bolokoski has taken part and the second-straight year for Goncalves.
The dynamic duo helped raise almost $7,000 for ALS research. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly recognized as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is an incurable disease that is fatal. There is no known cause.
Bolokoski and Goncalves completed 242 holes, or 13 full rounds of golf, during last week’s event, the exact same number of holes they completed during the 2013 event.
Taking part in this event is tiring, but very rewarding, said Bolokoski.
“It’s the same as always … I had a sore back, sore arms and this year, really sore feet,” he said. “But it’s a fun event to be a part of for a very good cause, so you don’t mind at all.”
Being able to play with Goncalves, who is not only a fellow employee, but good friend, makes the day go by in the blink of an eye, he said.
“Andrew and I get along very well and we try and make it a really fun day,” he said. “It wouldn’t be any fun and would make for a very long day if we didn’t get along so well, but we do and it’s something we really enjoy doing together.”
While the event is all about raising awareness about ALS and money for ALS research, most golf pros are competitive and it’s no different whenever he and Goncalves hit the links, said Bolokoski.
“Andrew shot pretty much par for the entire day, so he beat me by a few strokes,” he said. “Anything inside four feet we basically picked up because it’s all about seeing how many holes we can get in, but we both played pretty well considering what a long day it was.”
Goncalves’ low round was 66 early in the day, while he shot 67 during one round, said Bolokoski.
His best shot of the day was a long iron shot that went in for an eagle on No. 17 on the Park Meadows course later in the afternoon.
While he and Goncalves put in the hard work, the amount of support by the members at Osoyoos Golf Club and all the visitors who were paying green fees was amazing once again, said Bolokoski.
“I really want to thank the members and all the visitors for their support,” he said. “I also want to thank on course marshalls Barry Smith and Rick Cleland for helping out all day and the management with Greenside Grill who provided food and drinks all day.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
