The game of golf can do many things for a person or a group of people. For some it’s quite relaxing while others stress over each shot in order to get better. There are days when one part of your game is working better than the rest and every so often it all comes together.
One thing golf does so well no matter what skill level you sit at is raise money for a cause.
From scratch golfers to high handicappers, you can always reach into your wallet/purse and donate to a worthy cause.
For Dug Hunt of Red Deer, his worthy cause is the MS Society.
He’s been a fixture at the annual fundraiser for more than a decade for good reason. Three good reasons for that matter.
“MS started to affect my family as early as 1978 when my Aunt Doreen was diagnosed. She had three young children in the home at the time,” he said. “I watched her struggle to do things she loved to do that she was not able to do.”
By the time she reached the age of 40 she was fully committed to a long term care home. Around the same time period his sister Tammy Lynn began experiencing double vision and dizziness forcing her to step away from playing fastball, a sport she dearly loved.
She was diagnosed with MS in 1995 at the age of 24 and went on to graduate from university, get married and give birth to a couple of children. But her struggle continues.
“The last three years has taken its toll on her,” said Dug. “She’s gone from using a cane to a walker to a self-propelled wheel chair and now a fully motorized wheel chair.”
In 1998 his brother Darryl was also given the terrible news of testing positive for MS. He has had bouts where he lost feeling in one of his legs and suffered temporary vision loss but he still enjoys a full time job and gets out for some golf.
“He originally started playing this game with me at the 100 Holes of Golf (an early version of the MS tournament). He and I did it for probably eight to ten years together,” said Dug. “He’s still able to golf and curl a little bit.”
So Dug has been on the frontlines, seeing this battle fought at several different stages and he is visibly shaken when trying to find the words to describe the impact these three family members have had on him.
“It’s really tough to sit there and watch their lives deteriorate and I haven’t been affected by any real health issues my entire life and been able to carry on and do whatever I want to.”
So it was a no brainer to pick up his clubs, raise some money and get involved in this golf tournament.
“I wanted to do something with fundraising. I supported my sister and my brother and my mom doing walks,” he said. “I wanted to physically have that involvement so the 100 Holes of Golf started and so I said, well there’s my answer because it’s something I like to do.”
That rendition of the event was very much a physical and mental challenge for the participants as they essentially played 5.5 rounds of golf in about eight hours.
“There were challenge holes which would replicate what a person with MS might feel like,” he said.
“Whether it was goggles or trying to hit a ball with oven mitts on, trying to make it feel as close as possible to what it would be like physically.”
The format has changed with teams playing 18 holes of golf in a scramble at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club this year. Dug feels the venue might attract more players to the tournament because it’s a course many people may not have had a chance to play in the past.
No matter what the venue is however, the goal remains the same.
“The ultimate goal is to raise money for awareness and research and to help people in the Central Alberta area with their daily lives that struggle with MS.”
The money gathered as a result of the tournament stays around Central Alberta to continue programs which help people with MS live their lives as best they can. A portion also goes to research which is too late for Dug’s aunt and sister but not for others. It’s part of why he still tees it up each year.
“I’m hoping that for other generations in my family that maybe there will be a cure for MS if they do get diagnosed with it, early treatment and a better program for them and other young Canadians as well.”
This year’s tournament goes September 14th and you can register for free by raising $250. For more information you can go to mssociety.ca.
