Ilitch Charities Hit Hole In One
With Celebrity Golf Classic
With Celebrity Golf Classic
In Play! magazine
By Michael Niziolek
Photo by Jack Rosenberg
By Michael Niziolek
Photo by Jack Rosenberg
Ilitch Charities held its inaugural Celebrity Golf Classic this August to raise funds for two great non profit organizations. It also gave metro-Detroit residents a chance at meeting some of the biggest Hollywood personalities and sports stars.
Oakland Hills Country Club hosted the golf outing, with the Motor City Casino Hotel hosting a pre-party the night before that included a silent auction and strolling dinner.
Both events sold out and both events were considered major successes.
“We were just completely pleased, we had a great time and we were able to fully raise the funds we needed,” says Ilitch Holding’s Director of Communication Jennifer Haselhuhn. “We’ve heard nothing but enthusiasm from the people that participated.”
Some of the celebrities that participated were Tim Allen, Mike Binder, Dave Coulier, John Cusack, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Laird Hamilton, Thorsten Kaye, and John McGinley.
The Tigers and Red Wings were well represented with a variety of their current and former players taking part in the event. Al Kaline, Mickey Stanley, Cecil Fielder, Chris Chelios, Gordie Howe, Joey Kocur and Darren McCarty were just a few of the names from the organizations there.
Other local celebrities participating included Bill Laimbeer, Bernie Smilovitz and Don Shane.
For the golf tournament the celebrities were paired with three donors and played best-ball for a cumulative round score. Awards were handed out to the top three teams, on both the south and north courses, along with a few individual awards for best drive and closest to the pin.
At the pre-party event the celebrities and sports stars expressed a lot of enthusiasm for playing at one of the premier golf courses in the country.
“I played at Oakland Hills years ago and the course won,” Dave Coulier jokes. “I shot a 77 that day and I thought I shot really well, but the course definitely won. I know how tough the course is -- it’s long, it’s unbelievable.”
