ESTEVAN - The Dustin Pratt Memorial Redneck Golf Tournament continues to be a golf event unlike any other at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course.
The annual tournament was held Saturday afternoon at Woodlawn. The traditional golf attire was replaced by an assortment of more unconventional clothes: checkered shirts, coveralls, short shorts, sandals, Crocs and a variety of headwear.
Thirty-nine teams, or nearly 120 golfers, competed in the tournament, which had a shotgun start early Saturday afternoon at Woodlawn. They gathered to have fun on the links and pay tribute to Dustin Pratt, who died in a workplace accident in August 2016.
And they were there to raise money for people in the community.
“It was an amazing turnout,” said Dustin’s mother Roxane. “I can’t thank everyone enough for showing up today.”
Roxane praised the variety of getups and outfits from the participants.
“Everybody is out here to have a good time, and I think that mission was accomplished,” said Roxane.
Towards the end of the tournament, all of the participants gathered at the first tee box to raise a drink and toast the friend they would never forget. They also enjoyed various activities out on the course.
Roxane noted that Dustin was a golfer, so they decided to have this tournament in his memory. Everyone continues to enjoy it, so they will continue to host the tournament for as long as they can.
Proceeds from the tournament will be directed to the Dustin Pratt Memorial Fund. Money from the fund was recently used to create Dustin’s Corner, an area for children in the waiting room at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The fund has also supported families in the community. There isn’t an application; those involved with the fund select families who haven’t reached out to anybody else about needing help.
“I already have some people that have contacted me about sponsoring families. So we’ll look at that after this,” said Roxane.
The fund has also sponsored floor time and an exercise class for the Estevan Special Olympics committee. Each kid in Special Olympics was provided with a t-shirt.
And they supported the Estevan Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Camp’s meals, jerseys for minor hockey teams and pucks for the Estevan Minor Hockey Association.
But Dustin’s Corner would be the biggest initiative to date.
The tournament was for fun, and they did not award a prize to the top team, but they did have prizes for the men’s and women’s longest drive.
A cabaret was held at the Days Inn’s Taylorton Room following the tournament.
“It’s a special day for Dustin,” Roxane said.
