One of the highlight events on the Northeast Florida golf calendar, the Celebration of Golf Banquet presented by Circle K, will be held at Timuquana Country Club on Feb. 21. The announcement was made by co-hosts the Jacksonville Area Golf Association (JAGA) and the Northern Chapter of the North Florida PGA.
The evening’s top honor, the Deane Beman Award, will be presented to Jacksonville businessman Tom Dudley, who has spent five decades volunteering his golf rules and competition expertise to the U.S. Golf Association, the Florida State Golf Association (FSGA) and the Jacksonville Area Golf Association. In 2019, the Columbus, Georgia, native and University of Georgia grad was awarded the USGA’s and golf’s highest volunteer honor, the Joseph C. Dey Award, for meritorious volunteer service to the game.
Dudley, a past president of the FSGA (2008-09), has worked more than 100 USGA tournaments, including almost 30 U.S. Opens and 25-plus U.S. Amateurs, approximately 300 FSGA events and numerous JAGA events.
Additional highlights of the evening will be comments from the USGA’s immediate past chief executive officer Mike Davis, who worked very closely with Dudley over the years. Davis will be joined by up to 11 invited Northeast Florida residents who have won USGA championships.
This will be the eighth time the banquet has been held. The first seven were sellouts. More than 200 people were in attendance last February at Sawgrass Country Club when Jim and Tabitha Furyk received the Deane Beman Award.
Tables and individual tickets are now on sale. Reservations and payment can be made at: jagagolfbanquet.com. Tables of eight are $1,000. Individual tickets are $125.
With another sellout likely, those interested in purchasing tables and seats are encouraged to begin making group plans now.
JAGA member golf clubs and facilities are encouraged to purchase their tables and invite their general manager, director of golf/head golf professional, course superintendent, club president, golf committee chairs, and JAGA club director(s), and their wives/significant others, or any combination thereof.
In addition to the Deane Beman Award, individuals from the following organizations will be recognized:
The Celebration of Golf presented by Circle K annually brings together people from all facets of the Jacksonville-area golf community — players, leaders, promoters, supporters, clubs, volunteers, pros, amateurs, juniors, superintendents and other organizations — to recognize and honor those who have made contributions to area golf, both on the golf course and off.
It is co-sponsored and organized by the Jacksonville Area Golf Association and the Northern Chapter of the North Florida PGA, with the support of the Jacksonville Women’s Golf Association and the North Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association.
Circle K returns for the second year in a row as the banquet’s presenting sponsor.
Proceeds will support the tax-exempt JAGA Charitable Trust, which annually awards scholarships to college-bound students from the area who have affiliations with JAGA and its 40 member clubs.
