Pictured: Hole sponsorships at last year's Pars4Paws event. Photo courtesy of Satchel's Last Resort.

Satchel's Last Resort has all paws on deck preparing for their 12th annual Pars4Paws event at Longboat Key Club’s Links on Longboat Key Course. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, November 4th starting at 8:30 am.

Page Knoebel, the founder of Satchel’s shares that this event has become increasingly important for the organization over the years. “Nonprofits are always looking for fundraising ideas,” she says. “A golf tournament, while a lot of work, not only raises money but also attracts people who aren't necessarily followers of our standard social media. This tournament is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness of our uniqueness in the shelter community.”

Knoebel and her team feel extremely fortunate to be holding their tournament at the Resort at Longboat Key Club again this year. The Club originally took a chance and hosted when Satchel’s was not well known, willing to grow with the organization. Now, years later, they are hosting a sold out tournament. “The golf pros, the event planners, the wait staff and everyone at the Longboat Key Club--they're all terrific,” says Knoebel. “They put on a fabulous tournament and we get the credit.”

On the morning of the event, golfers will start off with a hot breakfast in an insulated bag in their carts. After their game, they'll sit down to a buffet luncheon under the oak trees in front of Islandside Restaurant. This year’s menu will be a Florida Keys style luncheon, also open to non-golfers, featuring music and five or six raffle baskets, each worth at least $250.

The Helicopter Ball Drop, a favorite feature of the event, returns this year with a high-flying 50/50 where balls are sold ahead of time for $20 each. The balls are numbered and assigned to the purchaser on Satchel's website. At 8:15 am on the day of the tournament, the balls are dropped from a helicopter flying above the putting green, right where all the golfers are lined up in their carts ready to tee-off. The ball that goes in the hole, or is closest to the hole, wins 50% of the money raised in the golf ball sale. Winners need not be present to win and only the number is announced, not the winner, so that the winner isn't pressured to give their 50% back to the cause. “We've done this ball drop for 3 years and have raised approximately $10,000 each year,” says Knoebel. “The winner gets half of that!”

The biggest contest on the course is the $100,000 shot on a par 3. Here, every golfer gets a chance to win the money with a hole in one. “We're hoping someone wins because with this contest, the golfer gets $50,000 and Satchel's gets $50,000,” adds Knoebel. Another par 3 has a golf trip to Pebble Beach for two if one of the golfers sinks a hole in one. On a par 5, there is a "Guess your distance" contest in which the golfer who most accurately guesses how far he or she drives the first shot wins tickets to a Bucks game (parking included).

“This is our largest yearly fundraiser, netting over $50,000 last year alone. We are hoping to do at least the same this year,” shares Knoebel. “Pars4Paws is a beautiful way to save animals' lives, one drive, chip and putt at a time.”

Pictured: Hole sponsorships at last year's Pars4Paws event. Photo courtesy of Satchel's Last Resort.

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