It’s finally here! It’s TrueNorth GCRO Week!
After practice rounds on Monday, the 19th annual TrueNorth Greater Cedar Rapids Open, presented by Granite City Food & Brewery, will kick off Tuesday, July 25 with our first two pro/ams and some free kids activities at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion.
The first Dave Wright Nissan Subaru Pro/Am tees off at 8 a.m. While that is going on, several competing pros and the Hunters Ridge staff will be the instructors at the Culver’s Junior Golf Clinic at 10 a.m. This is free to all kids. Get some great pointers and help from some kid-friendly pros and staff!
Then stick around for some fun at the inaugural Coca-Cola Mascots Putting Challenge. Mascots scheduled to appear include Cy from Iowa State, TC from the University of Northern Iowa, Scoopie from Culver’s, Mr. Shucks from the Cedar Rapids Kernels and of course, the host, the Coca-Cola Polar Bear. They will be competing against each other in a putting battle royale!
At noon, our seventh annual Mayoral Putting Challenge will take place with the top heads of state from surrounding cities and towns competing.
The second Dave Wright Nissan Subaru Pro/Am tees off at 1:30 p.m. and the first foursome going off will be golfers from the G.I.V.E. Foundation (Golf for Injured Veterans Everywhere). Sponsored by Cedar Rapids’ own RIM Enterprises, the four are went through the G.I.V.E. Foundation program, a beneficiary of the TrueNorth GCRO. Come out and salute these heroes on the first tee!
After all the festivities of the day, pro/am participants are invited to sit back and discuss their rounds at the Granite City – Heineken Cool-Off Reception. This ticketed event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Hunters Ridge Lodge and will feature beer, wine and soda as well as some appetizers from Granite City.
On Wednesday, the third Dave Wright Nissan Subaru Pro/Am goes off at 10:30 a.m. That is followed later in the day by the annual Granite City Food & Brewery Pro/Am Dinner Party. The event, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., brings together all the professional and amateur golfers, all of our wonderful sponsors and GCRO committee members in a celebration of friendship and hard work. This is also at the Hunters Ridge Lodge and is a must-come!
Finally, the official 54-hole tournament itself kicks off at 7 a.m. Thursday off both the Nos. 1 and 10 tees. Approximately 120 pros and 20 amateurs are scheduled to tee it up. The pros will be competing for the $25,000 first-place prize and maybe a springboard to bigger and better things!
Action continues Friday at 7 a.m. with second-round play.
After cutting the field, the third and final round will be held Saturday with the leaders scheduled to go off at about 11 a.m. (check tee times later this week). The awards ceremony is tentatively set for about 4:30 p.m.
Come out and support this great event. The GCRO has given back over $158,000 to the community since its inception in 1999. Last year the GCRO made charitable contributions of over $17,000, including the second $8,000 installment to the Iowa PGA Foundation’s “Swings with Kids” program. The $16,000 total donation allowed the Cedar Rapids School District to begin the program in all its elementary schools.