SPECIAL TO NHN

The Rotary Club of North Hawaii will sponsor its Paniolo Wiffle Ball Tourney Saturday, May 21.

To benefit Rotary’s vocation and academic scholarships and community grants, the event starts with registration at 10:30 a.m., lunch at 11:30 a.m. and shotgun start at 1 p.m.

Chairman Doug Carr said contests include hole in one, men’s and women’s “long” drive and closest to the pin for valuable prizes.

The wiffle ball golf course is being built by Rotarians at a secret location behind the race track at Parker Ranch in a forested area just north of Waimea.

Carr said Rotary decided to switch back to waffle ball “because there are too many ‘normal’ golf tournaments. Everyone had so much fun the last time we did this, we decided to do it again.”

Not ‘normal’ in any sense of the word, the 18-hole course is built for pure paniolo fun. Its “fairways” are only six- to eight-feet wide and the “rough” is 3- to 4-feet high. Its twists, turns, obstacles and “water holes” are designed for golfers and non-golfers alike. Distances between holes are measured in feet, not yards.

“Bring your two favorite – worst – golf clubs and a sense of humor,” Carr said.

The $75 cost includes a goodie bag, sumptuous lunch – prepared by Rotarian master chef Carr and crew – country western band and prizes.

“No one goes home with just a bruised ego,” Carr said. Mulligans are one for $5 and three for $10, a wise investment for this course.

Lunch for non-golfers is $25. Hole and tee sponsorships sell for $95.

This is the 22nd year Rotary has sponsored a regular or waffle ball tournament.

Pick up registration forms at the Waimea branches of Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian Bank; Hawaii First Federal Credit Union, Foodland, Bentley’s in Parker Square, Kamuela Liquor Store, Bajy’s Paradise Bar and Grill at the Waikoloa Village Golf clubhouse, or any North Hawaii Rotarian.

During the past 10 years alone, Rotarians provided more than $385,339 in community grants and scholarships to more than 325 organizations – and built a $100,000 open air pavilion for the people of Hawaii.