Let's face it: We're all counting down the days until the St. Patrick's Day Festival kicks off in Five Points next March. But with the annual fountain-dyeing, leprechaun-boozing festival still a hefty six months away, local bars will be rolling out a very different type of green in Five Points tonight.
The Five Points Association will be hosting its annual Bar Stool Classic tonight, inviting any and all participants (21 and up of course) to don their best golf duds and hit the green as they putt-putt through a variety of Five Points' bars and restaurants. What initially began as a brainstorming session between the Five Points Association and the Babcock Center in West Columbia, which provides residential services to more than 500 South Carolinians living with disabilities, the Bar Stool Classic has quickly transformed into one of Columbia's most popular and unique events.
"Our original goal was to spread the word about the Babcock Center and the work that they do," said Executive Director of the Five Points Association Merritt McHaffie. "So we met and put our heads together to try and come up with an idea that would really appeal to a younger demographic, especially those who regularly visit the bars."
Thus, the Bar Stool Classic was created.
Now in its third year, registration packets for this year's Classic went on sale for a reasonable $10 this Monday and have almost sold out already. Not just your typical party favors, these packets are chock-full of everything you need to take on the course, including a "tour" T-shirt, scorecard, golf ball and various other putt-putt swag. The players' packet also includes a ticket to the after-party at Jake's Bar and Grill in Five Points, where competitors will tee off for the ultimate prize: $500 in cold hard cash.
"The last two years, we've actually had a putt-off for first place," McHaffie said. "But we're also offering a lot of other prizes throughout the course for things like hole-in-holes and for the best-dressed golfer since we usually have plenty of people really getting into their outfits at the event."
McHaffie says that many of the Classic's prizes, including those for the second- and third-place winners, have been donated by local merchants in the area. The evening's biggest rewards include free rounds of golf at Woodcreek Farms and Wildewood, free golf lessons and gift certificates to several bars and restaurants in the area.
So how exactly does a tournament that putt-putts through bars and pubs instead of windmills and giant whales work? The tournament, which is completely self-paced, starts after participants pick up their putters at the Greene Street fountain and head out to tee up at any point in the nine-hole course weaving its way through Five Points favorites like CJ's, Sharky's, Delaney's and Group Therapy to the finale at Jake's. Although the entire course usually takes a few hours to complete, contestants can take a load off at the Jake's after-party, which comes complete with free food, games and a cash bar. Oh, and don't worry, you don't have to be Tiger Woods to take on this course. In fact, you don't even have to play golf.
"The first year, the winners were definitely avid golfers; we could tell by their outfits," McHaffie says. "But other winners have been people who just love to play putt-putt. This a great event because it draws out people that actually play the sport, putt-putters and of course people who just really like beer."
There are a few registration packets left for the tournament, and new participants can register for $15 at the fountain starting at 4 p.m. The Classic kicks off at 5 p.m. and all proceeds from the event will be given to the Babcock Center Foundation.