Golfers tee off for kids with cancer

THE Bellarine Lakes Resort Golf Club has raised more than $2,200 for kids with cancer at its third annual Doing It For Jarrod charity golf day.

The event, held to support the work of the Jarrod Lyle Foundation, attracted more than 80 players, including plenty of beginners, with golfers competing in an Ambrose team format.

The day was well-supported by local businesses.

“We had quite a big raffle, supported by a lot of businesses in the community, including the Port Phillip Ferries, Hello World Travel and Bunnings,” Ladies captain Margaret Llewellyn said.

“We had probably nearly $1,000 worth of raffle prizes… so that was really rewarding.”

Jarrod Lyle, an Australian professional golfer and member of The Sands in Torquay, died from cancer in 2018 at the age of 36. He was undergoing his third stint of cancer treatment at the time, after beating cancer as a teenager in 1998 and again in 2012.

Lyle was a lifelong ambassador for Challenge, and to honour his wish to raise ongoing funds to support children and families living with cancer, the PGA of Australia and golf clubs across the nation now unite for an annual fundraising campaign between August and October each year.

Ms Llewellyn said Bellarine Lakes Resort Golf Club’s participation in the campaign was personal. Many of its members knew Lyle, and last year the club captain’s granddaughter lost her own battle with leukaemia.

“It gave us more incentive to keep it going,” she said. “I’m sure if we asked around, there’d be a lot more of our members with a family member who perhaps has been affected by it.”