Local golfers to tee off for $100,000 prize

A hundred players will step up this Sunday (20 April) with one chance at a $100,000 hole-in-one.

The #WhackBilly promotion finale will be taking place at The Sands in Torquay — a fundraising initiative supporting local sporting clubs.

The summer-long tournament has invited golfers to take aim at a larger-than-life-sized Billy Brownless target installed on the club’s driving range. Participants have been challenged to hit the target on the fly, film the attempt and upload the video to Instagram.

Those who have managed to achieve the feat have been given the opportunity to now compete in the $100,000 hole-in-one event.

Players are invited to arrive and warm up from 12pm before being escorted onto the course at 1pm.

One shot each, one chance at the grand prize.

The Sands’s golf operations manager, Mat Mackay, said the club was proud to once again be using golf as a platform to support the Surf Coast sporting community.

“Sporting clubs are the heartbeat of our region,” he said. “They rely heavily on volunteers, fundraising and community support, and this is our way of doing something fun that genuinely helps them.

“You don’t need to be a scratch golfer – you don’t even need to be playing a round. Anyone can jump on the range, have a laugh and be part of it – and every entry helps support local sport.”

Known as much for his humour as his AFL career, Brownless said he jumped at the chance to be involved, even if it meant becoming the target.

“I’ve copped plenty over the years, so standing there and letting people have a crack felt pretty natural,” Brownless laughed.

“If people can have a bit of fun, hit a few golf balls and help local clubs at the same time, then I’m all in.”

He said the community focus was what sold him on the idea.

“Local footy, netball, cricket, surf clubs … that’s where it all starts,” he said. “If this helps keep the lights on or the jumpers washed, then it’s worth a few golf balls coming my way.”