Golfing for Good: Loganville Rotary’s 22-Year Charity Tradition

Ghosts and goblins will join golfers on the fairway this Halloween, but it’s all par for the course at the Rotary Club of Loganville’s annual charity golf tournament. For 22 years now, this fall classic has been about more than low scores – it’s about community service with every swing. Each autumn, Rotary members and neighbors come together on the greens, driven by a shared mission: to have fun and make a difference.

 

A Tradition of Service on the Green

 

What began over two decades ago as a modest fundraiser has evolved into a beloved community tradition. The 22nd Annual Loganville Rotary Golf Tournament tees off on October 31, 2025, at The Providence Club in Monroe. In years past, it’s been hosted at local courses like Monroe Golf & Country Club, underscoring how ingrained the event is in the local landscape. Rotarians often invoke their creed of “service above self,” and it shows – all proceeds go to charity. This year, 100% of the net proceeds will benefit Special Kneads & Treats and other Loganville causes.

 

The tournament’s longevity is a point of pride for the Loganville Rotary Club. “It feels great to see his vision being fulfilled,” says Sharon Hansen, a longtime member, referring to the late Rotarian Kurt Hansen’s dream of sustaining local philanthropy. Sharon and her husband helped seed a fund years ago to bolster projects, and today, seeing the tournament’s impact, she’s “glad to have a hand in moving Loganville forward.” As she puts it, “Kurt’s legacy is our legacy.” Those legacies live on each time golfers tee up for charity in Loganville.

 

Charitable Legacy: Where the Funds Go

 

Over 22 years, the Loganville Rotary’s golf outing has channeled generosity into the community and beyond. Year after year, the event’s proceeds are funneled back into worthy and sustainable charitable endeavors. Many local organizations have felt its impact. One is Special Kneads & Treats, a nonprofit bakery that employs adults with disabilities and ensures no child goes without a birthday cake. The Rotary tournament has supported Special Kneads multiple times, helping this unique bakery fulfill its mission. “We are thankful that the Loganville Rotary Club has selected us as one of the beneficiaries of this tournament,” Special Kneads & Treats shared in a recent post, reflecting the grateful partnership between Rotary and the causes it lifts.

 

Other hometown beneficiaries have included the Walton County Christian Learning Center, which partners with local schools on faith-based education, and Operation: Rally Point, a Monroe-based nonprofit assisting homeless veterans. The club also uses funds to award scholarships to local students and support youth programs, investing in the next generation of leaders. Through generous donations and events like our Golf Outing and Wing Fling, we’ve been able to support incredible organizations including the Christian Learning Center, the Kurt Hansen Foundation, and Step by Step, while also sponsoring exchange students through GRSP and awarding scholarships to local students. From education to hunger relief, the tournament’s reach has grown with the community’s needs.

 

Importantly, the Rotary Club’s impact extends globally as well. “We support projects both locally and globally, from helping build a new school and science lab in Colombia to contributing funds toward the worldwide effort to eradicate polio,” the club notes. That international spirit means a drive on a Loganville course can ripple out to fight polio halfway around the world. Few small-town golf tournaments can claim such a wide charitable footprint, and it’s a legacy Loganville Rotarians eagerly uphold.

 

Costumes, Camaraderie, and Community Spirit

 

While the cause is serious, the tournament itself is full of fun and camaraderie. Each year, teams of four play in a friendly scramble format, often with local businesses sponsoring holes and prizes. It’s not uncommon to see a banker, a teacher, a small-business owner, and a city official all sharing a golf cart – bonding over both birdies and a common cause. The event features contests like a hole-in-one challenge for a new vehicle and a putting contest that adds to the excitement. Raffle drawings, mulligan sales, and on-course challenges have become staples of the day.

 

This year’s tournament adds an extra twist: it falls on Halloween, and the club is leaning into the date. “Dress Up Is Encouraged!” the event announcement proclaims, promising special prizes and advantages for players who participate in the Halloween fun. Golfers are expected to hit the links in creative costumes – think superheroes teeing off alongside ghosts and goblins – bringing a festive flair to the fairways. Past tournaments have developed their own running gags and traditions, from themed team outfits to the jovial banter at the post-tournament lunch. (In fact, breakfast is often donated by local eateries and lunch catered by community restaurants, ensuring no one plays hungry.)

 

Yet, amid the costumes and competition, the Rotary’s service mission is never far from mind. Members often pause to recite Rotary’s Four-Way Test – “Is it the Truth? Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” – as a reminder of why they’re there. The atmosphere is lighthearted and welcoming; newcomers quickly discover that this isn’t just a golf game, but a family-friendly community gathering. Many participants return year after year, and some younger golfers have essentially grown up with the tournament as an annual fixture. What keeps everyone coming back is the sense of purpose and togetherness.

 

Swinging for the Future

 

As the Loganville Rotary Club’s charity tournament marks 22 years, it has truly become part of the fabric of the community – as much a fall tradition as Friday night football or the autumn leaves in Georgia. It’s an event where doing good and having fun go hand in hand. “The spirit of service defines our community,” the Rotary Club proclaims with pride. And on one special day each year, that spirit shines on the golf course – in every volunteer checking in players at dawn, every sponsor’s banner, every laugh between neighbors, and every putt sunk for charity.

 

When the last hole is played and the final scores tallied, the real winners aren’t the ones holding trophies, but the causes and people touched by the funds raised. The Loganville Rotary Golf Tournament is, at its heart, a story of a town coming together, year after year, to care for its own and reach out to others. In Loganville, a round of golf each fall has proven to be much more than a game – it’s a 22-year-and-counting testament to community, generosity, and the enduring power of tradition.