By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The Ladies’ Neshobe Invitational Tournament will take place this Saturday (July 22) at Neshobe Golf Club. A fundraising event of long standing at the club, this year will be a bit different because the fundraising focus has shifted from hospice care to a disease most people are not familiar with: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy or PSP.
PSP is a degenerative disease caused by the abnormal accumulation of a certain protein—called tau—in brain cells. Excess levels of tau interfere with proper brain function, resulting in Parkinson’s-like symptoms. The disease usually manifests in folks past the age of 60 and progresses quickly.
One of the tournament’s organizers, Christina Naylor, knows all about PSP firsthand: her husband, Rob, was diagnosed with the disease in June 2022, after an initial diagnosis of Parkinson’s in 2018.
“Many people like Rob are initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease,” said Naylor. “His diagnosis was changed because of the rapid changes in his symptoms.”
“When we started organizing this year’s event, the other organizers said, ‘We know what the money should go to.’ I was so pleased that the group wanted to donate the money to PSP research,” Naylor recalled.
The other organizers are Jeanette Hoff, Kathy Miller, and Amy Nuceder, all members of the Neshobe Golf Club and all wanting to support research to help combat PSP. So, the proceeds of the event will go to CurePSP, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness of and improve treatments for PSP and similar neurodegenerative diseases.
The tournament will welcome 19 teams of 4 golfers each, from all over the state, and will be played as a “shamble,” a tournament style in which all 4 teammates tee off at each hole and decide which teammate’s drive landed best. The other 3 teammates then take their second shots from the same position as the team’s best and all 4 players continue playing their own balls until that hole is complete for all 4. It’s a format designed to improve scores, since the first drive is always the best out of the 4.
In another attempt to help players along and raise money as well, participants will be able to purchase mulligans (do-overs) and “miracle putts” that allow players to claim a completed putt without having to actually hit the ball, particularly useful on tough shots that might end up adding too many strokes to a score.
There are prizes for best gross score and best net score (after taking players’ handicaps into account). There will also be raffles, silent auctions, and a game where folks can pay to chip golf balls into a parachute laid out on a water feature.
The tournament also has 18 sponsors who donated $100 each: Winning Images, Naylor and Breen, Dr. Erik Koskinen, Dr. Doug Dier, ReArch, Paddlers, Champlain Precision, Aunt Gerrie, Joe’s Nineteenth Green, Nancy Leary Design, IPJ Real Estate, Mr. Ups, MacIntyre Fuels, Hannaford, Charles Foster, Ann and Pete Breen, Leberge Insurance, and Middlebury Discount Beverages.
And a number of supporters made in-kind donations to the event: Woodware, Jen Hoff, Sweet Cecily, Blue Seal, Slate Expectations, Morgan Harrison, Chuck LeClair, Kampersville, Forth n’ Goal, Middlebury Florist, Parlour, Carr’s Gifts, Brandon House of Pizza, The River Pub, Blue Moon, Mae’s Place, Rutland Country Club, Ralph Mayhre Golf Course, Proctor Pittsford Golf Course, Neshobe Golf Course, Rocky Ridge Golf Course, and Killington Golf Course.
Sign-ups are closed for this year’s event, but the public is welcome to watch and enjoy a meal at the Club’s restaurant. Anyone interested in perhaps participating in something similar can play in the Brandon Free Public Library’s upcoming fundraiser at Neshobe Golf Club in October, which Ms. Naylor is also helping to organize.
“Neshobe is a great course,” said Naylor. “Everyone’s excited to play here.”
