First Ted’s Charity Invitational Golf Tournament, filled since March 1, looks to set tone for bigger future in benefiting local schools.
By Joe Medley
Ted Gregerson’s 16th-hole tents have long been a favorite stop for golfers and their galleries at local golf tournaments, but he’s shooting to up his game.
Add a passion for helping schools and lots of sponsorship, and Gregerson had the inspiration to grow his company’s involvement into a major charity golf tournament.
The Ted’s Charity Invitational launches this weekend at Anniston Country Club. The two-day tournament goes off Saturday and Sunday with Alabama Power as the presenting sponsor.
The 80 two-man teams include the top golfers from Calhoun and surrounding counties.
This year’s tournament will benefit Cobb Preparatory Academy.
Encouraged by how quickly the tournament met its first-year goal for participation, Gregerson, chief executive officer for JTG Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Ted’s Floors & Beyond and Floor Depot +, plans to grow the tournament to a three-day event with 200 teams next year.
“Come March 1, we had all of the teams registered and paid in full, more than four months in advance,” he said.
While the tournament bears similarities to the long-standing Sunny King Charity Classic — a three-day event with two-man teams, played out over three courses and using multiple scramble formats — Gregerson said Ted’s Charity Invitational is not meant to compete with the Sunny King.
The 45th Sunny King will play out Sept. 13-15. It moved to September in 2021.
Things just worked out that this year’s Ted’s Charity Invitational will occupy the Sunny King’s old traditional weekend in mid-July. Anniston Country Club had three available dates, and Gregerson didn’t want to clash with any Calhoun County Golf Tour events.
“When we talked about it, I didn’t realize that it was the old Sunny King date, even though I always played in the Sunny King,” Gregerson said. “As soon as we secured that date, and golfers found out, I did get a lot of texts from guys saying that they were glad that the old Sunny King date was being filled again.”
Gregerson said he prefers October because of cooler weather and might consider a fall date in future years.
This year’s Ted’s Charity Invitational will include $10,000 hole-in-one awards on all par-3s, up to three a day on each hole. Players who hit the green on No. 16, the traditional spot for Ted’s tents, will get $50, double the usual reward.
The tournament also includes $250 skins at no charge to players. Closest to the pin and longest putt made on No. 18 each day pay $250.
Entry fees are $400 per team, or $200 a player,which will cover player gift bags. Charity benefit money will come from several sponsors, including Alabama Power, Ted’s Floors & Beyond and flooring suppliers that work with Gregerson’s company: Mohawk, Shaw Industries, Dream Weaver and BPI.
Gregerson plans to benefit a different school in Calhoun County each year,
“We feed the teachers at a school every year and have done that for a number of years,” Gregerson said. “We’re always huge sponsors of football programs and baseball programs. We’ve done a lot for JSU. We’re a big sponsor up there inside their coliseum and this year for their football program.
“Schools have always just been something that’s been dear to our heart, helping the schools out.”
