'What a beautiful walk': Allman raises funds for First Tee with Chalk Mine 9 marathon hike

Jun. 11—Tony Allman and the Chalk Mine 9 have been linked together since long before the nine-hole short course was even built.

Allman, the board chair of the First Tee — Aiken, was involved in so many steps for so many years in making the Chalk Mine 9, and the entire facility that now houses the chapter and the USC Aiken men's golf team, a reality that was officially dedicated in September of 2022.

But never had he and the short course been more synonymous with one another than they were Tuesday.

That's when Allman, with wife Debbie and First Tee — Aiken executive director Heidi Hoffman, embarked on a fundraising marathon that kept the trio looping around and around the Chalk Mine 9.

The goal that Allman sent to prospective donors was to play 100 holes, with a start time of 6:15 a.m. and a hopeful conclusion by 1 p.m.

He played 108, and he finished by noon.

"I'm feeling well now," he said later in the day Tuesday after having a chance to rest up, adding with a laugh, "I did take a little nap. The feet are definitely yelling at me, but I feel very good."

A little bit of ice on a nagging shoulder and back, two parts of the body that aren't necessarily thrilled about that many swings of a golf club, helped also ease the sting of a few missed opportunities here and there on a par-3 course that is anything but the stereotypical pitch-and-putt.

In total it was an even dozen trips around the Chalk Mine 9, which measures 840 yards from the medal tees. Afterward he updated his followers, many of whom he had to warn not to come out in the afternoon because he had already finished ahead of schedule, with some of the stats Debbie had recorded on a clipboard.

An average score of 29.6 on the par-27 layout. A low score of 26, with a high of 32. Eight birdies, with a near-ace on the sixth hole to go with it.

Then came the most important figure — just shy of $29,000 for the First Tee — Aiken, a number he expected to climb another thousand or so once everyone squared up.

"It's overwhelming. It's overwhelmingly fantastic. It really is," he said, his voice breaking as he searched for the words. "The people in this community are so giving. We see it. We have great non-profit organizations here that are bolstered by the community, and people step in in a variety of ways. We're still a young non-profit. We're about 14 years now.

"When I send out this information and ask people for their support, I realize I'm being a bit of a pain in asking for money. But they've really stepped up in a very big way, and I just want Aiken to know that it's just the most giving community that I could imagine. We really appreciate every penny we get, and we do our very best to use every penny and every dollar very well."

The 100-hole hike was a quick-fix solution Allman came up with when some money that was supposed to come the First Tee — Aiken's way didn't, leaving the non-profit organization with an unexpected lack of income. He had been a part of the same kind of idea twice before about a decade ago at The Reserve Club, and it worked well, so he started reaching out for donations.

"I've challenged my board to come up with some other creative ways," he added. "Each of them, I've asked to come up with, whether it's a garage sale or whatever, a way to raise a few dollars."

The financial situation is still better than the chapter's beginnings at Houndslake Country Club, simply because — even though their expenses are a little more per month — they have revenue-generating opportunities now by opening up their facility to public play on select days. And that facility is performing as they hoped it would from the beginning by functioning as a safe, secure environment that they and the Pacers share.

Allman calls that situation a win-win-win, and that belief was only reinforced after Tuesday.

"Absolutely. Many First Tees don't have a golf facility," he explained. "Many of them program at other clubs and courses that are kind enough to allow them to, but they can't always count on those entities being available when they need to do programming with the children."

The kids may think they're just being taught about golf when they're at the facility, and Hoffman and programming director Kristy Wright certainly offer plenty of that for them, but they also sneak in life lessons wherever they can.

On the golf front, having the new driving range, chipping area and putting green meant ways to draw the kids' interest in practice, and then there's that added attraction of being able to play the Chalk Mine 9. And it's not just the kids who latch onto that — the parents often do, too, once they get out there and see it for themselves.

The plan for funding was key, as was Allman's plan to get as much set up Monday night to make Tuesday's process as streamlined as possible. He went out to all nine tee boxes and teed up 11 golf balls, adding a 12th on the first tee to get to an even 100.

He also went out and played the holes with several different clubs to figure out the necessary yardages to each flagstick from each tee, and his first move Tuesday morning was to go to each tee box and place the golf club that he was going to use on each hole at that tee, then kept his sand wedge on hand for the shorter holes.

Also helping to expedite that process were Debbie and Hoffman, riding behind him in a cart to serve as caddies and offer moral support for all 12 loops — well, 11 for Debbie, who got to take one off to go pick up breakfast sandwiches so the three could enjoy a short break.

"They both did a good job," he said. "They kept the wedges that we were carrying and the putter, they kept those items clean and ready to go for the next shot. All I had to do was really take the swings and walk on, and what a beautiful walk."

A beautiful walk made a dozen times to help ensure local kids will receive continued opportunities to do the same.

To donate to the First Tee — Aiken or contribute in other ways, visit https://firstteeaiken.org/get-involved/.