On Friday, Sept. 22, the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce’s golf tournament tees off at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start at the Country Club of Oxford.

Deal’s Auto Repair is the event’s presenting sponsor. Platinum sponsors are Byrd on the Roof, Charter Road Hospitality and Hybrid Relief Medical Dispensary.

“As a member of the chamber, we use all our resources to raise the funds needed to fund the chamber, which, in turn, helps the business community,” said Tony Deal of Deal’s Auto Repair.

“Every bit of resource we [members] can find to promote Oxford, we will find. The chamber is 100 percent funded by memberships and sponsorships through the events we have. We are a complete nonprofit and everything we do is funded.”

Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Pam Swain said there will be many fun competitive opportunities during the tourney. A skilled lucky hole-in-one winner will take home a car from Cannon Motors, while Renasant Bank is sponsoring the longest drive competition, adding a new element of fun that will surprise golfers.

Back 9 will debut its gold tournament involvement by sponsoring the closest-to-the-hole competition, plus a new innovative approach to a long-drive competition. As golfers arrive, they can participate in a putting contest, being presented by Oxford’s new Campbell Clinic.

Due to the overwhelming response to the tournament, all the golf team spots sold out in less than one week. All golfers will celebrate post tournament awards with the 19th Hole event sponsored by Oxford Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

“We currently have a waiting list for golf teams and are so encouraged by the positive response we have gotten from the business community for this tournament,” said Swain.

Deal invited others to take advantage of player and sponsorship opportunities still available in the tourney, including the following:

• Hole Sponsor, $250. Sign with company name on it at a sponsored hole. Name listed on all emailed promotions and promotion on social media as a sponsor (company name only, no logo).
• Hole Sponsor with logo, $350. Sign with company logo at a sponsored hole and name listed on sponsor banner. Name listed on all emailed promotions and promotion on social media as a sponsor.

Deal and Swain added that all funds raised from this new chamber event go directly into needed upgrades and repairs of the chamber’s building, located at 299 West Jackson Ave. “Our facility desperately needs updating,” Deal said.

“Our building, which the chamber has been in since the late 1980s, needs a long list of facility upgrades and redesigns to make it more visually appealing to all of our visitors, as well as more efficiently use the space for our staff and growing organization,” Swain added. “We also need to replace aging items, like our air conditioning unit and flooring. We want our building to have that wow factor that people come to expect in Oxford. It is long overdue.”

To sponsor the golf tournament, donate door prizes or contest hole prizes, email Swain. Find out more about become a member of the chamber by visiting its website.