It was a gorgeous afternoon for the 2nd annual Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston charity golf tournament on October 9, 2023, at Willow Fork Country Club in Katy, Texas.
20 teams/80 players participated in this fun-filled team scramble format tournament.
Registration started at 11:00 AM with contestants preparing afterwards at the driving range and then participating in the challenging putting contest where the Gandhi stamp collection was proudly displayed.
Allen Lea, EGMH museum director, and Rennes McCloud, EGMH program director, masterfully coordinated all the set up for the tournament in the morning. Participants had the opportunity to view the 3D model of the Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston prominently displayed at the pavilion where the registration took place.
Volunteers including Nina Wani and Jigisha Wani cheerfully handed out goody bags which included a sleeve of balls, comfortable golf jerseys (both with EGMH logos), golf towels donated by Wallis Bank, and snacks.
Sanjay Jain, EGMH trustee, sponsored a delicious, healthy Subway lunch for everyone.
Wes Blankenship, golf pro at Willow Fork Country Club, provided instructions to all the participants and the tournament started at 1pm sharp using a shotgun format.
It was a beautiful day with light winds making it a picture-perfect day for golf. The teams competed in an 18-hole, scramble format tournament.
EGMH Board of Trustees members, G.V. Krishnan, Ajit Paralkar, and Sesh Bala drove around in golf carts clicking action shots of all the players with their teams.
After finishing 18 holes, the official scorecards were handed to the golf pro and all the participants were invited upstairs in the ballroom where they were treated to a delicious all-you-can-eat Italian buffet dinner sponsored by an anonymous donor. Board of Trustee Dr. Manish Wani gave a brief update on the Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston and encouraged all to get involved and visit the first museum in the Americas dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and the universal values of peace, truth, and non-violence. All the participants were given a free admission ticket to the museum.
The Golf Pro tabulated the scores, and the following teams were awarded the beautiful plaques:
1st Place (-18): HCA Clear Lake Hospital Team -Todd Caleva, Doug Sobotik, Greg Cox, Andy Cox
2nd Place (-16): Kayoor Gajarawala Team – Kayoor Gajarawala, Izza Dandia, Vince Martino, Vic Mehra
3rd Place (-15): Palace Inn Team – Divyesh Das, Raj Das, Manhar Das, Bhavin Bhakta
4th Place (-14): Christopher Catterall Team – Colin Verges, Christopher Catterall, Jason Carmack, Jeffrey Thompson
Putting contest: Rahul Wani
Longest Drive: Vince Martino
Over $45,000 were raised for EGMH in the golf tournament.
