Gary Bebelaar, the 2002 Kentucky PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year, 2003 and 2004 Kentucky PGA Section Horton Smith Award winner, and the 2000 Kentucky PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities, is the PGA head professional at Big Spring Country Club in Louisville, Ky., and is also the Honorary Past President of the Kentucky PGA Section.

Our Jack Ryan Invitational member-guest stag night used to be a big deal that people looked forward to for months, easily filling up all 144 spots. However, we stopped filling this event as the years went by – what had once been a night of fun and stories had become a bit stale. Don’t get me wrong, it was still enjoyable, but we all knew it needed something more to add much-needed excitement. Looking for something new, we turned this into a casino night. Going beyond just putting a few gaming tables in our clubhouse, we partnered with an actual casino. The practice round event schedule begins with an afternoon shotgun, followed by a shootout in the 18th fairway. Immediately following the shootout, the fun begins. By partnering with the casino we were able to provide transportation to their facility via deluxe private coaches, roughly 30 minutes away. We had a private area within the casino for food and beverages, and our members and their guests had a great night playing the many games. The evening ends with the casino providing transportation back to our club, and we have several transportation options available for members who didn’t feel up to driving home.

When word got out that we were adding a casino element to the member-guest event, along with several other popular changes, the excitement and talk grew and we once again had a waiting list for our premier event. The event was truly a win-win, as the casino received many new guests who’d never before been there. Overall we were very pleased with the reception, and we’re planning for either another casino night or something equally exciting for next year’s event.