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Over 50? Fore Free

Tribune photo by JOHN CEBALLOS

Bill Francis is the lifestyle coordinator for the Landings Clubhouse at the Riverside Golf Club, which will host its first free golf outing Sept. 24 for anyone over 50.

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By JOHN CEBALLOS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2008

RUSKIN - They say you can't get anything for free, but there will soon be a golf tournament in South Shore for players over age 50, at no charge.

On Sept. 24, the Riverside Club Golf & Boating Resort's golf course will host its first golf outing.

The Riverside Club is a 55 and over community, which features a marina and a 6,117- yard, 18-hole golf course.

The event will be sponsored by PALS Link, an organization that provides financial and lifestyle advice to senior citizens. All participants must attend an hour-long PALS workshop, "Staying in the Fairway of Retirement, Avoiding Hazards," to qualify for the free golf outing.

Nongolfers and nonresidents may also attend the workshop.

PALS Link "contacted us because companies like that always want access to our residents, and I told them that I was interested in doing something more than just a boring lunch for their presentation," said Bill Francis, lifestyle director at the Landings clubhouse, which will host a breakfast before the event. "That's how we came up with the idea of doing a golf tournament."

Francis, who has been at the club for two months, said 50 people have registered for the tournament so far and he hopes that number will reach 100 by tee time.

After the tournament, sandwiches and drinks will be served and prizes given out for closest-to-the-pin and longest-drive contests.

The tournament is the latest of several moves designed to increase Riverside's visibility.

In addition to the upcoming golf tournament, the two-year old, 23,000-square-foot Landings clubhouse will be a voting precinct in November. Francis said plans are also in place for a health fair in February.

"I feel like our residents are really happy, but I'm not quite sure how many people in the community know we're here," Francis said. "We want to change that and we're definitely looking to get involved in the community."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Riverside Golf Club's Free Golf Outing for players over 50

WHERE: Riverside Golf Club, 2550 Pier Drive, Ruskin

WHEN: Sept. 24, 10:30 a.m. shotgun start

COST: Free, if you attend PALS Link workshop at 9 a.m.

INFORMATION: Call (813) 641-7840 or (800) 665-8409.

Reporter John Ceballos can be reached at (813) 865-1555 or jceballos@tampatrib.com

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