For 28 years, Palmetto Health Foundation donors and supporters have hit the links to fight cancer in our community. More than $4.5 million in proceeds from the annual Golf Classic has helped fund innovative technology and enhance programs and services at Palmetto Health Cancer Centers, one of the Southeast’s largest cancer programs. Among what Golf Classic proceeds have funded is an upgrade to the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System, technology to perform prostate seed implants for the treatment of prostate cancer, gastrointestinal diagnostic equipment and neoprobes for sentinel node biopsies in cancer surgeries.

Palmetto Health Foundation Golf Classic, presented by Aflac, is a 4-man captain’s choice tournament to be held Friday, April 20 on both courses at Ft. Jackson Golf Club. Thanks to Love Chevrolet, golfers will have a chance to win a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado or a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro, with a hole-in-one on designated holes. Mulligans and “kick and throws” may be added at registration the morning of the tournament. Special guest Kevin “The Bull” Bullard, an award-winning long drive champion, will entertain participants before tee time. On the course, players will have the opportunity to make a donation for The Bull to drive for them. The top three long drive donors will be entered into a prize drawing. 

The Golf Classic reception will be held Thursday, April 19, 5:30-8 p.m., at 701 Whaley. Reception guests will enjoy catering by Jack Brantley of Aberdeen Catery. For a donation of $150, guests will receive a book of tickets to use for a chance to win items such as a Roomba® robot vacuum, custom-made oyster cooker, an acoustic guitar signed by Lynyrd Skynyrd and four tickets to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Charlotte. The first 25 guests to donate $150 for a ticket book will be given a Polar Bear Cooler, known for its cold-chill retention and functionality. A special fund-a-need auction will help Palmetto Health Cancer Centers fund new technology that measures a cancer patient’s oxygen utilization during aerobic exercise. The results lead to specialized aerobic exercise training that greatly relieves symptoms of fatigue and other symptoms in patients with cancer.

“Measuring a patient’s oxygen utilization is considered the gold standard for determining a specific exercise program and how many calories the body burns each day. This measurement is key to how our team provides a patient a complete cancer therapy program,” said Jonathan Donley, Physical Therapy specialist at Palmetto Health Cancer Centers. “The equipment that is supported through the Golf Classic fund-a-need auction will allow us to put the appropriate care plan together for a patient’s current stage of cancer and begin to move forward into survivorship.”

To reserve a golf team, call Palmetto Health Foundation at 803-434-7275. Reservations for the reception are $60 per person, $100 per couple and $1,000 for a table of eight. RSVP at PHFGolfClassic.org.