Chili Open gives golfers respite from winter
The DuBois Country Club’s Chili Open Golf Tournament slated for Feb. 7 allows golfers to get into the swing of things as spring inches near. — Courtesy photo
By Andy Stine
astine@altoonamirror.com
DUBOIS — If you’re a golfer, it is probably the time of winter that you are getting the itch to get back out on the golf course.
The good news is you don’t have to go anywhere down south to get a round in on Feb. 7.
The DuBois Country Club will hold its Chili Open Golf Tournament that day, which will be the fifth year of the event.
DuBois Country Club golf professional Logan Depto said the club’s owner talked to him about the possibility of playing golf in the winter before the club’s first event in 2022.
“The owner came to me about it. I was like, ‘Yeah,'” said Depto, who has been the golf pro at DCC since 2020. “We figured out how to set it up with the superintendent. We ended up deciding to use tires instead of actually going on the green.”
The tires serve as the holes so golfers don’t tear up greens. Rather than needing to putt the ball on the green, once a golfer hits the tire at its designated place, the hole is over.
The Chili Open is a 6-hole event, played with individual stroke play, and is played with only one club.
“Usually people have a 6-iron or 7-iron, somewhere around there so they can chip with it,” Depto said.
Rather than the traditional white ball that’s normal in golf, players usually use colored balls to find them easier in the winter time.
One concern for this year’s event is the weather, especially after the recent winter storm that dumped over a foot of snow in some areas around the region.
“This weather is obviously terrible,” Depto said.
Depto looked over his numbers from past Chili Open events and said the club had over 60 golfers in 2023. The weather was favorable with temperatures that reached over 40 degrees that day.
One possible solution that could be done this year is to split the holes in half, and make everything a par 3 of anywhere between 150- and 180-yard holes.
“I’d have to see if it’s feasible to get a tire out there,” Depto said.
“One year, we had to do holes 10, 18 and 1, and split them in half because it was a sheet of ice. There was no way you could use carts anywhere else, and they were the low holes.”
Members and non-members of the DuBois Country Club are welcome at the Chili Open. Players get chili, two free drink tickets, and prizes are given out after golf is completed.
The price to enter the event is $25 dollars.
“It’s something to do in the winter time, and you can get some swings in, and have some chili,” Depto said.
For more information, visit the DuBois Country Club on Facebook.
The next event, before spring arrives, is the Irish Open Golf Tournament, set for 1 p.m. March 14. Barring any snow, this event features 18 holes, with players allowed one club and a putter. Two-person teams will play in a scramble format. The $30 fee includes drink tickets, prizes, proximities, skins and food. The theme is green. RSVP by calling 814-558-7453.