Since it opened its doors to the community, the Bloomingdale Golfers Club has seen a fair share of visitors, guests and golfers, all of whom taking note of the course known for its 100-year old oaks, towering pines and natural marsh land.
Voted Tampa Bay‘s No.1 Golf Course, 10 years in a row, and reportedly described by Golf Digest as having the best collection of par 5’s on one golf course that they have seen, the facility, located at 4113 Great Golfers Pl. in Valrico, offers residents a great round of spectacular holes threading their way around 13 lakes.
For the past decade, some of those that regularly take advantage of the facility include a sizable group of Special Olympics golfers, thanks to the generosity of the Club’s management team, who use the range and the putting green for free, along with the course at a discounted price.
To show their appreciation for the support, former Special Olympics Golf Team coaches Bob and Valerie McDarby, joined by current coach Gene Wilkinson, and members of the Special Olympics Golf team, welcomed Bloomingdale Golfers Club newly hired General Manager Scout Miller to the facility.
“The facility has opened its doors to us for the past 10 years and we can’t thank them enough for their generous support of our team,” said McDarby, who has been coaching the team for the past 15 years and adding that golf helps each Special Olympics player to build self confidence and self reliance.
“These players can see their improvement and know that the more they play the more they become self-reliant,” McDarby said. “We want to thank the Bloomingdale Golfers Club for being there for us and we are hoping that this alliance will continue in the future.”
According to Miller, who took his new position mid-September, the team has no need to worry about its future at the club.
“We want them here and keep the consistency going for them,” Miller said, adding that the entire Special Olympics program including the athletes, the volunteers and the coach are always welcome at Bloomingdale Golfers Club.
To bring the community closer together, the club is hosting a Fall Festival scheduled for Saturday, October 24, organized by the Bloomingdale Home Owners Association.
For more information, visit www.bloomingdalegolf.com.
