TodayGolf course prepares for an event to remember
Liberty Forge will host tournament in memory of friend and designer Alby Gerst.
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Luke Grumbine, president of Liberty Forge, talks about the upcoming memorial golf tournament in memory of Alby Gerst, who died this past January. (Karissa Zimmer/The Sentinel)
For the golfers at the Liberty Forge Golf Course, Sept. 14 will bring a whole new meaning to golfing with friends.
Next month, the course is planning its first annual fundraiser in the memory of Alby Gerst, a founding member of the course. Gerst passed away in January of congestive heart failure. He was 43.
Proceeds from the event will go to a college fund through the John G. Williams Scholarship Foundation to help his sons, Logan, Tanner and Trevor.
“He was very well liked and he was in a lot of activities with his kids,” said Marcia DesForges, vice president of the club.
Although the event is still a month away, the tournament is already looking good, she said.
The first group of 108 golfers is nearly full, DesForges said, and any others that sign up will have to begin a new group.
The organizers even have donations from local businesses set up, including catering from Carrabbas Italian Grille. Faulkner Honda has offered to paid the insurance on a car from their dealership.
The event will also feature a silent auction of gifts including greens fee waivers and passes to Ski Roundtop, though there’s always room for more donations, DesForges said.
Although DesForges was too sick to go to Gerst’s funeral, she said she heard that hundreds of people went to say goodbye.
“He had built our golf course and designed it and he was here from day one,” she said. “He was a major loss for us (and) not just because of his friendship.”
DesForges said Gerst knew everything about the course and its day-to-day operations.
“He was the go-to guy for everything,” she said.
Gerst developed the seven-station Youth Golf Camp, and more than 10 other recreational programs and activities. In 2003, he was awarded first place by the International Timber Frame Association for The Wedge Restaurant at Liberty Forge.
In all, Liberty Forge is set for a good showing, said Luke Grumbine, club president. He said support from Gerst’s hometown of Danville and from the course members has been great.
“Things seem to be falling into place really well,” Grumbine said. “We’re doing great and I’m really pleased that Faulkner helped.”
