Founders Golf Tournament at the Hideout will celebrate volunteerism

The Hideout Golf Club in Monticello is set to host a tournament on September 2 that will honor the remarkable community effort that originally brought golf to San Juan County.
The Founders Golf Tournament is sponsored by the San Juan Record and Redrock 92 Radio and is a fundraising event for the golf course.
In the 1950s a group of World War II veterans triggered a massive effort that resulted in the construction of a nine-hole golf course in Monticello.
The result was an impressive effort that combined support from government and local industries along with hundreds of volunteers to help make the course a reality.
Now, sixty years later, the 18-hole Hideout is the top-rated course in Utah and one of the 36 top public courses in the United States, according to Golfweek magazine.
After facing challenges related to equipment and water shortages in recent years, the course has returned to form over the summer.
“This weekend will be the best conditions at the course in a few years,” said Hideout Golf Pro Jeff Simon. The tournament begins with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. and lunch will be served afterwards.
The event is meant to honor all community members who have supported golf, whether or not they actually golf. A number of new projects for the course will be introduced at the tournament.
“We hope to make this an annual event,” said San Juan Record Editor Bill Boyle. “In fact, the first golf tournament in Monticello was on Labor Day weekend in 1959. It sounds like a great time to have a tournament every year.
“An amazing number of positive changes transformed our communities after World War II and we want to honor that effort,” said Boyle. “Whether it was a golf course, a ski lift, a swimming pool, or a library system, these changes would not have happened without community involvement and support.
“We hope to remember and honor the efforts of the past and channel them into renewed efforts moving ahead. Come join us!”