Solar Eclipse Charity Golf Classic to Celebrate the First Total Eclipse North America Has Seen Since '79

(Kansas City, KS) - Together with the Kansas City Royals and GreatLIFE KC, area golfers will hit the links at 24 courses throughout the Kansas City and Missouri area to celebrate the first ever solar eclipse North America has seen since 1979. Funds raised from the event will benefit children through Royals Charities and the GreatLIFE Cares Foundation.

Bryan Minnis, Chief Development Officer for GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness says the rare event is something golfers should add to their bucket list. “It’s going to be a great day supporting countless children in Kansas City while experiencing perhaps the coolest event of our lifetime. I’ve played golf 40 years but never under the stars midday. This is a unique and rare opportunity.”

The moon and the Earth will be perfectly aligned for a few minutes on Aug. 21, 2017. The path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country's independence. You have to go all the way back to the total solar eclipse of 1257 in order to find another eclipse which touched only American soil. Participants will use special solar eclipse viewing glasses while playing golf throughout the day to see a dramatic darkening of the sky, with Venus appearing near the Sun. The entire process takes nearly 3 hours. Eleven of the tournament courses are in the path of totality, lasting from 50 seconds at Drumm Farm to over 2 minutes at Staley Farms, St. Joseph Country Club, Liberty Hills and Hail Ridge.

Minnis explains how the idea for the tournament grew so quickly “GreatLIFE prides itself on trying to make a difference in people’s lives, especially those of children. We own and/or operate over 20 golf courses in the Kansas City area and think this unique event is a great opportunity to experience something really cool while doing something really great for Kansas City kids.”

The event will be held on Monday, August 21 with a choice of a 7:45 am or 1:45 p.m. shotgun start. A solar eclipse watch party and luncheon will be served between the morning and afternoon sessions. Registration includes golf, cart, continental breakfast, a welcome gift bag and awards luncheon or dinner. There will also be raffle tickets and an online auction available for golfers at all locations throughout the day. Proceeds will benefit Kansas City youth through the KC Royals Charities and GreatLIFE Cares Foundation.

“We’re going to keep the celebration going,” adds Minnis. “Players who sign up by July 16th will receive a ticket to the GreatLIFE Golf Day at the K! featuring the Kansas City Royals vs. Colorado Rockies on August 22nd.”

Registration information with a list of participating courses and sponsorship opportunities, is available at www.solareclipsegolfclassic.com, www.greatlifekc.com or any one of the 24 GreatLIFE KC participating courses.