(Gulf Shores)
When it comes to the Iron Bowl in Alabama, there’s no sitting on the fence. Fans either root for Auburn University or the University of Alabama. The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is giving golfers the chance to show their colors in their annual Iron Bowl Challenge Golf Tournament set for Nov. 18 at the Gulf Shores Golf Club.
According to Tournament Co-Chairman Jason Stephenson, each golf team will be made up of two fans from one of the schools. “We don’t allow mixed teams,” he said. “Knowing how high feelings run when it comes to the Iron Bowl, we couldn’t do that to our golfers. So you better make sure each member of your team is a fan of the same school.”
The tournament will be conducted in a best-ball format with a unique football-based scoring system. “I would wager that this will be the only tournament our players enter all year that has the scoring format we use,” Stephenson said. “Our field is limited to 96 players with 48 players representing each school, so neither Auburn nor Alabama will have an edge.”
Stephenson said the tourney has a full field each year, so he urged all interested teams to register as quickly as possible. “Slots are filling up fast, so register early to make sure your team has their spot locked down,” he said.
Along with the golf, tourney participants will be invited to a special “Animal Party” on Nov. 17 at the golf club. “I’m excited about the party. This is something we held in years past, but had gotten away from it,” Zoo Board Chairman Steve Jones said. “Our golfers and their families will have opportunities to interact with several of the animals from the zoo. We’ll have a professional photographer on hand to take photos of the families as they get up-close and personal with the animals and even a magician will be there to entertain.” According to Jones, the party will feature dinner, live music as well as Iron Bowl-themed challenges and the beginning of a silent auction.
Registration and lunch will begin at 11 a.m. along with the continuation of the silent auction. The tourney will begin at 12:30 p.m. with a shotgun start, and after golf is completed, participants and their families will be invited to stick around at the golf course for a 5 p.m. awards ceremony, raffle drawing and the conclusion of the silent auction.
“We’ve had some great donations from many area businesses,” Stephenson said. “We couldn’t put on this fundraiser without their generous support of the Iron Bowl Challenge and the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.” Some of the items donated include a Gene Chizik autographed Auburn football, a Nick Saban autographed Alabama football, two pairs of tickets to the Iron Bowl, a round of golf for four at the Golf Club of Georgia, a weekend getaway in New Orleans complete with accommodations at the Ritz-Carlton and many other items.
The entry fee for the tournament is $125 per player for returning players and new participants prior to Nov. 1. After Nov. 1, new players must pay $150. For more information on the tournament, see the Iron Bowl Challenge Golf Tournament Facebook page. To register, call Stephenson at 251-978-2066 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
“Both the Iron Bowl and the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo mean a lot to our community,” Stephenson said. “This is a chance for golfers to come out and support not only their favorite Iron Bowl team, but our zoo as well.”
(Gulf Shores)
From the couch of FES.
Well everyone knows what game we are going to talk about this week and it is the Iron Bowl on Friday. It's pretty simple this year. Auburn has a much better offense than Alabama and Alabama has a much better defense than Auburn. So is it offense or defense? Im going to take defense this time.
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These games as far as I can remember have never been shootouts, they have been slug fests and that will favor Alabama because I have more faith in them making a stop, that simple. I would love to hear everyone's input on this game as well. I say Auburn in a tight one. I think. No idea on this one. Maybe the Tide?
Closest prediction in the comment section wins a Hobnob gift pack.
(Gulf Shores)
The Junior class will be sponsoring an Alabama/Auburn, out of uniform day, Friday, November 19th. Students can wear and Alabama, Auburn or other favorite team shirt and jeans for a $2 donation.
