BATAVIA — Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly didn’t have enough nice things to say about the many staff and volunteers who help put on the annual Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic held at the Terry Hills Golf Course and Banquet Facility.
“They are amazing. The way they treated us years ago, I fell in love with them,” Kelly said of the staff at Terry Hills. “You wouldn’t believe how many people leave this place and say they’ve never been to such a fun golf tournament. And that’s what we try to do.”
The Kelly Tour, which has raised over $7 million for various local charities, including the Kelly for Kids Foundation and Hunter’s Hope, over its 35 years of existence, prides itself on the great entertainment it provides to hundreds of Batavia golfers each year. The Kelly Classic comes equipped with celebrities of all kinds, live music on the course and plenty of food and drink to go.
“I mean, we have a group on the course. You have to have fun, and that’s what we try to do,” added Kelly. “We try to make sure everyone enjoys themselves, and there are probably 15 par fours that probably never make it past hole No. 10. After 10 holes of golf, they’re good, we’re good, let’s go to the tents. But I don’t care. As long as you’re having fun, and I thank them for everything they do for us.”
The most significant benefit of hosting the tournament at Terry Hills, Kelly says, is the 27-hole course offered to the approximately 250 players who participate in the Kelly Classic each year.
“We had 10-12 foursomes on the waiting list when we had an 18-hole course,” the former Bills QB said. “We should have had 27 (holes). Now they’ve built this place, it’s great. Plus, they take incredible care of us. So Terry Hills, a big, big thank you.”
Christopher McDonald, best known as Shooter McGavin from the cult classic Happy Gilmore, has been a mainstay on Kelly’s tour for the past two decades. His impressions of the course and the fun-filled environment created at the event are what keep him coming back year after year.
“I have nothing but respect, and today is a chamber of commerce day — it’s perfect,” McDonald said, referring to the ideal weather conditions at kickoff time. “And we’ve been here when it rains. But today is perfect, so we expect a really good round.”
Kelly returned to the tournament after missing the last few years due to personal reasons. He missed last year due to ankle replacement surgery. McDonald says everyone was happy to see the Bills quarterback at his event this summer.
“He is the man. It means everything,” McDonald said. “I got in the car with him today. He is my son and I have nothing but respect and gratitude for what he has done with Kelly for Kids. It’s just incredible.”
Former Bills QB Drew Bledsoe attended the Kelly Classic for the first time this year after running into Kelly at an event a few months ago when the Hall of Famer requested his presence at the charity classic.
“He’s just a good person,” Bledsoe said of Kelly. “So it’s good to see him up and healthy.”
Another year, another successful summer in which Batavia has played host to one of the highest profile charity golf tournaments in Western New York. For the many celebrities and former NFL greats who attend each year, downtown Genesee County has proven to be the perfect place to host the Kelly Classic.
“It’s a nice town,” said former Bills linebacker Darryl Talley of Batavia. “It’s a great, quaint town outside of Buffalo.”
If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll see a Bills legend or a celebrity or two on their way down Main St. at the end of the event.
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