Sadly, I will miss being there in person in Orlando to cover the January 12th through the 17th Diamond Resorts Invitational Benefiting Florida Hospitals for Children. It’s the East Coast version of the summer Celebrity Golf Classic staged in Lake Tahoe. With the season change comes a stronger lineup of celebrities competing, especially the off-season baseball players. Hosted this year by The Bear Club at Keene’s Point with celebrities and Diamond Resorts guests staying at the Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club, this event will come of age on a national and worldwide level. Since I am on the ‘Golf Journey to South Africa,’ I have to miss it but you don’t—either in person in Orlando or televised on The Golf Channel.

I did experience it in a way by attending the Media Day in early December. Staying at Mystic Dunes and playing The Bear Club twice I felt like a celebrity or one of those Diamond Resorts guests. All that I missed was the shuttle helicopter ride from the resort to the golf course to insure that the celebrity golfers won’t get caught in Orlando traffic and miss their tee times like the LPGA players did recently in Mexico City!

With the celebrity nature of the event, staying at accommodations like the Mystic Dunes Resort and playing golf courses like The Golden Bear Club, it is easy to miss the main reason for the event—to raise funds for Florida Hospitals for Children. There is no doubt that Brian & Kimberley Gay and the Diamond Resorts International leadership and organization have been focused on the charitable aspect of the tournament and have been for some time.

Diamond Resorts International first began working with Florida Hospital for Children in 2012 through volunteer participation at hospital events. In 2013, Diamond Resorts Ambassador and PGA Touring Professional, Brian Gay, offered to lend his name to the Diamond Resorts inaugural golf invitational in efforts to help raise money for the Orlando-based hospital. Raising over $1.2 million to date, the Diamond Resorts sponsored golf event returns in 2016 as the Diamond Resorts Invitational benefiting Florida Hospital for Children and will be a live, nationally televised event on Golf Channel. The 54-hole celebrity tournament will feature a Stableford scoring format with a $500,000 purse and will feature a world-class weekend of golf, entertainment and philanthropy, all to benefit Florida Hospital for Children.

The Brian Gay Invitational Celebrity-Amateur Tournament continues in its fourth year on Wednesday the day before the 3-day celebrity competition. Amateurs will compete for spots in the tournament proper. To finish off the week, on Sunday there will be Family Excursions to Orlando Theme Parks because Diamond Resorts is dedicated to the understanding that taking vacations is vital to people’s health, happiness and relationships with their loved ones, and enables experiences that create memories that last a lifetime.

I can vouch for that having attended the Media Day along with regular Diamond Resort guests. I say ‘regular’ because once you are in the club, everyone has the opportunity to participate in the events I did, namely attend the media conference and play The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Point and enjoy an intimate dinner and personal concert performance by Colt Ford and his band.

I hope to catch some of the action on the Sports channel here in Johannesburg (sadly and amazingly South Africa does not have their own Golf Channel) and will be following the tournament. No doubt with Brian & Kimberley Gay, Diamond Resorts International and all the celebrities engaged, it will be a fantastic and memorable event!

Diamond Resorts in Orlando in the winter, better than Tahoe in the summer, unless you are a skier…

If you are a Diamond Resorts member I think you should go to this one! If you are not a Diamond Resorts member I think you should look into it!

Don’t Miss the Diamond Resorts Invitational Benefiting Florida Hospitals for Children at The Golden Bear Golf Club at Keene’s Point in Orlando starting January 12th!

Experience this adventure on Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary as it evolved in real time as chronicled with Facebook posts:

Excited to be heading to Orlando for a media preview event for the January 12th-17th Diamond Resorts Invitational Benefiting Florida Hospital for Children which includes the Brian Gay Invitational Celebrity-Amateur Tournament on Tuesday. All to be televised on the Golf Channel. With 60 headline celebrities this is the East Coast version of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Wondering if local Ponte Vedra Beach golf celebrity Frank Sausedo is playing too? Staying at the Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club and playing The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Pointe… then off to South Africa on Wednesday… http://diamondresortsinvitational.com/ Any Orlando tips? (-: (FB 12/5/15)

Let the Diamond Resorts Invitational Media Day fun begin at the Golden Bear Club… with Brian Gay, Chad Pfeifer & Colts Ford (FB 12/7/15)

Awesome media conference for the Diamond Resorts Invitational benefiting Florida Hospital for Children with Chad Pfeifer, AZ Pierzynski, Brian Gay & Johnny Damon, then played The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Pointe… Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club Diamonds Resorts http://diamondresortsinvitational.com/charity (FB 12/8/15)

Magical evening at Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club with Diamond Resorts International … intimate, heartfelt & talented performance by Colt Ford and his band… (FB 12/8/15)

Day 2 at Diamond Resorts Invitational Media Day, stay at Mystic Dunes, play The Golden Bear Club… going to be a great Celebrity-Amateur-Hero with Chad Pfiefer… (FB 12/9/15)

Playing golf on the Gary Koch designed course at Mystic Dunes with lots of character this morning, not your ordinary Florida golf course, Love the 17th green and Golfin Around with my buddy Randy Tantlinger was a lot of fun! (FB 12/9/15)

That concludes another amazing golf and life adventure on Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary!