GOLFEST 50-50 RAFFLE TO BENEFIT CHARITIES BEGINS DEC. 26

Beginning Dec. 26, The Downs Golf Practice Facility will conduct a 50-50 raffle to benefit the charities affiliated with its annual Golfest demo days and golf expo, which will be held the weekend of Feb. 14-15, 2015.

The winner of the top prize (half of the gross cash amount from raffle ticket sales) will be drawn upon the conclusion of Golfest on the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 15. Drawings will also be held for dozens of other prizes, including two tickets to the first men’s major tournament of 2015 in Georgia, won last year by Bubba Watson.

Raffle tickets will be available in the Golf Shop at The Downs Golf Practice Facility through Feb. 15 during normal business hours. The cost is $5 per ticket, $10 for three tickets and $20 for 10 tickets. There is no limit to the number of tickets that may be purchased.

Proceeds will benefit Folds of Honor, which provides annual scholarships to family members of servicemen and women killed or disabled in action; Thoroughbred Retirement of Tampa, Inc. (TROT); Trinity Café in Tampa, which serves 260 hot meals each day to the homeless, hungry and working poor; Thanks Troops, which provides recreational equipment and opportunities for wounded warriors; and the Special Operation Warrior Foundation, which provides scholarships and counseling to the offspring of Special Operation personnel killed in the line of duty.

Other prizes include a day of Thoroughbred racing for four at Tampa Bay Downs; $50 in range balls; half-hour lessons at The Downs Golf Practice Facility; golf equipment and merchandise from top manufacturers; rounds of golf for four at various area country clubs and courses; daily tickets to the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor the week of March 9-15; and merchandise from the first men’s major tournament of 2015 in Georgia.

Golfest is one of Florida’s largest demo days and expos, featuring the annual “Celebrity Golf Challenge,” the chance to sample and purchase the latest equipment, clinics and demonstrations, more than 20 golf lifestyle booths and fun events for children and families.

For details, call (813) 854-4946.