Golf enthusiasts are gearing up to tee off as the Ross (Blackie) Talbot Charity Classic gets underway on Monday.

The event was started by the late Ross (Blackie) Talbot ? who was one of the Talbot Brothers. He decided to raise funds in lieu of gifts for his birthday and over the past 14 years the foundation has raised over $1.5 million doing just that.

The first event began with 28 people, but now the golf event is playing host to 550 enthusiasts.

Clem Talbot, son of Blackie, said this is the first time they had more golfers seek entry than they could accommodate.

?We have in excess of 500 people registered already,? he said.

?It is good, but I am a person that likes to accommodate everyone and my phone has been ringing and people have been coming in with cash.

?But it is full and that is the thing about it ? it is good in one sense and bad in another. We are already full for the first time ever.?

This year the Classic will fund five charities and the recipients are the Family Centre, the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda and the Packwood Home and the De Boys Day Out Club.

Along with these beneficiaries funds also got to the Ross (Blackie) Talbot Foundation itself, which funds arts scholarships. ?The aim of this year?s tournament is to raise $200,000 and based on the type of support that we have received thus far I am very confident that we will exceed that number,? said Mr. Talbot.

The 500-plus participants represent a cross section of the community. ?From ordinary members in the community to corporate executives from Ace, XL, Bank of Butterfield and Bank of Bermuda HSBC.? he said. ?The cross mixture of participants is what makes it so special and it captures, every culture, every religion and every creed of the individuals that are in Bermuda. Everyone seems to come together and they enjoy the camaraderie, which is basically to assist Bermuda registered charities.

?It is nice to know that we have oversold in every category. We have six tournaments over the six days and each one is oversold.

?We have three formats over the three days, one of the formats is a Captain?s Choice Tournament, which is what you call a real friendly outing of golf and not competitive.

?You may muff everyone of your tee shots, but you get on the green and you take a ten-foot putt and that is the only thing that you have done all day, but you made a contribution. It is called the best ball, four people tee off and if you muff yours, someone will sink the ball. ?Everyone gets on the green and everyone gets a chance to sink the ball. One is on Monday morning and the other on Wednesday morning and both of those are sold out.

?The other is called the Stableford Tournament and is more for the serious golfer although, not the professional, but one that can hit the ball. This format allows each member of the four teams to contribute to the team and each member is going to want to contribute to every hole, not one shot.

?So, if you find that at every hole you are picking your ball up, you feel kind of guilty because you are letting your team down and you are not helping your team. If you are able to get a par, you get two points and if you are able to get a bogey you get one point and everything over a bogey you are picking up because you are not making any points for your team. Although, your team members still have the opportunity to make a par.?

The other component is the raffle, which was recognised by the Bermudian Magazine?s Best of the Bermuda Gold Awards last year.

?We won the award for being the most successful charity in Bermuda and we were proud to receive that because there are 352 charities on the Island,? said Mr. Talbot. ?They also gave us another award for having the best and most successful raffle. We are hoping to repeat that and, based on the type of support that we have received from our sponsors, we have over $100,000 worth of prizes.

?I have to give a lot of credit to the raffle committee because they spent a lot of time to get that particular raffle and everyone in the community will benefit from the prizes.?

When Mr. Talbot spoke to , he said there were only a limited number of raffles left. ?We have a limited number of tickets... and it appears that this is the first time that we will sell out.

?Raffles are being sold at Bank of Bermuda Compass Point, Aston & Gunn, Ocean View Golf Club and Euro Car. Other than that they being sold at most supermarkets, Gorham?s and Master?s Limited. The raffle draw will be televised on VSB 11 and the draw will take place at the April 5.?

When asked if his father ever dreamed that the tournament would play host to so many, Mr. Talbot said: ?One thing about the Talbot Brothers and my father that impressed me was, whether he played golf or entertained, he always wanted to do it to the best of his ability. He basically wanted it to be something that he could be proud of.?

The Pre-registration Reception will take place at the Ace Global Headquarters tomorrow evening from 5.30 to 7.30 p.m.

The Gala Prize Giving Reception takes place at the Riddles Bay Golf and Country Club on April 5.