GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A field of nearly 50 foursomes will tee off at Egypt Valley Country Club on Monday, Aug. 29 for the 17th Annual Griffins Youth Foundation Golf Classic, presented by Meijer and Dean Foods. One of the largest charitable events in West Michigan, the golf classic will be held at the renowned club in Ada, Mich., for the third straight year.

Numerous Griffins personalities, including coaches Curt Fraser and Jim Paek and alumni Darryl Bootland, Mike Fountain, Kory Karlander, Don McSween and Matt Ruchty, are scheduled to play in the scramble format that tees off at 10 a.m.

Two 18-hole courses will once again be used, with half of the field playing on the Ridge course and half on the Valley course. Participants will enjoy on-course food and refreshments during their round, and they’ll have the opportunity to walk away with high-end electronics and other exclusive items through a raffle and auction that will take place during a post-event dinner.

Ten-dollar raffle tickets will give attendees the chance to win dozens of prizes, including a 32” Sony LCD HDTV, a Sony Blu Ray/DVD player, Garmin and Magellan GPS systems, an iPod touch, an Amazon Kindle, Sony noise-cancelling head phones, Canon PowerShot and Nikon Coolpix cameras, assorted gaming systems (Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), a Char-Broil grill, golf goods and equipment like TaylorMade drivers and Callaway irons, and a variety of sports memorabilia and ticket packages to local attractions and experiences.

Live auction items will include a 40” Sony LCD HDTV, use of a 20-person suite at a West Michigan Whitecaps game, a ride-along in a Grand Rapids Police Department patrol car (four to 12 hours), a two-night stay at the Inn at Bay Harbor, a weekend stay at RiverHouse Condos, two round-trip tickets on the Lake Express, and a United Airlines package.

In addition, a silent auction will be conducted offering golf packages at some of the premier courses in Michigan, including A-Ga-Ming Resort, Bay Harbor Golf Club, Crystal Mountain Resort, Egypt Valley, Grandview Golf Club, Gull Lake View, the Jewel on Mackinac Island, Pilgrim’s Run, and Treetops Resort.

Registration is still available for individual golfers ($225) and foursomes ($800). For more information, please visit griffinshockey.com or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 3027.

The golf classic serves as the primary fundraiser for the Griffins Youth Foundation, whose mission is to promote academic excellence, community involvement and healthy lifestyles among the youth of West Michigan, enhancing their lives through hockey and ice-related sports. The net proceeds from each year’s outing enable approximately 200 underprivileged or underserved kids to participate in the foundation’s various programs – including first-through-ninth grade hockey, girls hockey and sled hockey – at no cost.

For more information about the Griffins Youth Foundation, please visit griffinskids.org.