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The Bainbridge Country Club in conjunction with The Bainbridge- Decatur County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a festive Costume Poker Run on October 27 as an after-hours networking event.

The Costume Poker Run is the brainchild of Chamber President Lauren Minor and Special Events Coordinator, Anna Kinchen.

“Unfortunately due to COVID-19, restrictions have been placed on our venues and we have not been able to hold Chamber Connect,” Minor said. “However, we feel that networking is one of the biggest values to our members, so we wanted to try and find a way around it.”

Minor and Kinchen considered hosting a series of smaller Chamber Connect events. However, they ended up challenging one another to think outside the box, so the event would be something that had never been done before.

Minor said they first considered venues that people would really enjoy being at, when the Bainbridge Country Club came to mind.

“People don’t always get to ride around on the golf course and be outdoors,” she said. “It’s exclusive to its members, so we wanted to partner with them.”

Hosting the event at the Bainbridge Country Club will not only hopefully boost their membership, but encourage people to see the benefits of becoming a member of the Chamber of Commerce as well.

“This event is for anyone who wants to come,” Minor said. “We can both get visibility from attendees.”
Minor said her main goal for this event is to allow people to network and get to know each other without it feeling forced.

“It provides a unique opportunity for everyone,” Minor said. “You don’t have to be a member of the Chamber or Country Club to do it.”

Guests who attend will enjoy an evening filled with sponsored “tee parties”, live music by Kevin Whoo, food, libations, spooky costumes and prizes.

Those attending who would like to participate in the poker run will have access to golf cart transportation. They will visit five tees located throughout the course, where they will receive a card at each sponsored tee party. They will then bring their hand back to the club house to play for a chance to win $500.

At each tee party there will be an opportunity to network with the sponsor and participate in a small activity to receive their card.

For those who prefer to stay at the Club House, there will be mingling and a costume contest going on throughout the night. The winner of the contest will win $100.

However, the Chamber encourages anyone who would like to participate in the poker run. They said no prior poker experience or golfing experience is necessary.

“Don’t’ worry about knowing how to play,” Minor said. “We just want people to come and have fun.”

Safety will be of the upmost importance at the event. Minor and Kinchen said they have decided to host the party in the open air portion of the County Club, so it will allow guests to be able to spread out easily. In addition, staff will be doing temperature checks at the door, providing hand sanitizer and passing out color-coded bracelets that reflect the attendee’s level of concern for contact.

“We want it to be a safe event for all attendees and are paying very close attention to executive orders,” Kinchen said. “It will be two people per cart, so we are expecting people to only partner in a cart with who they are comfortable with.”

Minor and Kinchen are thrilled about this new event. Their hope is it will be successful and can be an annual event.

Sponsorships are available for the event, however there is a five sponsor limit. To sponsor the event contact 229-246-4774.

To register for the event visit the Chamber of Commerce website or pay at the door. There are two options available for tickets.

A Poker Player ticket costs $20 and includes food, two drink tickets, golf cart transportation, poker hand, chance to win poker pot and networking in the Oak Room and Patio.

A guest ticket costs $15 and includes two food, two drink tickets, chance to win the costume contest and networking in the Oak Room and Patio.

The Bainbridge County Club and Chamber of Commerce are looking forward to this event and hope to see everyone there.