Darrel Chaney Invitational golf tournament celebrates milestone anniversary

HELEN, Ga. - Professional athletes are competitive people by nature, right? When they play, they play to win. So, what happens when you gather dozens of former professional athletes and pit them against each other on one of North Georgia’s most scenic and challenging golf courses — all for a good cause?

Easy: everybody wins!

This morning, we made the drive up to Helen’s famed Valhalla Golf Club to cheer on the icons participating in this year’s Darrel Chaney Invitational, an annual golf tournament featuring sports celebrities who’ve played for teams including the Braves, Hawks, and Falcons. This is a milestone year for the two-day tournament, which is celebrating 20 years of raising money for the United Way of White County; over the past two decades, organizers say the event has raised more than a million dollars for the United Way and the agencies it supports. Speaking of organizers, the tournament is named for its founder and host, Darrel Chaney, best known as a Major League Baseball player with the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves and his time as an announcer for the Braves. 

This year’s participants kicked off the 20th annual tournament Monday evening with a public meet-and-greet event at Bigg Daddys Restaurant and Tavern in Helen.  But the real action takes place starting early Tuesday morning, as teams swing their way through Innsbruck Golf Club in hopes of taking home one of the prizes awarded to the top three teams. The awards ceremony will take place Tuesday evening at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Helen.

So, which celebrities did we catch up with on the course this year? Click the video player in this article to find out!