Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Sept. 5, 2025 – The Jonesboro Police Department will be taking the community to the green in October for a good cause.
The agency will be hosting its first-ever DARE golf tournament, “Tee Up for DARE Scramble,” on Oct. 3 at the Ridgepointe Country Club. All the proceeds would go toward the DARE program, with DARE officer Lynae Prater hoping for a first-year goal of between $10,000 to $15,000.
Prater said the idea came about as the DARE program is funded through sponsors and fundraisers. They have to raise approximately $25,000 each year, helping with buying T-shirts, books, prizes, and treats for the 1,400 children they see.
“[We] talked with a bunch of different people in the community, one of our reserve officers had done a golf tournament. That’s kind of how it came into fruition, and it was decided it’d be best to go that route,” she said.
Teams will check-in the day of the event between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., with lunch being offered during this time. After which, a ball drop will occur between 12:40 p.m. and 12:50 p.m.
“Whenver you check in for your team, you can pay for a ticket. It’s $5 per ball, and you can get it however many that you want to,” Prater said. “Once the balls are dropped, if yours is in the very bottom of the hole where we drop it in, then you win the prize.”
After this will be a scramble, which begins at 1 p.m., and will feature 22 teams of four each. Currently, 11 spots are available, with the deadline for registration being the day before the event. The cost to register for the scramble is $600.
The event will conclude with an awards ceremony from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Some of the prizes to be offered at the event include a YETI backpack cooler, a golf ball grill, and a $100 gift certificate to Brooks Golf Center in Jonesboro. Participants can also participate in a hole-in-one contest and a 50/50 raffle.
“At the end of the scramble, we will pick a winner, and you get half of what we raised for that. So if we got $1,000, you get $500 of it, and then we get the other $500,” Prater said.
There are also several sponsorship opportunities being offered at the event, ranging from the Hole Sponsor for $100 through the Title Sponsor for $5,000.
Prater said the response from businesses in the area has been overwhelming so far, but in a good way.
“I was expecting sponsorships just to cover the bare minimum, but the response that I have received from the community and the businesses just wanting to help out and be a part of it, I can’t say thank you enough. I mean, they have covered everything and more,” she said.
If things go well this year, Prater said she would love to make this an annual event and have it be a full day instead of only half of the day. She said doing this would allow more people to participate and get to enjoy everything they have for them.
To register for the event, click here or scan the QR code on the flyer below. You can also reach out to Prater for more questions by emailing lprater@jonesboro.org or calling 870-761-0545.
