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With fall's official start today, there aren't too many weekends left to get in 18 holes this year.

So why not take advantage of the chance to win prizes like a new car, flat screen TV or new mattress -- golf clubs for saleand support some worthy local causes -- by participating in a benefit golf tournament on Sunday at Riverview Golf Club.

The first annual "Golfing For A Cause" is a four-person scramble, with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 25. The $50 per person (or $200 per team) entry fee gets you 18 holes with a cart, pin prizes and flight payback, depending on the number of golfers, as well as lunch provided by Melody Heim.

In addition to the pin prizes donated by local businesses, there are five hole-in-one prizes. Ertle Bros.Cleveland Hibore XLS Fairway Wood Discount Auto has provided a 2011 Hyundai Sonata for a lucky shot on Hole 6, as well as a set of Calloway Diablo irons for Hole 2, a Sharp flat screen TV for Hole 4 and two round-trip air tickets good for anywhere in the U.S. for Hole 14. Winners can choose between the prize or $500 in cash. In addition, a hole in one on Hole 11 will win you a mattress valued up to $500 from Carpet Comfort Center.

Brian Lynch, one of the tournament organizers, said that if no one wins the mattress with a hole in one, it will be given away in a drawing.

Proceeds from the benefit tournament will go to two local organizations -- Help For Abused Partners, which serves victims of domestic violence, and Transition To Self-Sufficiency, a new residential alcohol and drug abuse treatment program being started by Doug Carrigan.

Michelle Sharp, financial manager of HFAP, noted that the program has seen an increased demand for Odyssey Backstryke 2-Ball Putterservices this year, while at the same time experiencing substantial cuts to funding. She estimated they have served almost 200 clients this year, with more than 414 nights of stay in the shelter. It has been almost a year since the shelter went a night without someone staying there, she said.

The funding cuts are a sign of the times, Sharp said, with the program losing a major source of funding for food and supplies. The increase in need for the service may also be related to the struggling economy, she noted.

The proceeds from the benefit will be used only for client services, Sharp noted; not for administrative costs.

Transitition To Self-Sufficiency is a "fledgling" program, said Doug Carrigan. He is wanting to help "people in transition" who are in need of drug or alcohol treatment.Odyssey Black Series i 2-Ball Putter The program would also include in-house detox treatment.

The Sterling area has a need for such a facility because of issues with alcohol, methamphetamine and marijuana abuse, Carrigan said. He would like to draw on the community's values and strong agricultural base in helping people with those issues. Carrigan said he envisions using space available on the Advantage Treatment Center property to offer therapeutic activities such as gardening and caring for animals. Such a garden could also benefit other local organizations by providing fresh produce to Cooperating Ministry of Logan County or HFAP.

The program aims to help people who are not necessarily "in the system," he said -- those who have not beenOdyssey White Ice 2 Ball Putter court-ordered into treatment, but need some help.