Golf with the greats: Maine Basketball Hall of Fame tourney set Aug. 5

Director Larry Gardner (left) poses with Skip Chappelle and tourney sponsor Neal Griffeth at the 2016 Maine Basketball Hall of Fame Golf Tournament at the Aroostook Valley Golf Club in Fort Fairfield. The event, in its seventh year, is set Aug. 5 and is the lone fundraiser for the hall of fame. (Contributed photo)

When Skip Chappelle and Larry Gardner started the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame Golf Tournament six years ago, neither had any indication what a success the event would become.

Through six tournaments, Gardner said between $40,000 and $50,000 has been raised for the Hall of Fame, which is located at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, thanks in part to funding from the tournament.

“I think it was Skip and Peter Webb [who] were trying to get the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame off the ground,” said tourney director Gardner, who is the girls basketball coach at Fort Fairfield High School.

“I’ve known Skip for a long time, he used to coach at Fort. He said, ‘let’s do a [golf] tournament.’”