Celebrities tee off for White County charity golf tournament

HELEN, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Darrel Chaney’s name will always be synonymous with baseball, given his career playing for the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves and his time as an announcer for the Braves.  But these days, his work on the green is getting him plenty of attention, especially now that a popular annual charity tournament bears his name.

The Darrel Chaney Invitational returns to Helen this week, bringing dozens of celebrities to Georgia’s own Bavarian Village for a weekend of golf and goodwill. 

Chaney started the tournament more than 15 years ago as a fundraiser for the United Way of White County, and it’s since become a major annual event, raising more than $60,000 each year for the United Way and the agencies it supports. 

Past celebrities taking part in the event (and featured right here on Good Day Atlanta!) include former NFL linebacker Dewey McClain, former NFL cornerback and Georgia native Evan Oglesby, former Atlanta Braves player and manager Bobby Cox, and pioneering rapper Da Brat.  You might also remember professional wrestler Bill Goldberg once lifting a certain feature reporter by his head!  

The Invitational is held at Helen’s famed Innsbruck Golf Club, named one of the best courses in the country by Golf Digest.  The tournament’s shotgun start is at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with an awards dinner and auction at 6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Helen Convention Center.

We just can’t resist the scenic drive up to Helen, especially with a whole golf course full of celebrities waiting for us.  So, the Good Day feature team spent the morning there — click the video player above to see who we found out on the course!