Much as the sounds of instruments echoing through the Dark Horse stadium pump up the crowd on any given Friday in fall, teeing off for a good cause in the spring is equally as motivating, insisted Clinton High Band Boosters member Joel Coleman.

For the past four years, the Dark Horse band boosters have hosted a golf tournament to benefit the marching band, said Coleman, noting this year’s event will tee off Saturday, May 8, at Coharie Country Club, with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m.

“Usually, this tournament is held in the fall, but recently we decided to move it to the spring to spread out the band’s fundraising events,” the booster shared. “The golf course is also in better shape.”

With one fundraising event, Band Day, held on the first Saturday in October and the Spring Swing held in May, Clinton’s band will be benefited year-round, he attested.

“We do the golf tournament and Band Day as a way to help defray the cost of instruments and competitions. In October, the band typically travels to as many as six places,” Coleman explained.

While the competitions are usually within an hour drive, the cost, Coleman said, is still pricey because it involves the entire day.

To help offset some monetary obligations the band faces each year, the annual Spring Swing is bound to be a plus.

The event will be a superball tournament with fees for individual golfers set at $70 and a foursome totaling $280.

Planning to tee off on May 8 are band members Nathan Whaley and Eric Jones Jr.

“I’ve been a part of this family for a while now, and it’s a family that no matter where you go, you’ll be a part of it,” Jones said. “I just want to go out there and have a good time with everyone.”

For newcomer Whaley, the tournament, he said, will be an opportunity to raise money and allow the band to do things next fall.

“It represents us well in the community,” he said.

“We want all golfers to participate and we always welcome sponsorships from those who are unable to join us on May 8,” Coleman commented.

Sponsorship levels begin at $100 and peak at $500.

A $100 sponsor will have a trailer ad or a hole sponsorship; $300 will provide one band day ad, one small trophy and a trailer advertisement; $400 or silver sponsors, will have one band day advertisement, one medium trophy, a trailer ad and a hole sponsorship; the gold sponsors will have all of the above plus 10 spaghetti dinner tickets.

Because the Dark Horses host two events each year, Coleman explained that the boosters try to combine both events through their sponsorship levels.