HIGH SPIRITS & LOW STROKE COUNTS: MINI GOLF TOURNEY BENEFITS ST. COLUMBA AFFORDABLE HOUSING

a man hitting a golf ball with a golf club
Teams test out their short game on the links at Porky’s Bayside Mini Golf in the Mutiny Island Vodka Bloody Mary Mini Golf Tournament on March 15. Photos by SANDRA LEE PHOTOGRAPHY/Contributed

Competitors dialed in their putting game on March 15 as St. Columba Episcopal Church hosted the inaugural Mutiny Island Vodka Bloody Mary Mini Golf Tournament at Porky’s Bayside Mini Golf in Marathon.

Sipping on signature cocktails including bloody Marys, espresso martinis and screwdrivers, participants kicked off their morning with a blessing from St. Columba’s Rev. Debra Maconaughey before hitting the links for 36 holes of friendly competition.

In the tournament’s championship bracket, Team Salt Tooth claimed top honors, with Team St. Columba finishing as the runners-up. In the B-flight, Team Pancho’s claimed victory.

Proceeds from the tournament benefited St. Columba’s affordable housing initiatives in Marathon, including the church’s workforce apartments at 1655 Overseas Highway that await a highly-anticipated reopening throughout 2025.

Distilled in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mutiny Island Vodka is a growing local favorite. The company’s “Grimal Grove Reserve” uses Florida Keys breadfruit grown in the Big Pine Key orchard.

Alex Rickert
Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.