Volunteers fill a truck with toy donations from the seventh annual Golf For Kids tournament held Thursday in Mesquite. An estimated total of $90,000 in Christmas gifts was donated for area children during the event.

Mesquite – The numbers alone were staggering. The final count of players was 440 that converged last week on Falcon Ridge, Conestoga, The Palms and Oasis Canyons layouts for the annual Golf Fore Kids event. That represented a 10 percent increase over 2010 and a new attendance record for the tournament which is held to raise gifts and cash during the holidays for needy youth and their families in the region.

Add to that the fact that gifts and cash resulted in about $90,000 and it’s easy to see that the annual holiday gathering was a grand success. Some 600 kids will benefit from the heartwarming event.

Bill Moore of Mesquite played at The Palms. He has participated in four of the events.

“It’s just a good thing to do for the kids,” said Moore, a native of Bozeman, Mont., who has lived in Mesquite for the past 12 years. “This isn’t about golf, but rather about helping the kids here.”

Mesquite Mayor Mark Wier, 48, said the event is priceless.

“It’s really something when you see the gifts delivered,” said Wier. “There is not a dry eye in the room. These people have done a fantastic job especially considering that this all started on one golf course.”

Guy Pompa, a real estate agent with Premier Properties of Mesquite, played in his sixth event. A former 47-year resident of Las Vegas, he moved to Mesquite in September of 1996.

“The reason I play in this is that it’s the most gratifying in knowing that there is not a child in this area that will go without during the holidays,” said Pompa, 58.

The week also included nearly 100 members of the Golf Writers of America who gathered in Mesquite. Writer Greg Miles of Golf Chicago participated in the Golf Fore Kids event.

“I was impressed in many ways by the 2011 Golf Fore Kids Scramble in Mesquite,” said Miles. “First, by its organization – the timely placing of 440 golfers at four different courses.

“Second, I marvel at the generosity of the participants and sponsors; never have I seen a raffle with so many winners. This was truly a total community effort.”