BILOXI, Miss. -- The Gulf Coast golf industry was among the thousands of families and businesses hurt by Hurricane Katrina.

And out of the nearly 1,000 golf industry workers affected, surveys show a catastrophic picture -- nearly one-third of them have lost the use of their homes for long periods or had their houses completely destroyed. To assist them, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association has set up the Katrina Golf Industry Fund.

“Gulf Coast golf course employees are working hard to get the golf courses open when, in fact, some of them have no home,” said Kevin Drum, executive director of MGCGA, a non-profit association charged with managing and promoting the golf tourism on the Gulf Coast.

"We've had a lot of inquires from people around the country on how to help, and we hope they will direct that support to this newly established fund. We've asked golfers and golf organizations to contribute, and we hope clubs will have tournaments to support the effort,” Drum said. The fund's goal is to collect $250,000.

It has already received a $10,000 contribution from one of its largest golf destination competitors, the Myrtle Beach Grand Strand Tee Time Network. “The Myrtle Beach community is aware of the destruction that can be caused by storms,” wrote Executive Director George Hilliard, remembering Hurricane Hugo. “However, our damage paled in comparison to what Biloxi and the Gulf Coast experienced with Hurricane Katrina. Although you are competitors in the golf industry, at times like this it is not about competition and market-share, but rather the right thing to do to help our friends in need.”

The Katrina Golf Industry Fund is administered by the Gulf Coast Golf Foundation, and donations will go directly to meeting the needs of golf industry employees affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Golf Foundation is covering all administrative costs incurred by the Katrina Golf Industry Fund so 100 percent of the donations will go directly to people and not to administration.

For more, visit www.KatrinaGolfIndustryFund.org or call (866) 383-GOLF.