PINE MOUNTAIN, GA – Callaway Gardens will host the fifth annual Ida Cason Callaway Foundation^™ (ICCF) Golf Tournament Sept. 17. Proceeds from the tournament enable the ICCF to share the wonders of nature with thousands of school children by providing funds for diverse environmental programs available at Callaway Gardens^®.

“We are so appreciative of the participants and the sponsors for this event,” said John Byrne, director of development for Callaway Gardens. “What a great way to play some golf and benefit a great cause.”

This tournament celebrates the great spirit of Callaway Gardens’ founder Cason Callaway who believed that golf should be a pleasant experience in beautiful surroundings.

This yellow ball scramble tournament promises to be fun, especially for the four teams with the lowest scores. Prizes will be awarded to the top four teams in both tournaments and to winners of the Hole-in-One, Closest-to-the-Pin and Longest Drive competitions. The winning teams of the two tournaments will receive Delta tickets for anywhere in the continental United States.

Entry fee for a team is $800, and includes range balls, beverages, prizes for all participants, a pre-tournament luncheon and an exciting day of friendly competition.

The 2007 tournament is possible due to the generous support of sponsors. Platinum sponsors include Audio Visual Innovations; Delta Air Lines; Georgia Crown; Georgia Turf & Tractor; and Sysco. Gold sponsors are CB&T and Southeastern Paper Group. Bronze sponsors are Doughterty, McKinnon, Luby CPA; Hughston Clinic; Hutchinson-Traylor Insurance; Jay Pontiac Buick GMC; Postec and Schuster Enterprises.

Corporate sponsorship packages are available at the Bronze ($2,500), Gold ($5,000) and Platinum ($7,500) levels. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Roger Childers, director of sponsorships and annual giving, at rchilders@callawaygardens.com or call him at 706-663-5145.

The proceeds from the event go to the day’s biggest winners ... the children who get to experience the educational and horticultural programs of the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation at Callaway Gardens. The not-for-profit foundation hosts more than 30,000 school children in the gardens each year, provides college student internships and supports Callaway’s acclaimed Birds of Prey program.

Tournament day registration will begin at 10:30 a.m., with a luncheon to follow. Shotgun starts on both the Mountain View and Lake View courses will begin at 1:00 p.m.

To register your team for the 5^th Annual Ida Cason Callaway Foundation Golf Tournament, contact the Callaway Gardens Development office at 706-663-5096.

Callaway Gardens^®, a premier travel and meeting destination in the South, is owned by the non-profit Ida Cason Callaway Foundation™ (ICCF). Within the 13,000 acres of Callaway Gardens is a resort, preserve, almost 100,000 square feet of meeting space, 931 guest rooms, restaurants, shops, golf, tennis, fishing, shooting club, gardens, butterfly conservatory, horticultural center, chapel, inland beach, nature trails, and additional attractions. For more than 50 years Callaway Gardens has provided “a place of relaxation, inspiration and a better understanding of the living world” for millions of visitors. Callaway Gardens is committed to its mission of environmental education and land stewardship for the benefit of future generations.

In January 2005, Noble Investment Group (Noble) was selected by the ICCF to use their management expertise to oversee the day-to-day operations of Callaway. Noble is an integrated real estate investment management, operating and development organization focused on the North American lodging and hospitality sector. Through its private equity funds, Noble is a value-added, active investor in luxury and upscale hotels and resorts. By strategically utilizing the organization's in-house property management and project development core competencies, Noble has achieved premium risk-adjusted investment returns since 1993.

Noble and its predecessors have acquired and developed over $1.5 billion in assets and in 2006, the company made an aggregate of $500 million in lodging investments including the Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens. Noble’s current discretionary private equity fund represents $310 million of equity commitments and expects to invest over $1 billion in assets during the next three years.

Noble's development division leads the planning, programming, construction management and realization of complex lodging development, re-development and conversion strategies. Currently, Noble is actively developing more than $1 billion of urban, resort and mixed-use hospitality projects throughout North America.

Noble's management division is an award-winning operator of independent destination resorts and branded upscale hotels affiliated with Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt and IHG. Currently, Noble operates more than 7,000 hotel and resort guest rooms, convention and conference centers with over 800,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, as well as championship golf, day and resort spa’s, upscale restaurants, and branded retail coffee stores. For further information, please visit www.nobleinvestment.com.

Callaway Gardens^®, is in Pine Mountain, Ga., 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta and 30 minutes north of Columbus. For additional information, call 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) or visit www.callawaygardens.com.