LAKE PLACID — Luge and golf aren’t usually thought of as complementary sports, but the U.S. Luge Foundation is set to start a new tradition.

“What better sport to participate in during the off-season than golf?” asked Director of Fundraising Development Brenna Margol Payne. “They both take mental toughness, imagery and upper-body strength.”

The U.S. Luge Foundation Golf Classic has been created to raise funds for the future of the sport of luge in the United States. The four-person scramble, scheduled for June 11, will take place at the Lake Placid Club. Individual golfers can register for $250, foursomes can register for $1,000 and holes can be sponsored for $1,000. Dinner in the evening will be held at the luge facility on Church Street in Lake Placid. Dinner-only tickets are being offered for $100.

In addition to the tournament, there will be sidebar events where participants can score prizes. Events include the long drive contest on the free-falling seventh hole and closest to the pin on the blind 15th hole.

2022 Winter Olympians will be on the golf course and at dinner. A tour of the USA Luge facility and a silent auction will take place during the evening portion of the event.

USA Luge, headquartered in Lake Placid, has only two facilities where athletes train, the other being in Park City, Utah. Due to the unique nature of luge, it can be difficult for young athletes to start the sport and successfully find funding for the early years of their careers.

“The U.S. Luge Foundation is the fundraising arm of USA Luge. We hope to attract sports fans and golf enthusiasts to play in our tournament who are excited by the prospect of helping fund the next generation of luge athletes,” Payne said. “It’s important to keep a solid pool of athletes on our development teams so that we can put forth our strongest athletes every four years at the Olympic Winter Games. All of that takes funding.”