Next month one lucky golf enthusiast -- or even a newbie to the sport -- could win $1 million by sinking a hole in one.

Returning for its 10th year, the Kiwanis Club of St. Catharines' hole-in-one contest gives golfers a chance to swing for prizes. Held at Westport Practice and Training Facility on Third Street, the event takes place over five days from Aug. 20-24 from 11 a.m. to dusk, with prizes to be won each day.

Westport owner Ray Kowalik has donated the use of his range since day one, saying it didn't take much convincing the first year to get him to do so.

"I thought it was a great charitable idea, and I went with it," he said.

Brian Hider, the event chairman, said anyone who plays on any day can end up being a qualifier for the final event. On each day of the competition, the 10 players whose balls land closest to the hole at the 100-yard mark, qualify for the final. Prizes will also be awarded each day of the competition.

Hider said last year he tried his luck and though he is by no means a champion golfer, his ball came within 13 inches. However, as it happened, 10 players' balls got even closer that day.

"Any other day I would have been a qualifier," he said. "It's just a matter of luck bouncing the right way. That's all it is."

Mid-afternoon Aug. 24, the pin will be moved out to 150 yards, as the 50 semifinalists swing for the grand prize of $1 million. As well, the player who gets closest to the pin in this round will win a trip to Whistler to compete at another hole in one contest in September.

Immediately prior, the top 10 qualifiers from the special women's day competition, which takes place Aug. 21, will shoot for prizes, including the top one -- $50,000 for a hole in one.

The event is the major fundraiser for the Kiwanis, which has set a goal of raising $20,000 for the event. Last year, poor weather conditions led to a lower turnout, and only $15,000 was raised.

"We rely on Mother Nature and hope she co-operates with us," Hider said. "But we also rely on the community to come out, so we can put the money back into community projects."

Hider said participation by community sponsors, such as Niagara This Week and the Hartzel Road and Grantham Plaza Home Hardware, are also important to making the event a success.

The event cost is $1 per ball or $20 for a basket and competitors can play as often as they wish.