Hooters Tour events have been played at hundreds of golf courses since the developmental professional tour's inception in 1989, when it was known as the Jordan Tour.

They have been held at private clubs, resorts, daily fee, semi-private and public courses.

One site an event has never been played is on an active military base, according to Hooters officials.

That will change in September when the Kandy Waters Memorial Classic moves to Gordon Lakes Golf Course at Fort Gordon.

"Years ago we had a tournament at an Air Force base in Illinois, but they had shut the base down and some private developer had the course," said Hooters tournament director Jeff Harlow, who has been with the tour since 1991.

The move to Gordon Lakes is a good fit for title sponsor L.D. Waters, a former Marine who served in two wars.

Fort Gordon and Gordon Lakes Golf Course manager Bill Fumai have embraced the event, which had a one-year run at Bartram Trail Golf Club in Columbia County last year.

"L.D. called me and asked if we'd be interested ... it's quite an honor," Fumai said.

Said Waters: "Bill put the word out to some friends of mine to work on me to try to bring it out there. I just decided to go to Fort Gordon because they've been so good to me and business and I wanted it back in Richmond County."

The base will have gate passes for the 168 players (they'll still have to show their driver's license, proof of insurance and car registration) and there will be two Wednesday clinics by Hooters players instead of the one that it is in the standard contract.

One of the clinics will be for the Wounded Warriors Project at Fort Gordon.

"It's very important for us to have the clinics so they feel like they're part of the installation and part of the Army community," Fumai said, referring to the players. "They'll be here for a week."

Waters, the owner of Augusta's Bonaventure Discount Golf, has been looking for a permanent home for the tournament, which started in 2000.

The event, which is played in the memory of Waters' late wife, has been at four different venues in four counties, starting with North Augusta's River Golf Club in 2000.

He might have found what he's looking for at Gordon Lakes.

"It wouldn't surprise me at all if it stays there," Waters said. "This might be the place we're looking for. We're liable to settle in there."

If Fumai has anything to say about it, the tournament will be at Fort Gordon for good.

"All the powers above blessed this event and wanted to have it here," said Fumai, who also helped land a Regions Cup tournament at Gordon Lakes in 2007.

That event has turned into one of the most popular and successful on the series.

Gordon Lakes has 27 holes, but the tournament will be played on the original 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, which boasts the LakeView and IslandView sides.

In late 2008, Hooters Tour officials toured Gordon Lakes and were impressed, Fumai said. They also liked the length of the course, which was renovated in 2004-05.

It can play to more than 7,350 yards from the black tees, which is where the Hooters people plan to put the tees.

"We've never had a tournament before from the black tees," Fumai said. "We take care of them and maintain them like the rest of them, but hardly anybody plays them."

This summer, Gordon Lakes played host to the All-Services Championship and the individual winning score for 72 holes was even par 288. And that was from the 7,000-yard blue tees.

"I think it's going to be a great test of golf," Fumai said. "I can't wait to see what these caliber of players shoot on this caliber of golf course."

Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.