The city will hold a Don Ho Memorial Golf Tournament on Aug. 13, the birthday of the late entertainer, to help raise money for a statue that would keep him playing Waikiki permanently.

The iconic crooner, who made "Tiny Bubbles" a household tune, died on April 14 at age 76.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann yesterday announced the memorial golf tournament to raise money to support the creation of a memorial.

Hannemann envisions a statue of Don Ho seated at his electric organ, along with a plaque, at a pie-shaped landscaped area at Kalakaua and Beachwalk avenues to be renamed Don Ho Park.

"Don Ho did wonderful things for Hawai'i as an entertainer and ambassador," Hannemann said. Ho's son, Dwight, recalled that his father managed to get out on the golf course himself, often playing with members of the military.

"I hope low handicappers and duffers will join this effort to do a wonderful thing by signing up to play and helping build this permanent memory of Don," Hannemann said. Hannemann said he had no preliminary estimate of how much the statue would cost.

The tournament will be at the Hawai'i Prince Golf Course in 'Ewa Beach on Aug. 13. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and play begins with a shotgun start at noon. Play will be a three-person scramble format.

The entry fee is $150 per player and $450 per three-person team. The fee includes lunch and dinner.

More details, sponsorship opportunities and registration forms are at www.donhogolftournament.com.

The event is a project of Honolulu 100, a nonprofit organization formed to help the city defray costs of civic activities, projects and events.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.