A Helping Hand

When the novel coronavirus struck, a number of companies sprang into action to help with the relief effort.

One of them was Boulder-based sportswear company Kjus. Named for one of its founders, Lasse Kjus, a Norwegian Alpine ski racer and winner of 16 Olympic and World Championship medals, Kjus moved from the slopes onto the links in July of 2019 when it was acquired by Acushnet Golf.

The Acushnet brand houses a number of very familiar golf names, including Titleist, Scott Cameron, Vokey and Footjoy. That helped with some of the charitable initiatives launched by Kjus. Beginning in early April through the end of the month, 15 percent of all sales from the company’s website, kjus.com, was donated to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy COVID-19 Response Fund. Similarly, 15 percent of all purchases made on Titleist.com, ScottyCameron.com, Vokey.com and Footjoy.com also went to the fund.

At the end of the month, a second initiative was launched. This time, the public could bid in an auction featuring 11 “once-in-a-lifetime” golf experiences, including playing golf with Ian Poulter or Justin Thomas, or getting lessons from Butch Harmon or Peter Kostis. At the end of the auction, the highest bid, $55,000, went towards a Pebble Beach experience—featuring breakfast with CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz. Afterwards, Nance would “announce” each member of the foursome as they teed off at the first hole at iconic Pebble Beach.In the first week of May, Kjus added a sweepstakes, with a grand prize of a round of golf at Pinehurst with Webb Simpson. That raised more than $50,000 in just one week.

Kjus plans to tailor relief efforts to local causes in the near future. “It’s all exciting stuff; we’re just trying to do our part to help in the crisis,” said Jasmine Evans, a member of Kjus’ relief committee. “We love golf, we love Colorado—we’re just here to help.” kjus.com

This article was also featured in the June 2020 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer.

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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