Century Links: Counting on 100

Can you rise to the Century of Golf Challenge?

Jon Rizzi | Colorado AvidGolfer

One hundred is not a number to which many golfers aspire. That is, unless you’re participating in the Colorado Golf Foundation’s Century of Golf Challenge. Which you should.

This year marks the centenary of the Colorado Golf Association. But rather than just celebrate its past, the CGA has joined forces with the state’s allied golf associations (Colorado PGA Section, etc.) to ensure the game’s future by raising funds through the non-profit Colorado Golf Foundation, which benefits dozens of Colorado-based youth golf initiatives, including the Solich Golf and Leadership Academy, PGA REACH, Golf in Schools and LPGA Girls Golf.

Instead of traditional fundraising approaches, the CGF will use crowdsourcing to generate not only revenue but also awareness and participation.

The Foundation has made it simple to get involved. Go to coloradogives.org and create a personal fundraising page where you set fundraising goals and ask friends, family, colleagues to sponsor your efforts to raise money for future generations of golfers around the state. The person who raises the most money will win two tickets to the “Century of Golf Gala” and a meet-and-greet with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus.

To participate, you have a choice of three 100-related activities: Playing 100 Holes in a single day (the “Hundred Hole Hike”); caddying 100 holes for friends or colleagues; or contributing $100 in honor of “A Century of Golf ” in Colorado. You can promote your efforts using social media and links to articles and promotion appearing on ColoradoGolf.org and www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.

As Colorado Golf Association Executive Director Ed Mate explains, “We are inviting golfers across the state to give back to the game they love—to have their friends and family donate as they caddie or play golf with a purpose.”

Leading by example, Mate will caddie 100 holes between May and September. “Not 100 rounds,” he jokes—though his enthusiasm has led him to misdescribe it that way. Going back to his roots as a Denver Country Club looper, Mate will double-bag five rounds at various courses.

His loops will include two participants in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Golf Buddies program; Colorado PGA President Leslie Core- Drevecky and Past President Barry Milstead on behalf of Golf in Schools; Colorado Open Golf Foundation Board Members Landri Taylor and Eric Kenealy on behalf of The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch; George and Duffy Solich on behalf of the Solich Golf and Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora; Mike Knode and Frank Wilkinson of the Western Colorado Junior Golf Foundation at Lincoln Park in Grand Junction.

“That leaves me with 10 holes,” says Mate, “So I’m going to caddie those for my dad, who’s 82, and my daughter, who’s 17. Golf ’s history and future together, supported by the present—me.” This final part of Mate’s “journey” will result in an unrestricted gift to the Colorado Golf Foundation.

Mate says his goal is to raise at least $10,000 from 100 people, “but the amounts are less important than the participation. We really want to get people involved!”

For more information, visit coloradogives.org or coloradogolf.org.

RELATED LINKS

The CGA: Investing in Century Links

The G4 Golf Summit Showcases Golf's Future

Colorado PGA Section Rebrands Charitable Foundation as Colorado PGA REACH

USGA Hosts Pace-of-Play Symposium

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.