Cherry Hills CC members want U.S. Am spotlight to benefit youth

With its Junior Experience, Cherry Hills creates a new standard for the U.S. Amateur

by Jon Rizzi

On August 28, 1954, a 24-year-old paint salesman named Arnold Palmer won the U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit, later referring to the confidence-inspiring victory as “the turning point in my life.”

Six years later, at Colorado’s Cherry Hills Country Club, Palmer—by then a two-time Masters champion—rallied from seven shots down in the final round to win the U.S. Open. Although the club had previously staged a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship, longtime Cherry Hills member George Fancher says, “Arnold Palmer put Cherry Hills on the map in 1960.”

Colorado AvidGolfer’s U.S. Amateur Coverage

• The new clubhouse.
• Tickets
• The 2019 announcement

Since then, Cherry Hills has welcomed nine national championships, with next week’s U.S. Amateur marking the 10th. Such an accomplishment doesn’t come without enthusiastic membership support and the efforts of staff members in every area of the operation—from course maintenance to food prep—and seasonal workers like lifeguards, attendants, caddies and servers.

In 2001, to show appreciation for the staff and provide them with learning opportunities, Fancher approached the club’s board with the idea of providing scholarships to employees who wanted to further their education. He asked Palmer if the fund could bear his name. “He couldn’t have been more gracious,” Fancher remembers. “He even came out and awarded the first ones. He was such an inspiration to the kids and the members.”

That first year saw 16 Cherry Hills Palmer Scholarships awarded; by 2023, the number had jumped to 93. “Members donate generously every year,” reports member David Packer, who serves as the foundation’s principal officer. “We look at it as an investment in the greater community. Yes, it helps us attract people in a tight job market, but we want them eventually to leave the nest and pursue their dreams.”

Turning Points

In the same way that this year’s U.S. Amateur will provide a turning point for its winner, a Palmer Scholarship can offer a defining moment for its recipient. The same could be said for an Evans Scholarship (in the last five years alone, the Western Golf Association program has provided 18 Cherry Hills caddies with four-year full ride scholarships to the University of Colorado) or participation in one of the state’s First Tee chapters (Colorado Rocky Mountains, Green Valley Ranch, Southern Colorado).

All of which is why Cherry Hills will be donating all revenue exceeding the costs of staging the championship to those three charitable organizations.

“Like it has for many others, golf has been very good to me,” Cherry Hills’ U.S. Amateur Championship Chair Jim Hillary says. “And as chairman, I wanted the club to see the championship as an opportunity to give back to the game.”

While ticket sales and some outside contributions comprised part of the funding, Hillary solicited donations from his fellow Cherry Hills members—a challenge, considering they had just paid for a massive clubhouse renovation and the Amateur would take the course out of play for at least two weeks.

“Ultimately, I think people understood that giving back is part of what we do at Cherry Hills,” he says. “Between donations and volunteers, we have achieved 100 percent member participation.”

Junior Experience

Some volunteers may join other representatives of the Palmer Foundation—as well as those from First Tee and the Evans Scholars Foundation—at the Junior Experience at the U.S. Amateur. Located near the pool, the Junior Experience pavilion is where attendees and youth can learn about youth golf programs, jobs in golf, scholarships and the many doors the game can open.

Free to kids 17 and under who have registered—including youth from area programs like First Tee, Colorado Uplift, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, Youth on Course and others—the Junior Experience pavilion will feature hitting bays with GolfTEC-inspired full-swing instruction, a long-putt challenge and chipping lessons.

Members of Colorado PGA Reach will demonstrate the benefits of a career in the golf industry, and under the guidance of Senior Director of Equipment Research & Testing Steven Quintavalla, the USGA will also offer golf-related STEM activities.

“With so much tech involved in golf, you never know what will trigger a kid’s mind,” Hillary says. “They could really do something great with their lives.” As of August 1, more than 1,000 kids had pre-registered.

“The Junior Experience is designed to provide fun activities and a roadmap for kids wanting to get involved in golf through play, employment and internship opportunities, and scholarships,” Hillary explains. “We want the kids who come out to experience the top amateur event in the world and learn how to access all that the game has to offer.”

The Junior Experience could also mark a turning point for the U.S. Amateur, a championship whose philanthropic potential Cherry Hills has developed far more ambitiously than many of the event’s previous hosts have. As Hillary says, “We knew we had the potential to involve the membership and the community—and to set a new standard.”

HOW TO GO

The 123^rd U.S. Amateur takes place August 14-20, 2023

For ticketing and all other information, click here.

To register a junior (17 and under are free; parents/guardians need to purchase a ticket), click here.

Cherry Hills Country Club
4125 S University Blvd
Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113

Colorado Golf Club *
8000 Preservation Trail
Parker, CO 80134

(*August 14 & 15; stroke-play only)

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