Giving Back Through Golf

Broncos great Justin Simmons retired from the NFL this year and is using golf to turn the page to his next phase in life

By Jim Bebbington

It’s July, and for the first time since he was a young boy Justin Simmons is not getting ready for a fall football season.

Instead, he is on the driving range of his home golf course, the Country Club of Castle Pines. He is shaking hands. He is thanking people for coming. He is going up and down a long line of golf carts telling people how much he appreciates them be­ing here.

It is the day of his Justin Simmons Foundation fundraiser golf tournament. There are 132 play-ers, and some have paid thousands of dollars to be here.

This is the first summer in which Simmons has put his storied NFL fully behind him. He didn’t play at all last season, but still held out a little possibili-ty of returning to the All-Pro safety status that he reached during eight seasons with the Broncos.

But last fall as Sunday after Sunday went by and he was able to watch the games from home surround­ed by his wife and three small children, he realized that the burning fire to play had ebbed.

“I’m going to miss the guys, and of course, I’m go­ing to miss playing on Sundays, and specifically, running out of the tunnel, hearing your name an­nounced, and seeing the sea of orange,” he said.”

There’s nothing like playing in the Mile High. But in 2025, when I sat out and was still training, getting ready to play, every week that went by and I got to sit on the couch and watch the games and be with my family, I just felt like I was slowly chipping away at my heart. I really thought it would be a difficult moment for me. I still remember going into week one, watching all my guys getting ready to go play, and this is so new for me, because I’ve never done this before. I felt like there would be a lot of turmoil in my heart, but there was this calming sense of peace, and each week that got easier.”

 

 

He realized that it was time to put that discipline and drive that led him to two Pro Bowl teams to another good cause.

So, he turned to his foundation, which he and his wife Taryn started during his playing career with the goal of raising money and using it to help out their community.

“We’ve talked to so many kids – like there’s so many different stories,” Simmons said recently while talking about their goals for the foundation. They started simple. One season during Christmas he worked with a local group to give out Christmas trees.

“We went to maybe three or four different homes with Christmas trees, … and one family, we also blessed them with a Christmas tree and four tick­ets to a Broncos versus Chiefs game. And, you know, the kid was ecstatic, he was getting emo­tional. He was right around that, like, mid to young teenager age, when sports were important to him. And so that was really cool.”

Their foundation is focused. They raise money and give 99 percent of it to the causes they support.

According to tax records it’s just Justin and Taryn – no employees. Very low expenses. Money goes straight to causes that help kids.

They’ve given to Denver Public Schools athletic department – last year helping them pay for em­broidering names on the backs of team uniforms – and to the Boys and Girls Club of Denver.

“The one that sticks out the most out of the rest is, there’s two young ladies … , both from the Boys and Girls Club,” Justin recalled. “And being able to work with them … and we just talked about polit­ical views and conversations that you don’t get to have as teenagers. It was really cool just hearing their ideas and things that they wanted to do. They were inspired so much that they started a march for peace in their neighborhood in Montbello.”

As she helped check-in people for their golf tour- nament, Taryn Simmons said they were hoping to keep the foundation going to help young people in the region.

“We would just love to help youth in Denver,” Taryn said. “Our thought process behind it is helping make well-rounded kids – mental, emotional and physical, and so that falls into education and sport and their well-being and giving them resources that they need.”

The money raised at their 2026 tournament was headed to support a Denver Public School commu­nity hub, a resource center for families in low-in-come neighborhoods. The Simmons’ hoped to pay for one hub’s entire back-to-school backpack andschool supply giveaway. Next, they planned to give to the Boys and Girls Club of Denver and help pay for a staff member and equipment for their athletic programs for a year.

“Looking back five years from now, the goal is just that we’ve helped a lot of kids. We just orchestrate it. We find the people who are already doing it re­ally well and help raise money for them and bring awareness.”

Justin and Taryn have three children of their own – going into third grade, kindergarten and pre­school – and they are working to make Denver their home.

“I think if everyone was honest and looked them­selves in the mirror, you never make it in life and you’re never successful without the village of peo- pie that help you,” Justin said. “So I didn’t make it in the NFL because I ran fast, I jumped high. I was super athletic. You know, those things helped, but it was because I got invested into, I got poured into, and I got discipled. So I want to be that for as many kids as possible.”

It is a big transition for Simmons. After eight sea- sons playing for the Broncos he had one final sea- son with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, then took last year off to test the retirement waters.

He called the Broncos this past winter to ask if they could do him a small favor. Could they re-sign him for a day so he could retire as a Bronco?

He called Patrick Smythe, the Broncos vice pres­ident of communications. “Hey guys, this doesn’t have to be anything dressed up, but I was wonder­ing what signing a one-day and retiring would look like and if that’s a possibility.”

 

 

He expected a quick event – sign a sheet of paper and pose for a picture for social media.

“They did a whole thing,” Simmons said. ” They did a tribute video. They posted multiple graphics.

They let my family come in and extended family come in and they were super gracious and the hos­pitality was unbelievable,” he said.

He said that really cemented his commitment to keeping his generosity in this community. “It was way more than my family and I deserved,” he said. Simmons has high hopes for his future, and that of his foundation.

“I think the ultimate goal down the road, … is to have a stability where we’re able to send X-amount of kids a year just off of the foundation’s generosity to college and pay for college degrees and maybe trade school, whatever is going to get them into the next chapter of their life,” he said. “So we want to step into that field that obviously takes some type of consistent income, consistent ownership, and so now that we’re going be more hands-on.”

If his Broncos career is any guide, then there could be a lot of young people getting help and support very soon.

 

On the Road with the Broncos

@ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (SEPT. 14)

If you know someone: The Kansas City Country Club, founded in 1896, produced the state’s finest golfer: Tom Watson. He learned the game there on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed course. The ac­claimed Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchin­son is just over a 3-hour drive southwest of Arrow­head Stadium.

If you don’t know someone: Ranked by Golfweek this year as the No. 1 Best Public-Access Course in Kansas, Firekeeper Golf Course in Mayetta is s a 90-minute drive west of Arrowhead Stadium. Opened in 2011, this pure golf experience (no homes on the course) was designed by Jeff Brauer and Noth Begay Ill. Stay-and-play packages are available with the nearby Prairie Band Casino & Resort.

@ SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (OCT. 4)

If you know someone: Where to start? Head north from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for private ven-ues like The Olympic Club, San Francisco Golf Club or the Cal Club in South San Francisco. Alternatively, head south to Monterey for the legendary Cypress Point Golf Club or to the 36 holes at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

If you don’t know someone: Other than the price ($470 to ride), there is nothing not to love about Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, ranked the second best public course in the state by Golfweek this year. Greens and bunkers were recently restored back to the original design of Alister MacKenzie. Head to San Jose and more affordable options like Cinnabar Hills, Coyote Creek and Saint Teresa.

@ LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (OCTOBER 11)

If you know someone: Flip a coin. You’ve got Riviera Country Club, a long-time PGA Tour stop that hosted this year’s U.S Women’s Open; Bel-Air Country Club, which hosted the Curtis Cup this past summer; and Los Angeles Country Club, the 2023 U.S. Open venue where Wyndham Clark captured his first major championship.

If you don’t know someone: Rustic Canyon in Moorpark, ranked seventh on Golfweek’s 2026 Best Courses You Can Play in California., is a favorite among locals for its engaging, minimalist design. A cruise up the coast to the Santa Barbara area brings you to the memorable setting of Soule Park Golf Course in Ojai, or head south to Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point.

@ ARIZONA CARDINALS (OCTOBER 25)

If you know someone: Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale is home to two excellent courses and counts many PGA Tour pros as members. Not far away is The Estancia Club, the state’s perennial No. I-ranked private club.

If you don’t know someone: Wigwam Resort in Litchfield is not only just 15 minutes west of State Farm Stadium, it has three 18-hole courses (play The Gold layout if you only have time for one). On the east side of the Valley sits We-Ko-Pa in Fountain Hills, where the Saguaro Course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw is ranked as the top public course in Arizona by Golfweek.

@ CAROLINA PANTHERS (NOVEMBER 8)

If you know someone: The Quail Hollow Club, south of downtown Charlotte, has hosted PGA Tour events for more than 50 years. Charlotte Country Club is a more low-profile but another worthy option (an Andrew Green restoration project should be complete by November).

If you don’t know someone: Pinehurst Resort and its soon to be 11 courses is just a 2-hour drive east of Charlotte, as are other gems like Pine Needles, Southern Pines and Mid Pines.

@ PITTSBURGH STEELERS (NOV. 27)

If you know someone: The top choice is Oakmont Country Club, which last year hosted the U.S. Open for the tenth time. Expect the quickest greens you might ever encounter. Can’t get on there? Try Fox Chapel Golf Club or the Pittsburgh Field Club, almost adjacent to each other northeast of downtown.

If you don’t know someone: Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City, a 40-minute drive north of downtown Pittsburgh. Under $100 this time of year, the layout opened in 1999 and has a clubhouse unlike any other.

@ NEW YORK JETS (DEC. 13)

If you know someone: Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. oozes golf history. Both of its courses – renovated/restored by Gil Hanse in recent years – have hosted a U.S. Open and a U.S. Women’s Open.

If you don’t know someone: Rock Spring Golf Club, located in West Orange 30 minutes west of Met Life Stadium, celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. Noted architect Seth Raynor only designed two public courses in the U.S. and this is one of them.

@ LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (DECEMBER 20)

If you know someone: Actually, it’s more about the cash than the connections here. To play the Tom Fazio-designed Shadow Creek just north of downtown, you have to stay two nights at an MGM Resort and pay a $1,250 green fee. A tee time at The Wynn Golf Club (another Fazio effort) right off The Strip goes for $800, plus a mandatory forecaddie fee. Booking a tee time more than two weeks out also means booking a room at The Wynn, too!

If you don’t know someone: Fancy 36 holes? You can do that with a package deal that includes Serket (formerly Rio Secco) in Henderson and Cascata Golf Club in Boulder City. Both courses are rollercoaster rides, but if you only have time to play one, make it Cascata.

@ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (TBD)

If you know someone: The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., dates back to 1882 and has hosted 17 USGA championships, most recently the 2022 U.S. Open won by Matt Fitzpatrick.

If you don’t know someone: George Wright Golf Course in Hyde Park, Mass., 30 minutes north of Gillette Stadium, was designed by none other than Donald Ross back in 1938. The hilly layout at this classic muni’s does come with plenty of blind shots.