Worthy Golf Charitys

[Pete Lavallee]

I thinking off adding a golf related charity to my will. Any suggestions on a worthy choice?

[John McCarthy]

I owe almost everything I have to the Evans Scholarship.  So that would be my vote.

[Tom_Doak]

There are three golf charities I give to annually:


1.  The Evans Scholars Foundation


2.  George Solich Caddie and Leadership Program, a division of the Colorado Golf Association.  The program takes youngsters in the area, trains them in golf and to serve as caddies, and subsidizes their caddie fees at CommonGround GC, providing employment opportunities and the possibility of qualifying for Evans Scholarships.


3.  The Midnight Golf Program, in Detroit, which takes in about 140 inner-city high schoolers each year, provides transportation to their program two afternoons a week, teaches them golf and the values behind it, and helps tutor the students so they can go to college.  It was founded by Renee Fluker, whose son was interested in golf, and modeled on the Midnight Basketball program in other large cities.  They have an unprecedented success rate because of Ms. Renee's continued involvement.

[JohnVDB]

The Evans Scholarship is great but it only is for caddies. 


Many golf associations have their own also.  For example, the Western PA Golf Association has one that provides scholarships to kids who work anywhere at a golf club, not just as caddies.


Another great one is the Youth on Course program that started at the Northern Ca Golf Association but now he’s been expanded to many other associations.  It allows kids to play public courses for $5 or less and hit range balls for even less.

[Pete_Pittock]

Pete,
I donate to the Oregon version, so maybe the SCGA junior program. 
Don Mahaffey has one honoring Al Stanger.
Turf grass research at the local land grant university?

[Mike Sweeney]

David is very genuine, and local to you - http://www.ncjga.com/ncjga-board-of-directors/

[Lou_Duran]

Anything wrong with the First Tee as a deserving recipient?

[SL_Solow]

There are too many to mention, all with worthy goals.  I sit on the Board of the Chicago District Golf Association Foundation which since 1944 has provided recreation through golf to disabled war veterans.  We also provide golf lessons and competition for children and young adults who are developmentally challenged by running over 90 camps at various private clubs and public facilities.  Finally we administer the local Youth On Course program.  An added attraction is that we underwrite all of the overhead for our programs so that every donor dollar goes to programming.

[JohnVDB]

Anything wrong with the First Tee as a deserving recipient?

I’d be more inclined to donate to a local chapter than the national organization. I was on the board of the First Tee of Pittsburgh when I lived there and they were doing lots of good things. I feel better about donating locally than to a large national organization.

[Lou_Duran]

An added attraction is that we underwrite all of the overhead for our programs so that every donor dollar goes to programming.

My wife and I were talking about this very thing this morning regarding a charity in Arlington, TX we've supported for many years which operates with a tiny, reasonably paid staff, supported by hundreds of volunteers including lawyers, dentists, medical doctors, financial people, and students.  Its 84 year-old founder is a dynamo working 12 hour days six days weekly, stretching every dollar to help people get back on their feet.  No private aviation to fabulous resorts for team building and donor outreach here.


JohnVDB,


Agree fully.  The feedback I've gotten is that there is considerable variability in the performance of the local chapters, though most of it is positive now as opposed to half-dozen+ years ago when I began to investigate.  I've toured the main local facility in Dallas and it is impressive. 

[SL_Solow]

Lou,  we are on the same page.  There is data which shows that certain well known charities spend far too much of what they taise on activities that are, at best, marginally related to their cause.

[Tom_Doak]

Anything wrong with the First Tee as a deserving recipient?

I’d be more inclined to donate to a local chapter than the national organization. I was on the board of the First Tee of Pittsburgh when I lived there and they were doing lots of good things. I feel better about donating locally than to a large national organization.

Seconded.  Some of the First Tee chapters are doing great work, and others are not.  Check out the local option and donate based on their program.


All of my giving nowadays is to smaller charities where no one is making a big salary. 

[Ronald Montesano]

He touched on it in his interview with Erik Anders Lang; Mike Keiser leads by example. The man is all about philanthropy.

[J_ Crisham]

I owe almost everything I have to the Evans Scholarship.  So that would be my vote.

John,
    I agree regarding the Evans. With 11,300 alumni it is a pretty amazing program. Where were you a Scholar? What year/club?
                                                                       

[J_ Crisham]

There are three golf charities I give to annually:


1.  The Evans Scholars Foundation


2.  George Solich Caddie and Leadership Program, a division of the Colorado Golf Association.  The program takes youngsters in the area, trains them in golf and to serve as caddies, and subsidizes their caddie fees at CommonGround GC, providing employment opportunities and the possibility of qualifying for Evans Scholarships.


3.  The Midnight Golf Program, in Detroit, which takes in about 140 inner-city high schoolers each year, provides transportation to their program two afternoons a week, teaches them golf and the values behind it, and helps tutor the students so they can go to college.  It was founded by Renee Fluker, whose son was interested in golf, and modeled on the Midnight Basketball program in other large cities.  They have an unprecedented success rate because of Ms. Renee's continued involvement.

Tom,
      Thanks for your support of the Evans Scholarship ! As you know George Solich and his brother are 2 of the more impressive success stories as Scholar Alums. They have given back so much to youth caddy programs.

[John Kavanaugh]

He touched on it in his interview with Erik Anders Lang; Mike Keiser leads by example. The man is all about philanthropy.

So for every $1,000 we spend at Bandon how many dollars go to charity?

[Brian Laurent]

My favorite is the Wee One Foundation. It supports individuals and families in the golf course management community (superintendents, asst. supers, equipment managers, etc) who incur overwhelming expenses due to medical hardship and lack quality insurance and/or adequate financial resources.

It's made a world of difference in the lives of many.
https://weeone.org

[John McCarthy]

I owe almost everything I have to the Evans Scholarship.  So that would be my vote.

John,
    I agree regarding the Evans. With 11,300 alumni it is a pretty amazing program. Where were you a Scholar? What year/club?
                                                                     

I was a Scholar in Champaign and graduated there in 1990.  I looped at Butler.

[John Kavanaugh]

He touched on it in his interview with Erik Anders Lang; Mike Keiser leads by example. The man is all about philanthropy.

So for every $1,000 we spend at Bandon how many dollars go to charity?

I would estimate that $800 of every $1,000 spent at Bandon goes to help the local community.


I apologize if I offended anyone with my question.

[Jerry Kluger]

Just a short story: I was playing at Ballyneal a number of years ago and my caddie was an Evans scholar at the University of Colorado at Boulder,  and his scholarship covered tuition and room but not board so he was working at a sorority house cleaning dishes, etc. I asked him how that was working out for him and he said it was kind of awkward as he was dating two of the sorority sisters:)

[Joel_Stewart]

Anything wrong with the First Tee as a deserving recipient?

I’d be more inclined to donate to a local chapter than the national organization. I was on the board of the First Tee of Pittsburgh when I lived there and they were doing lots of good things. I feel better about donating locally than to a large national organization.

Agree 100 percent.  Pull up the First Tees form 990 which they have to file every year with the IRS.  The salaries are astronomical.  I have a hard time when any of these CEOs make over $1 million per year.  Its a left over from the PGA when Fincham and his executives were all making 7 figures. 


Its also why I don't give to Folds of Honor when Dan Rooney is making (last I checked) $775,000 and collecting his pension and making huge amounts as a guest speaker and as a corporate pitchman.

[Bernie Bell]

Folds of Honor has highest ranking possible from Charity Navigator on every financial and transparency metric.

[jeffwarne]

Always a dicey subject.
IMHO you are better off finding a local charity you can become familiar with, or one you know the parties involved(if not local).
 Some of these larger organizations have mind numbing administrative numbers.


Don Mahaffey's Alfred T Stanger Scholarship would be one I am familiar with and can highly recommend.
The Bridge Foundation is doing very good work in Harlem, using golf as a vehicle to opening doors.

[John Kavanaugh]

I’ve been a member of a club that I have not visited for over 5 years because they need members to survive. The town would suffer without golf. The best golf charity is supporting your local club. Don’t look for shortcuts, earlybirds, pushcarts or bottled water. Show up or pay up.

[Terry Lavin]

There’s a terrific caddie related golf charity here in Chicago, the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation (DMSF). This group helps identify truly needy grammar school kids in the most vulnerable communities by giving them a high school education in great public and private schools. They also caddie in the summertime and housing is provided if needed.


I was honored to participate in the selection process and it was truly transforming to hear these kids “make their case” to earn a Murphy scholarship. These are 13 year old kids from rough neighborhoods who know they have the talent and the work ethic. All they want is the chance to succeed in life.


Many go on to earn the Evans and many earn academic scholarships to great universities. To see these kids when they’re in eighth grade and then to watch them speak at Murphy events while they’re in high school or in college is beyond inspiring.


Keep the DMSF in mind. You’ll be blown away.


https://www.dmsf.org/