The golf industry leads all sports in total dollars generated for charitable causes. Michigan’s own Morgan Pressel lost her mother to breast cancer at a young age and her Morgan & Friends Charity Golf Tournament raises over $1 million annually,
Golf and Golfers generate over $4 billion for charitable donation in the United States each year. With around 20 million golfers playing on approximately 15,000 golf courses around the country, it takes a ton of outings, benefits and tournaments to raise that gargantuan amount of money.
Professional Golf
Professional golf tournaments have grown in size and require thousands of volunteers to ensure the event runs smoothly. Volunteers gladly pay a fee to work at professional tournaments because they know a large portion of the proceeds from the tournament will go to area charities.
Volunteers at professional golf tournaments get to hang out on the golf course all week and for the cost of buying a shirt, plus a week away from work, they help their favorite charity.
The PGA Tour alone is nearing $2 Billion in charitable donation over its history.
Local Golf Outings
Local golf outings to benefit a needy family or cover the cost of medical expenses for a severely injured person is the life blood of charitable giving in golf. In addition to generating needed dollars for the beneficiary, local golf courses need this type of event to meet the cost of staying in business.
Outings bring a host of new golfers to a course that pay green fees. They also buy balls, gloves, hats, and other equipment. The restaurant and beer sales increase and bring in even more money for the course.
Thus, charitable golf outings help a local business stay in business and keep the jobs for residents that pay taxes and support the community, in addition to generating funds for a family in need.
Morgan & Friends raises over $1 million annually for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Foundations
As soon as a player wins a PGA Tour event, he announces the formation of a charitable foundation. The earnings in the foundation can be protected from income tax and the administrator, the player, can pay himself a salary from the funds over time.
A certain percentage of the funds earned each year have to be donated to charity and every dollar donated is a positive. Even if only a small percentage of the foundations earnings are donated to charity over time, it is still more giving than if none had been given at all.
There are foundations that have been started expressly for charitable giving and not for personal gain.
Morgan Pressel, Cristie Kerr, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are just a few of high-profile golf names that are using their foundation’s money to drastically affect the fight against a disease or medical need.
Nicklaus’ work in Columbus, Ohio through the Memorial Tournament has brought millions of dollars in donations to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He and Barbara, with the help of the Honda Classic in Florida, have also committed $60 million to Miami’s (Florida) Children’s Hospital.
Arnold Palmer has been a long-time supporter of the children’s hospital in Orlando, which is now named the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. He has also contributed serious dollars to create the 285-bed Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando.
Morgan Pressel holds an outing each year that has raised millions to fight Breast Cancer. Her mother was stricken with the disease and died in 2003, when Pressel was just 15 years old.
These golf stars are actively involved with their charitable foundations and are making a difference in the lives of women, children and people in the United States.
Bottom Line
As an industry from the grass roots local golf course to the PGA and LPGA Tours, golf generates billions of dollars each year for charitable giving.
Whatever the motivation for an individual to donate some of his or her hard-earned money to fight disease, illness, or tragedy, it’s a win-win.
Billions of dollars are generated in the golf industry every year and it is good to know that a percentage of that cash flow will find its way to someone who truly needs it.
