The Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association was the forefather of the national Rounds 4 Research fundraising program to benefit turfgrass studies, so it comes as little surprise that the CGCSA led the way in June’s online auction.
The association raised more than $35,000 of the $115,500 national total.
“We are very excited to raise $35,000 for turf grass research at Clemson and N.C. State,” said Tim Kreger, executive director of the CGCSA. “When you add that to our success from the first four or five years of the program, it will take our total to over $250,000 just through this single chapter.
“Obviously we’re proud to be the leading chapter, and we’re continuing to work toward higher and more lofty goals for turfgrass research for our universities using this program as a vehicle to get us there.”
The CGCSA totaled 45 fundraising partners that donated rounds for turfgrass research at the local level. The top bid was $1,800 for a stay-and-play package offered by French Lick Resort in West Baden Springs, Ind., while the high bid for a tee time for four golfers was $1,508 at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club, which hosts the PGA Tour Championship.
At the national level, Rounds 4 Research, which is run by the GCSAA’s philanthropic Environmental Institute For Golf, sold more than 600 rounds through the auction. The $115,500 also represented a 7 percent increase over last year.
Rounds 4 Research was the brainchild of Kreger, who helped the CGCSA hold its first auction in 2009. But the program soon became too big for the regional chapter to manage, so Kreger approached the national association.
The GCSAA bought the program and after a transition year in 2012, launched the first national auction in 2013. The national program has now raised more than $265,000.
“We were very fortunate to inherit the successful foundation that the Carolinas GCSA built with Rounds 4 Research,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO. “But as we know, lack of research funding isn’t just a Carolinas issue, it’s a national issue.” –
by Stuart Hall
