Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2009 - 21

W
hat compels a professional golfer like J.P.
Hayes to disqualify himself from a PGA Tour
qualifi er for a rules infraction no one saw?
Honor. It's infused in the game's history and
formalized in its rules and etiquette. It helps
guide pros and hacks alike-all regularly call rules infractions
on themselves, sometimes with calamitous consequences.
Golf is a game where the low scorer shoots fi rst on the next
tee, where hats are removed
in the clubhouse to memorialize
veterans and where being
courteous on the course
counts as much as the score
you post while playing it.
Unfortunately,
the game
has come under a cloud of
late, thanks to public outcry
over corporate indiscretion
and federal bailout funds.
However, those who are quick
to brand golf as synonymous
with excess miss entirely the
honorable ethos that sets golf
apart from other games.
Case in point: Golf is a
major artery through which
charitable giving fl ows, particularly at the local level. According
to a 2006 study conducted by Golf 20/20 in partnership with the
Minnesota Golf Association, $52.4 million in charitable giving is
raised annually in Minnesota through golf tournament events,
pro-ams and club giving. It's a number both powerful and surprising
at fi rst glance. $52.4 million: Can that be right? Yep, and
it's OK to be proud, Minnesota golfers.
So, where do those charitable millions
come from? Through hundreds of events
played throughout the state every summer.
Chances are, you've played in a few
of them, putting your money toward
good golf and a good cause. Here's a look
at some local favorites-how they're run,
what they raise and the remarkable things
being done with the proceeds.
Tapemark Charity Pro-Am
Co-founded in 1972 by Pat Cody Sr. and
Bob Klas Sr., father of two children with
developmental disabilities, the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am has
raised $6 million to date, $233,000 in 2008 alone. Proceeds from
the June event at Southview Country Club in West St. Paul go
to charities like Arc Greater Twin Cities, which works to secure
opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities (www.arcgreatertwincities.org).
" There's no cure for developmental disabilities like autism
and cerebral palsy, " says Marianne Reich, chief program offi cer
www.mngolf.org
at Arc Greater Twin Cities. " Families often don't know where to
turn when they discover that one of their kids has a disability.
We provide services for families to fi nd the proper resources
and help put their children on the proper trajectory for independent
adult living. "
Unlike other charity golf events, the Tapemark Charity ProAm
is an important state professional tournament and one of
four majors for Minnesota pros to be considered for Player of
the Year honors. Three amateurs
are randomly selected to
play with a pro, and 60 teams
compete for the title, with a
$20,000 tournament purse.
Local golf hero Tom Lehman
won the event in 1990 and has
credited the Tapemark with
restarting his professional golf
career. Organizers also conduct
a women's golf event later in
the year.
Champions Tour greats such as Chi Chi Rodriguez and Lee Trevino have
competed often in the 3M Championship at the TPC in Blaine.
3M Championship
The most prominent annual
golf tournament in the state,
the 3M Championship, brings
Champions Tour greats to the
TPC in Blaine each summer. Funds are raised through corporate
sales and sponsorships, ticket sales, merchandise, corporate
outings, and food and beverage sales.
" People don't understand how lucky we are to have fulltime
golf events, " says Hollis Cavner, 3M Championship
tournament director.
He's right. The 3M Championship, aside from its annual $25
million economic impact, brings off-thecharts
donations to charities each year-$15
million since 1993, including $1.3 million
in 2008.
A key supporter of Allina Hospitals &
3M Championship winner R.W. Eaks got a nice
check last year, as did the tournament's
charities, which received $1.3 million in 2008.
Clinics (www.allina.com), the championship
has put proceeds toward the expansion
of the United, Mercy and Unity hospital
emergency departments and Abbott Northwestern's
Virginia Piper Cancer Institute.
Randy Shaver Golf Classic
Run by Roseann Giovanatto-Shaver, wife
of KARE 11 sports director and anchor Randy Shaver, and
inspired by her husband's well-documented bout with cancer,
the Randy Shaver Golf Classic has raised $4.5 million for
Minnesota's cancer research community since 1995, including
$350,000 in 2008. It raises money through a Sunday-night
gala and auction, a Monday scramble and corporate sponsorships;
only 9.6 percent of the event's revenue goes to its
operating budget.
Summer 2009 MINNESOTAGOLFER
19
http://www.allina.com http://www.arcgreatertwincities.org http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2009

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