Just a great tournament that does great things
SPECTATOR GOLF
If Dick Borthwick was alive today he would be thrilled at the work the members at the golf course he was so proud of are doing to raise funds for charity.
The 47th Dick Borthwick Memorial Golf Tournament was held this past Monday at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club and raised $240,000 for local charities.
The tournament is named after Borthwick, who was the head professional at the Hamilton G&CC from 1945, when he took over from Nicol Thompson until his retirement in 1974. Tragically, he died four years later in a car accident in Florida.
“The reason this tournament works so well is that the membership here are absolutely committed to giving back to the community,” said Al Scott, who co-chairs the tournament with Jeff Paikin.
And that commitment has now resulted in almost $2.5 million being raised for various charities in the Hamilton area over the years by the tournament.
The funds are raised through selling sponsorship of individual holes, carts, the dinner, a silent auction, a live auction and by 176 golfers who pay $400 apiece to play in the event.
Scott said a number of charities will benefit from the fundraiser, including five this year that will each receive $30,000.
“At one time we were giving all the proceeds to one charity but we’ve moved away from that now,” Scott explains.
“We have a selection subcommittee and a three-year funding cycle.
“We’ve have criteria, including that it must be a registered charity and be brought to the committee by a member and that member must agree to work on the tournament for three years.”
Scott said they give priority to local charities and of course they look at what the funds are going to be used for.
The five charities selected to receive the bulk of the funding this year are: The Eva Rothwell Resource Centre at Robert Land; Ancaster Community Services; An Instrument For Every Child; Rygiel Supports for Community Living and McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation Pediatric Pallative Care Program.
While the amount of money raised for charity by the Dick Borthwick Tournament is staggering and its longevity is impressive it should be noted that virtually every golf course in the Greater Hamilton area hosts multiple charity fundraisers every year.
Golf probably raises more money for worthwhile causes than any other sport and does it at the grassroots level (no pun intended. OK, pun intended). WHOLE-IN-ONE: John Steeves aced the 145-yard 17th hole at Willow Valley with an eight-iron.