By Christine Haluzak
Be a part of history—join your colleagues on Wednesday, April 23 for the 20th Annual NIRSA Foundation Golf Tournament! Hosted at the Hermitage golf course, located just 20 minutes from the site of the 2014 NIRSA Annual Conference, this tournament offers something for everyone; the lush, picturesque course is highly acclaimed, having been named Golf Digest’s top public golf course in Tennessee and one of Golf for Women’s 50 best courses for women. Registration for this exciting event closes on March 14 and is limited to the first 132 players to sign up—register today!
For the past 20 years, the Foundation Golf Tournament has been a key element in kicking off the NIRSA Annual Conference and providing a fun way to support the NIRSA Foundation.
This milestone in the NIRSA Foundation’s history is attributed to the vision of three NIRSA members.
Dave Koch, Tournament Director, recalls, “Working with my colleagues Mike Munson and Mick Deluca, we had this vision to create a golf event to bring attendees together at the start of the Annual Conference, raise some money for the Foundation, provide a good golf experience, and remain affordable.” Dave remains proud that their “simple idea with some basic goals” became such a success.
Participants gather for the morning round of the 10th anniversary tournament at The University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque.“There were 240 members who played in the inaugural tournament in Albuquerque,” he remembers. “As we plan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the golf tournament, we are pleased to see that the interest continues and tournament has raised over $100,000 to support the mission of the Foundation.”
In addition to celebrating this year’s 20th anniversary event, tournament participants will have the opportunity to win a number of prizes throughout the event, including special addition commemorative t-shirts depicting the 20 year “tour” of the tournament. But it’s not all about what items you take home! The NIRSA Foundation Golf Tournament is an Annual Conference tradition that many members look forward to each year.
Loretta Capra, a long time tournament participant, is one such member. “From boarding the bus bleary-eyed in front of the hotel to the pre-tournament picture and post-tournament lunch, this is an opportunity to re-connect with NIRSA colleagues and friends in a fun and relaxed setting,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you win anything because the camaraderie—not to mention helping the worthy cause of the NIRSA Foundation—is the name of the game.”
Join the NIRSA Foundation in having some fun and celebrating the 20th anniversary of this highly anticipated tournament.And that camaraderie, with “plenty of ribbing and jocularity,” Loretta notes, will no doubt be in especially fine form for this anniversary event. Whether members are recalling lost balls, spectacular drives, or tournaments played around snow or rain, there will be no shortage of stories to tell in between holes!
Loretta knows which anecdote she’ll be featured in. “The year the conference was in Louisville,” she laughs, “it had rained in vast proportions… Early in the round, I was trying to fish one of my playing partner’s balls out of the lake when the embankment gave way. One foot went in the lake, and I sat down hard on the ground. None of that would have been so bad if I hadn’t been wearing tan-colored pants and the ground hadn’t been so saturated. I spent the rest of the round playing in wet pants with two muddy smears on my rear and explaining what had happened. And I wasn’t even after my own ball!”
At this year’s NIRSA Conference, be a part of the fun, camaraderie, and memories while celebrating 20 years of this wonderful event. Participants will mark the storied past of the golf tournament, while joining the NIRSA Foundation in “Supporting today. Ensuring tomorrow.” That, some might say, is a sure hole-in-one!
