Youth Foundation | Challenge Cup Pro-Am
Challenge Cup A Success for NJSGA Youth Foundation
July 12, 2010 - Spring Brook Country Club
Every year, State Open Championship week in mid-July kicks off with the Challenge Cup Pro-Am, a best ball tournament in which three amateurs play with a PGA Professional from the New Jersey Section. It’s an exciting event for the amateurs because they get to soak up the atmosphere of the State Open and play a golf course that has been prepared for a major championship. The NJSGA and its Open sponsors, Lincoln Mercury and Prudential, provide gifts for the participants so no one walks away empty-handed. This year at Spring Brook Country Club, the reception following play featured an auction in which participants could bid on rounds of golf at several exclusive New Jersey clubs.
The Challenge Cup serves as the primary fundraiser for the NJSGA Youth Foundation. Over the years, the Youth Foundation has supported various programs that expose New Jersey youth to the game of golf, such as our own Hook-a-Kid-on-Caddying program. In 2006, it was one of several founding partners in The First Tee of Essex County by contributing to the construction of its new facility at Weequahic Park in Newark. This program has been an enormous success for Newark’s inner-city youth by offering educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.
The Youth Foundation has a new mission this year: to broaden its support by reaching additional organizations in New Jersey that strive to introduce children to the game of golf or advance their participation in it. With the proceeds raised from the Challenge Cup Pro-Am, the Youth Foundation is providing grants to the following non-profit organizations that help us further this mission:
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YMCA Backyard Kids Summer Camp – Morris Center YMCA
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New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) – golf scholarships for boys & girls
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AllPar Autistic Golf Program – Bergen County
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Mercer County Future Champions Tour – golf programs for inner-city youth
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Special Needs Athletic Program (SNAP) – Somerset County
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The First Tee Essex County – Weequahic Park Golf Course, Newark
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The First Tee Raritan Valley – Galloping Hill Golf Course, Union
The winning team in the Challenge Cup Pro-Am field of 31 foursomes was a Prudential team consisting of (left to right) Ed Noonan, Rick Pogany, Robert Brown and PGA Professional Steve Sieg of Navesink Country Club.
(Above and below) Campers from the Morris Center YMCA’s Backyard Kids Summer Camp learn how to hit a golf ball with help from Spring Brook’s Professional staff during the Pro-Am. The Morris Center Y is one of the organizations that benefits from the funds raised at the Challenge Cup.
Information for the 2011 Challenge Cup Pro-Am at Hollywood Golf Club will be posted here by June 1, 2011.
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