Mesquite NevadaI am continually amazed at how creative and generous golfers and golf industry workers are and that was only enhanced when I recently read about how the holidays were made brighter this Christmas in Mesquite Nevada by  a charity golf tournament and golf packages….of toys that is, as toys were used as entry fee into the event on December 11th.  The Golf Fore Kids tournament celebrated it’s 10th year in 2014 with its largest event to date.  What started in 2005 at Falcon Ridge Golf Course expanded to include not only Falcon Ridge but also Conestoga, the Canyons at Oasis Golf Club and Palms, all who generously donated their course for a day so 100% of the proceeds would go to the children.  The Casablanca Resort even got in on the action by donating their event tent for the luncheon, raffle, prizes and toy collection which took up over 250 feet of the tents stage area.  Also, 94 businesses sponsored holes at the event.

Golf-Fore-Kids-Pic Golf-for-Kids-2Golfers, 558 in all, brought a minimum of $50 in toys to the event which included golf, lunch, raffle drawing and prizes.  Among the donations were 116 bikes and 42 scooters and the total estimated value was $47,000 which helped to bring Christmas to over 200 children in the Mesquite and surrounding areas.  In the past 10 years, the event has been given and distributed approximately $385,000 worth of toys, bikes and cash.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to travel to Mesquite Nevada for the Para-Long Drive Championship and ING Conference.   Cody Law, Executive Director of Golf Mesquite Nevada was a gracious host and showed us what this area has to offer.   You can hear an interview I had with him about that trip and the area by CLICKING HERE.  One thing that struck me and the folks I was with was the friendliness of the people both working and just walking down the street.  Of course the views of the desert and mountains were amazing and the golf courses at the time (October) were in pristine condition even though they had withstood a major storm just months prior, but the number of volunteers that turn out to work these events and the pride they take in their city was something to see and hear them tell.  Now the results of this effort for the children over the holidays just shows that even more.

If you’ve never been to Mesquite, or even heard of it, it’s worth checking out.  While it’s not the big neon city with the crazy atmosphere of its more famous neighbor, Las Vegas, this milder golf-centric  town still has great casino resorts, shows and restaurants you will certainly enjoy.  And when I say golf-centric I mean it has 4 casino resorts and 7 golf courses within a 15 minute drive of each other all with their own distinct layout, personality and staff, eager to make you feel welcome.  A great opportunity for you to check them out is the Mesquite Amateur if you like tournament play May 25th to the 29th.  Go to httpss://www.mesquiteamateur.com/ for more information.

Golf Mesquite LogoGreat Job Cody and the town of Mesquite for putting on yet another successful event.  It is events like this and people like you who make a difference using the creativity and generosity afforded by the players and industry professionals in this great game.  This Christmas, the holidays of 200+ kids were made brighter by golf packages brought to four courses for a great game of golf for an even better cause.