'100 Holes of Golf' tournament raises more than $53K for future golfers



CEDARBURG -- When people are in the middle of a project, the bigger picture could be hard to see. For more than a dozen golfers, a recent day on the course had them playing for more than just a score.

“It’s a grind. We’ll finish. We’ll finish fine and we’ll enjoy it," said Kevin Kramp, Hidden Glen head golf pro.

For a guy used to playing a lot of golf, Kramp approached this particular round a bit differently.

“It’s staying positive and cutting that pre-shot routine down quite a bit,” said Kramp.

It wasn't a tournament, but it was definitely a unique way to enjoy the game.



“It doesn’t really matter what we shoot. I think we got done, 78 holes. We’ve got 22 more to go,” said Kramp.

They played 100 holes of golf in one day.

“We’ve been trying to just keep things moving. Not running. No hustle around. Just moving and playing ready golf is how I’d put it,” said Kramp.



The event was a fundraiser for the First Tee of Southeast Wisconsin.

“It’s a golf marathon,” said First Tee of Southeast Wisconsin Executive Director David Cohn. “You realize that you’re doing it for a good cause and to support other people having opportunities like this to get exposed to the game of golf and be able to play it for the rest of their lives.”

For the 16 players on the course, it seemed like the round would last for the rest of their lives, but it was worth it -- especially for Cohn.





“I think the people that are playing for the first time in this event didn't really know what they got themselves into, but it's a lot of fun. People don't take it too seriously. There's some friendly competition amongst all the players, but everybody's just out here knowing that they're doing a good thing for a good cause,” Cohn said.

That cause was furthering the First Tee’s mission through the money raised by the golfers.



“Each player, as they play, goes out and gets donations from friends, family, co-workers, anybody within their network supporting them and their efforts and the organization as a whole,” said Cohn.

“There’s some people that have raised over $8,000, which is incredible. I think David said today, he got an email when we were playing -- we got over $50,000, which is incredible for the organization,” said Kramp.



There are nine core values of First Tee, and all are taught through the game of golf to kids learning the game.

“We’re a non-profit organization that uses golf to reach kids, develop core values, healthy habits, life skills, the things that are inherent with the game of golf. Things like honesty, integrity, responsibility, courtesy, judgement -- using golf as a delivery tool to get more kids exposed to things like that,” said Cohn.

Even though the players focused on the next shot and the next hole, the whole course of the day mattered.



“The kids I've met in that program are incredible. They're absolutely incredible, and they'll go on to bigger and better things because maybe they've gotten an opportunity that they wouldn't have or maybe they're just introduced to the game,” said Kramp.

The event raised more than $53,000, surpassing First Tee's goal.