Kalahari Resort's Trappers Turn Golf Club to host 'Golf for a Song' fundraiser

Anybody who thinks golf is a lame sport to play or that golf is in a downturn just needs to look at events like the “Golf for a Song” fundraiser in the Wisconsin Dells.

The annual Golf for a Song fundraiser, set at the Kalahari Resort’s Trappers Turn Golf Club, raised nearly $70,000 in 2009 for the local high school music program. This year’s event will be held Thursday, Aug. 12, to raise money for a series of scholarships for students. The money raised at the 2009 Golf For a Song event allowed the Wisconsin Dells High School to produce a musical for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The power of golf to raise money is almost impossible to match for other sports. Earlier today, I just got off the phone with Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer, who are hosting a charity shootout called the “Champions for Change” in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on Aug. 10. What other sport brings such celebrities together for such good causes?

If golf fundraisers are done right – the Golf for a Song had 175 golfers last year and the “Champions for Change” event in Michigan is sold out – they can be wildly successful for their host organizations.

Whether the cause is life changing (like for cancer research) or “just” a fundraiser for the band, golf seems to unite people for a good cause. The outing at Trapper’s Turn this year includes 18-holes of golf at Trappers Turn, a cart with user-friendly GPS, use of the practice facility, complimentary lunch buffet, deluxe appetizer reception, prizes, putting contest and a number of raffles. Visit trappersturn.com for more.

“We are excited to be able to benefit such a worthy cause,” said Todd Nelson, President and owner of Kalahari Resort and Trappers Turn Golf Club. “Music education is an important community asset, and Kalahari is dedicated to helping enrich the lives of our local students.”

Nicklaus hopes his charity event and newly opened Golf Club at Harbor Shores can make an impact long-term on thousands of lives. The course is part of a non-profit resort and real estate project that aims to revitalize a downtrodden community with a history of high unemployment and racial strife. For more, check out harborshoreschampions.com.

“(The course and surrounding development) brings jobs,” Nicklaus said during the call. “It brings people to the area. It could do a lot of things to spur growth.”

The message in all this? Get out and play in those charity outings. Have a good time knowing every swing you make is for a good cause.