Each year, the Onion Creek Hickory Classic in Austin, Texas, gets bigger and bigger. It’s been a favorite hickory golf tournament for players from the far corners of the U.S. and Canada. But at its heart, the tournament has always been big. Few modern hickory golf tournaments have such a robust charitable component. Under the leadership of Pete League, the event has raised $7,000 toward the purchase of a mobile home for the relief of homelessness in the Austin, Texas area.
Pete shared the photo, below, of a trailer home that has been put in place at Austin’s Community-First Village. The charity is called Mobile Loaves and Fishes. “Lynn (Pete’s wife) and I were able to fund the necessary $25,000 for its purchase,” he says. He included the following breakdown of donations:
• Shell Oil retirees and Shell Oil Company’s matching gift: $16,000
• Onion Creek Hickory Classic raffle results (2018 & 2019): $7,000 (“This is where our Onion Creek players and raffle ticket purchases made a difference,” Pete says.)
• Other individual contributions: $2,000
“Thanks to Dr. Walt Jones and his wife, Anita, for managing the raffle both years,” Pete says, and thank you to everyone who participated in the raffle. A chronically homeless person is off the streets forever, thanks to you.”
The Onion Creek Hickory Classic has the advantage of strength in numbers as the event has built a steady following over the years. Annually, it is one of the most popular of the modern hickory golf events. This makes it a little easier to gather funds.
Even smaller tournaments, though, can have an impact. Pass the hat for $5 or $10 and share your donations with state golf associations for junior golf scholarships, or local veterans groups, or other local charities. Your group can decide who to support and there is no shortage of charities that could use your help.
Meanwhile, congratulations to Pete and the Onion Creek players and supporters for making such a difference. Make very mashie shot count, right?
