A 2019 Golf Magazine article, “Money Game: Here’s where the PGA TOUR’s money goes,” starts with the largest-attended golf tournament on the planet – WM Phoenix Open. Guided by The Thunderbirds, this one event alone has eclipsed $175 million in charitable giving to local Phoenix-metro area charities including homeless shelters, veterans programs, crisis centers and hundreds more, since its inception in 1932. Furthermore, in 2020, the PGA TOUR surpassed $3 billion in charitable contributions.
A 2017 article in Forbes called golf the charitable sports event “poster child,” driving $3.9 billion annually. It went on to cite a 2016 National Golf Foundation study, which “concluded that golf as a fundraising vehicle annually covers 143,000 events with 12 million participants at 12,700 facilities.”
Golf drives charitable giving. The Thunderbirds alone eclipsed $175 million in charitable giving to Valley of the Sun charities, since inception of the WM Phoenix Open in 1932.
Hundreds of fundraising golf tournaments are held annually across the Phoenix-metro area each year, generating millions in much-needed resources.
Golfshake.com posted results from a 2,800-person survey asking “How did you get into golf?” Reponses ranked in order: Taking up a new activity; joining friends and work colleagues; participating with family members; the social aspect; stopping other sports; competitive aspect; other work and business networking.
Golf offers a variety of mental and physical health benefits for disabled people. According to a study by the European Disabled Golfer’s Association, the game is adaptable in terms of custom equipment and scoring system, allowing personal, social, and environmental barriers for handicapped golfers to be less restrictive.
