Pros for P.I.N.K. – The Plateau Club
Chris Lungo, Head Golf Pro at The Plateau Club in Sammamish, Washington, says Play for P.I.N.K. is a group effort. Professional staff. Membership. Community. Our event is nine holes, so we split the course in two to support more golfers. We have reached out to non – golfers by having a “fun side”, where no handicap is required. Changing from a women’s only event by adding invitations to our men’s club a few years ago increased participation. We also reach out to other private and public courses.
We all know that fundraising takes effort and creativity so we try to combine the usual with the not-so-usual. In addition to greens fees, we request straight donations from our membership, often in the form of a challenge within the men’s group. We have individual hole sponsors, a large raffle with donated baskets and gift cards, a silent auction. Most importantly we have a “Special Raffle” where we only sell 100 tickets at a premium price (this year $40) that is for a custom jewelry piece designed and donated by a local jeweler.
We also believe in fundraising. We’ve had putting contests where you can deduct a stroke from your score. We sell mulligans and P.I.N.K. notes, and on course allow you to ‘Buy your Score on our toughest par 5 by pulling golf balls from a bowl where we have 5 balls with 5, four balls with four, three with three… The more you donate the more chances you have. You can buy the pro’s drive on another par 5. We have a local painting company that sponsors a game on a par 3. You bet to see if you can Beat the Painter. If you do, he matches your bet as a donation. Finally, we have wine tastings on two par 3’s. If you make a $25 donation you get a bottle of wine and get to place your ball on the green.
The Plateau Club and I enjoy supporting this event and we look forward to it every year. We are happy to be a small part of such a big cause and hope that we can make a difference.