Michigan Golf News Roundup April 21, 2021

Michigan Golf News Roundup April 21, 2021

In Michigan Golf News this week: Boyne Resorts wins a pair of awards; the Ally Challenge extends its charitable partnership with United Way of Genesee County and the Rocket Mortgage Classic ramps up its charitable work fighting Detroit’s digital divide.

BOYNE Golf – Inn at Bay Harbor and BOYNE Golf Academy Earn Golf Digest Editor’s Choice Awards

Petoskey, MI – BOYNE Golf scored two awards in the annual Golf Digest Editor’s Choice Awards for 2021. The Inn at Bay Harbor in Bay Harbor, Mich. earned the honors as one of the Best Resorts in the Americas, while BOYNE Golf Academy in Harbor Springs, Mich. is among the Best Golf Schools & Academies.

Golf Digest describes the resort as “Built on the former home of a cement factory and quarry, Arthur Hills’ 27 holes at this Northern Michigan resort include the Quarry, Links and Preserve. Dramatic views along the bluffs of Lake Michigan make for scenic holes that play tough when the wind is up. The views are just as good from the Inn at Bay Harbor, which offers shuttle service from the resort to this quaint harbor town.”

Meanwhile, BOYNE Golf Academy is honored to have now received the Editor’s Choice Award in both 2018 and 2021. The Academy has been one of the top golf schools in the country since 1986. Based at Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands, the Academy features nationally recognized professional instructors who have developed a variety of programs for juniors, adults, and women of all skill levels that improves every aspect of the game from short game to the long game utilizing the top state-of-the-art teaching technology.

United Way of Genesee County is Primary Beneficiary of 2021 Ally Challenge Presented By McLaren

GRAND BLANC, Mich. – The United Way of Genesee County (UWGC), Michigan is the primary beneficiary of net proceeds for the fourth-annual The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren. The 2021 tournament will mark the third consecutive year that UWGC has been included as a primary beneficiary of The Ally Challenge.

The tournament’s investment will help support programs in Genesee County, impacting more than 5,000 individuals through the three priority areas: Financial Literacy, Housing and Employment.

Birdies for Charity presented by Ally is a grassroots charity platform that serves as an extension of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren’s mission to positively impact non-profit organizations in the greater Flint area. This successful program has included nearly 60 participating Michigan 501(c)(3) organizations and raised more than $1 million since it began in 2018.

All qualified non-profit organizations that register for Birdies for Charity presented by Ally are eligible to participate in the tournament’s newest charitable initiative, Tickets FORE Charity. This new program gives charities an opportunity to earn extra dollars for their cause based on attendance during the final round of The Ally Challenge.

Each time a ticket, purchased with a charity’s special promo code, is scanned at a tournament admissions gate on Sunday, August 2, The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will donate $10 to that designated charity. In addition, a $5,000 bonus pool will be split amongst the top three charities receiving the most scanned tickets.

For more information about the Birdies for Charity presented by Ally and Tickets FORE Charity programs, including how to participate, please visit https://theallychallenge.com/charity/.

For more information about The Ally Challenge, please visit theallychallenge.com. For the latest Ally Challenge news and updates on social media follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @AllyChallenge and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllyChallenge.

Rocket Mortgage Classic’s AREA 313 To Become “The Most Charitable Three Holes in Golf”

• PGA TOUR event’s 2021 goal is to raise more than $1 million through various programming at AREA 313 to support the Changing the Course digital equity initiative.

• Fans can support the cause and have their images prominently displayed on-course by donating to the new “Faces of AREA 313 Presented by Priority Health” program. Donations will be matched by Priority Health, which has pledged $50,000 to the initiative.

• Additional fundraising efforts include the AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble and the AREA 313 Challenge presented by Rocket Mortgage the during professional tournament.

Detroit’s Rocket Mortgage Classic expects to raise more than $1 million through fan engagements and returning initiatives at its highly-acclaimed three-hole stretch, AREA 313, as part of a larger fundraising effort to support the tournament’s multi-year Changing the Course initiative to end the digital divide in Detroit.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic, the first PGA TOUR event ever held within the city of Detroit, will return to Detroit Golf Club June 28-July 4. AREA 313, named in honor of Detroit’s famed area code, is comprised of the 555-yard par-5 14^th hole, the 160-yard par-3 15^th hole and the 446-yard par-4 16^th hole, and serves as the epicenter of fan activity during the tournament.

This year, AREA 313 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic offers three unique ways for anyone to pledge their support and donate toward Changing the Course.

New to the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2021 is the “Faces of AREA 313 Presented by Priority Health” program. It will enable companies and community members to pledge $313 or more for their face, that of a fellow fan, first responder, frontline worker or loved one lost from the COVID-19 pandemic to be prominently displayed on an electronic videoboard or along the hospitality structures within AREA 313. Each donation will be matched dollar for dollar by Priority Health, which has pledged $50,000 to the initiative. Faces are available to purchase by visiting RocketMortgageClassic.com, and each purchase is accompanied by a ticket that allows fans access to the event Monday, June 28 and Tuesday, June 29.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic will also bring back its popular AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble, which was recognized by the PGA TOUR as the “Best Special Event” across all its tournaments during its 2018-19 season. On Tuesday, June 29, the three-hole charitable exhibition will pair select professional golfers playing in the Rocket Mortgage Classic with celebrity athletes and entertainers. This year, the event allows for corporate partners of the tournament to donate to sponsor the teams participating in the AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble. Each team sponsor can also arrange VIP access for an executive or client to play the event and walk inside the ropes alongside the pros and celebrities from holes 14-16.

Finally, the Rocket Mortgage Classic continues its tradition of pledging donations to the community through the AREA 313 Challenge during the tournament’s 156-player professional competition over 72 holes from Thursday, July 1-Sunday, July 4. Anyone can make a flat donation toward the AREA 313 Challenge by visiting the AREA 313 Challenge webpage (under the ‘TOURNAMENT INFO’ tab) at RocketMortgageClassic.com and clicking on the red “DONATE” button.

The PGA TOUR professionals participating in the Rocket Mortgage Classic also will be playing for a chance to score big for Changing the Course, thanks to the contribution of the host organization, Rocket Mortgage. The first player to score a 3 on Hole 14 (an eagle), a hole-in-one on Hole 15, and a 3 on Hole 16 (a birdie) – scoring a 3-1-3 along that stretch – cumulatively over the four days of tournament play will trigger a $313,000 donation made in his name and split between a charity of the golfer’s choice and the Connect 313 Fund, in support of Changing the Course.

Additionally, for each 3 made on hole 14, Rocket Mortgage will supply $5,000 to Changing the Course, while any 1 made on hole 15 will trigger a $10,000 donation and any 3 made on hole 16 will result in a $5,000 contribution. Last year, thanks to 15 eagles made on the 14th hole and 63 birdies made on the 16th, the company’s donation totaled $385,000.

The 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic, in partnership with title sponsor Rocket Mortgage, generated more than $2.7 million in proceeds for nonprofits through the Rocket Giving Fund, the 501(c)(3) host organization of the tournament, with more than $2.4 million invested into Changing the Course. The goal of raising $1 million through AREA 313 programming this year is part of a larger effort that hopes to match or exceed last year’s giving total.

Through the Changing the Course initiative, the Rocket Giving Fund disbursed $2.1 million to the Connect 313 Fund, developed in advance of last year’s tournament by the Rocket Mortgage Classic in partnership with the City of Detroit and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan – with additional engagement from community, philanthropic and business stakeholders.

The Connect 313 Fund is rooted in the City’s digital inclusion strategy and is a coordinating mechanism for all digital inclusion stakeholders driving collectively toward the singular vision of bridging the digital divide. In addition to coordinating a city-wide, data-driven digital inclusion strategy, the Connect 313 Fund will make investments into Detroit-based nonprofit partners to increase access to technology, internet and digital literacy resources.