Written By Jeffrey Reed
The game of golf plays a large role in defining Middlesex County. And with the golf industry contributing millions of dollars annually to the local economy, charity golf tournaments tee up big bucks for area not-for-profits.
From family-and-friend fundraisers to big-money not-for-profit events, charity golf dollars flow like the Thames River. In fact, in London and area there are an estimated 225 such tournaments this year. They range from intimate gatherings to remember loved ones, to long-running revenue generators including the RBC Dominion Securities Children’s Golf Classic, Lexus Of London Golf Classic and SARI Therapeutic Riding Charity Golf Tournament.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were more than 350 charity golf events in London and area. The National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA), which includes Golf Canada, National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, Canadian Society of Club Managers, PGA of Canada, Canadian Golf Industry Association and Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, recognizes the economic value of charity golf events. Studies estimate that there are about 40,000 charitable events hosted at Canadian golf courses, raising about $700 million.
Locally, competing for charity golf dollars – especially in a market which boasts more golf courses, per capita, than anywhere else in North America – is as competitive as a million-dollar skins game. While golf’s governing bodies continue to report record numbers of rounds played since the pandemic, locally, at least, charity golf tournaments have suffered – and that means fewer dollars into the coffers of local not-for-profit groups.
In fact, the template of the typical charity golf fundraiser has become a tired one, with registration, breakfast muffin and coffee, long six-hour round with on-course side games, cocktails, dinner and auction. That’s not a knock against trying to raise money for charity, but it does beg for change.
Yet one thing remains certain: the area’s most successful local charity golf event, operating since 1990, is the Children’s Golf Classic for our local Children’s Hospital Foundation. Chaired by RBC Dominion Securities’ Vito Finucci, who has been instrumental in the event’s success since day one, the event has raised more than $6.5 million during its run. That dollar figure, and the hard work put in by the tournament committee, are both monumental feats in this competitive market.
SARI’s 2025 charity golf event at RiverBend Golf Community raised $78,000 for its myriad of programs. The 38th annual tournament is one of may fundraisers from SARI, a charitable organization founded in 1978 by Syd and Jeanne Greenberg and dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities through the therapeutic power of horses.
No successful charity golf event survives without a volunteer army. And with every group scrambling for dollars while relying on elbow grease, a good cause and a fun time for golfers, it is, indeed, survival of the fittest.
Award-winning writer Jeffrey Reed has covered Middlesex County sports since 1980. He is publisher and editor of
LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at jeff@londonontariosports.com.
