Sarasota, FL. – Heritage Golf Group LLC, a leading owner and operator of premier golf properties across the country, is proud to announce that TPC Prestancia will host The Audi Sarasota Golf Tournament benefitting Birdies for the Brave® on Monday, November 7, 2016. Birdies for the Brave provides much-needed support to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families and is a primary element of Heritage Golf Group’s philanthropic endeavors. Since 2008, Heritage Golf Group has raised over $3 million in support of Birdies for the Brave.
WHEN: Monday, November 7, 2016 | 12:00pm (Noon) Shotgun Start:
WHERE: TPC Prestancia | 4409 Tournament Players Club Drive | Sarasota, FL 34238 | (941) 922.2800
WHAT: TPC Prestancia’s Birdies for the Brave fundraising activities will include a scramble tournament (5-person team including an active military serviceman), lunch for all participants, as well as a silent auction, raffles and prizes for the winners. There will be an official sendoff of the players at 12:00pm (Noon) with the National Anthem, Invocation, and Pledge of Allegiance. TPC Prestancia accepts year-round sponsors, donations for auction raffle items, and direct donations to the charities.
WHY: Proceeds raised at TPC Prestancia, in conjunction with The Heritage Collection of Clubs and TPC Network Properties across the country, will benefit the following Birdies for the Brave Homefront groups:
• Special Operations Warrior Foundation (www.specialops.org) is a non-profit organization supported by Phil Mickelson. For more than 30 years, SOWF has supported the families of fallen and wounded special operations troops by providing full college scholarships to the surviving children of fallen special operations personnel, and immediate financial assistance to wounded special operations personnel, ensuring their loved ones can be bedside when needed most.
• Homes for Our Troops (www.hfotusa.org) is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans are multiple amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic or suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed defending ours, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. Since its inception in 2004, over 90 percent of donations to Homes for Our Troop has gone to directly support Veterans.
• Navy SEAL Foundation (www.navysealfoundation.org) is a non-profit group supported by Jerry Kelly, Vijay Singh and Frank Lickliter II dedicated to providing Navy SEALs and other members of the Naval Special Warfare community with immediate support for death or injuries sustained in service, as well as educational grants for their immediate families. It also hosts morale-boosting family events and commemorates the accomplishments of Navy SEALs by erecting monuments and memorials across the country.
• Operation Homefront (www.operationhomefront.net) is a non-profit organization supported by Corey Pavin that provides emergency assistance and morale to the men and women of our Armed Forces, the families they leave behind, and to wounded warriors when they return home. Among other services, Operation Homefront provides food assistance, vision care, home and appliance repair, moving assistance and auto repair to military families coping with deployment recovery.
• Military Warriors Support Foundation (www.militarywarriors.org) is a non-profit organization supported by Ted Purdy and David Toms that provides a broad spectrum of programs for returning heroes, including the donation of 100% mortgage-free homes to service members injured in combat. It also connects veterans and retired service members with jobs at top-tier companies, provides mentorship and recreational activities to soldiers and their families, and offers four-year degrees to military members transitioning back into civilian life.
• Green Beret Foundation (www.greenberetfoundation.org) is a non-profit organization supported by Bubba Watson that facilitates the special needs of our nation’s most elite warriors, including rehabilitation equipment, career and educational opportunities, transportation and lodging for medical treatments, and memorial cost assistance.
• United Through Reading (www.unitedthroughreading.org) is a non-profit organization supported by Rory Sabbatini dedicated to helping to strengthen the bonds of family for deployed military members, enabling parents to read books to their children via recordings. DVDs of these recordings are then shipped home for their kids to follow along. In return, a photo or e-mail capturing the child’s reaction is sent back to the service member, allowing both to enjoy a boost of morale.
• K9s for Warriors (www.k9sforwarriors.org) is a non-profit organization supported by David Duval and Bob Duval that provides service dogs to wounded warriors suffering from PTSD and physical disabilities as a result of military service. K9s for Warriors trains the dogs, most of whom are rescued from shelters, and matches them with veterans – who participate in a three-week residential training program to learn how to work with their service dog.
• Feherty’s Troops First Foundation (www.troopsfirstfoundation.org) is a non-profit organization supported by Rod Pampling that works to provide meaningful assistance to our military members who have been wounded while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through several relevant and unduplicated programs along with specialized events designed for OIF/OEF combat-wounded service members and their families, Troops First addresses relationship building, mentoring, reintegration and looking forward.
• Operation Shower® (www.operationshower.org) is a non-profit organization supported by Jim Furyk that is designed to celebrate and honor military families by providing joyful group baby showers for moms who are expecting a new baby while their spouse is deployed or following an injury during deployment. Operation Shower helps bring joy and support to military families by partnering with individuals and corporate donors to host showers and to give away high-quality products for mothers and babies, while the moms-to-be enjoy the unique opportunity to be celebrated and share the experience with other women in the same situation.
• Disabled Sports USA (www.disabledsportsusa.org) is a non-profit organization supported by Kevin Stadler that has supported severely injured military, both active duty and veterans, since 1967. Through their Warfighter Sports program, sports rehabilitation is provided to severely injured military personnel in hospitals and communities across the U.S. A member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Disabled Sports USA offers more than 30 sports including skiing, snowboarding, cycling, climbing, track and field, watersports and golf.
WHO: Thank you to the community for the outpouring of support again this year. The Title sponsors for this event are Audi Sarasota and Infinity of Sarasota. There will be over 215 participants including local business owners, Sarasota residents and retired/active military.
CONTACT: Excellent photo and interview opportunities are available. For more information or to confirm your coverage of the event, please call Donna HunterSmith at (941) 922-2800 x 3244.
ABOUT TPC PRESTANCIA
TPC Prestancia (www.tpcprestancia.com) features two 18-hole championship golf courses designed around spectacular coastal wildlife providing a beautiful venue for its challenging playing conditions. TPC Prestancia is a member of both the Tournament Players Club Network and the Heritage Collection of properties. TPC Prestancia offers 36 challenging holes in the beautiful Palmer Ranch area. The Stadium Course and the Club Course sprawl out over 565 acres of lush landscape, providing a balance of aesthetics and spectacular coastal wildlife with outstanding playing conditions. The Championship Stadium Course was fashioned after the TPC Network’s Flagship, TPC Sawgrass, which allows for maximum gallery enjoyment from the many hills dotted along the broad fairways. Designed by Florida’s own Ron Garl, with PGA TOUR player, Mike Souchack, as consultant, the par 72 Stadium Course rewards shot making more than length, and features undulating greens that rise and fall as players approach the signature 9th and 18th holes.
ABOUT HERITAGE GOLF GROUP
Heritage Golf Group (www.heritagegolfgroup.com), established in 1999, is an innovative, industry leading hospitality company and owner/operator of premier private, resort and daily fee golf properties spanning Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Texas. Guided by the principle of evolving the private club and golf business experience to the highest level, each individual club’s amenities and operational systems are tailored to augment their one-of-a-kind assets. With a commitment to delivering memorable experiences to its members and guests, the company is constantly expanding their team of experts in operations, golf, culinary, lodging, fitness, agronomy and special events. Backed by the financial strength of Tower Three Partners, an operationally oriented private equity firm, Heritage Golf Group is uniquely poised to expand through the acquisition of a tightly focused and selective group of first-class clubs. Under the leadership of Davis Sezna (CEO, Partner), Heritage Golf Group embodies the cutting edge of tradition.
ABOUT BIRDIES FOR THE BRAVE
Named by the White House among the top 20 charities in the U.S. that support military families, Birdies for the Brave is a national military outreach initiative proudly supported by the PGA TOUR, which is dedicated to honoring and showing appreciation to the courageous members of our U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Birdies for the Brave was created in 2006 by PGA TOUR player Phil Mickelson, whose father was a Navy fighter pilot, and his wife, Amy, to support combat-wounded veterans. The PGA TOUR subsequently adopted Birdies for the Brave and expanded it to include a wide spectrum of military outreach initiatives during PGA TOUR tournaments, as well as a series of fundraising events at TPCs and partner clubs across the U.S. – an effort that has raised more than $15 million for military Homefront charities that provide critical programs and services to meet the specialized needs of wounded heroes and military families. For more information, visit www.birdiesforthebrave.org.
Contact:
Donna HunterSmith | (941) 922-2800 Ext. 3244