If you plan to buy tickets for the Barclays Golf Tournament for the end of this month, there’s a way to do so and ensure that the proceeds go to local charities.
Golf – a sport of individuals competing on manicured green landscapes – was once considered a pastime for the wealthy. But the PGA (Professional Golfers Association) Tour has in recent years operated the “TICKETS Fore CHARITY Program,” which allows the public to buy tickets for golf tournaments with 100 percent of the ticket sales going to charities in the area where the tournament is located.
The Barclays is slated to be held from Aug. 27-30 at the Liberty National Golf Club near Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The star roster of golfers expected to participate includes Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, and defending champion Vijay Singh.
The Barclays is allowing local charities to sell some of the tickets, with 75 percent of the proceeds benefiting the charity promoting the tickets, and the remaining 25 percent earmarked for The First Tee of Metropolitan New York, a program that teaches young people life skills through golf.
Tickets can be purchased for $45 by going to the website, http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r027/charity.html, and clicking on the name of the charitable organization, which leads to a purchase page where a code corresponding to the specific charity can be entered.
Dan Chelel, who oversees the Tickets Fore Charity program for the Barclays, said that as of July 16, there have been $28,000 in tickets purchased through the charity website. But he expects that total to go up in the next couple of weeks.
“It’s nice, easy way to buy some tickets and to help get money for our foundation.” – Joseph Sansone
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A stroke of charity
Chelel said the organizations participating in the program do not have to pay a fee to take part, and get a “high return” through the proceeds.
“You have a low-risk, high reward [effort],” Chelel said.
The charities get flyers to send out to the public to make them aware of the program.
Locally, one of the top earners so far is the Liberty Science Center, located about half a mile from the Liberty National Golf Club. The center has raised $3,500 and looks to raise more, with proceeds going to develop various science programs.
Liberty Science Center spokesperson Mary Meluso commented, “It has been a wonderful experience working with the PGA’s Tickets Fore Charity and we’re thrilled to be part of this Jersey City event.”
Joseph Sansone, Hudson County Community College Foundation Vice President for Development, said so far, around 20 tickets have been purchased with proceeds going to the foundation, which raises money for scholarships.
“It’s nice, easy way to buy some tickets and to help get money for our foundation,” Sansone said.
TICKETS Fore CHARITY can also be purchased by calling (201) 444-5356 or contacting DanielChelel@pgatourhq.com.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.