The Carolinas Chapter came up with a new way to raise money for turfgrass research at its winter meeting at Bulls Bay in Awendaw, South Carolina.
First, let me introduce the club mascot at Bulls Bay. His name is Titleist, and he is a 16-year-old longhorn bull. He does what all cattle do — he eats for a living and deposits piles of fertilizer in a random fashion. He's a handsome fellow who loves to have his picture taken, and on this day he was an integral part of a fundraising project.
So, what does all this have to do with raising money for turf research? This is where the innovation part kicks in.
You may notice that Titleist is sitting on a grid of squares. The participants at the meeting had the opportunity to "buy" a square for $20, and while we were on the course Titleist was tethered to the flagpole in the middle of the grid free to roam around the area and make a fertilizer deposit wherever and whenever he chose. Whoever "owned" the square with the biggest fertilizer deposit won half of the money collected, with the other half going towards turfgrass research. Now, I'm happy to report that my square did receive some love from Titleist, but unfortunately, it wasn't the biggest pile. Fifty squares were sold, and a cool $500 was raised for research at the drop of a ... well, cowpie!
It was a great meeting, and kudos go to the staff at Bulls Bay for hosting the event. Who would have thought that raising money could be so easy — and that's no B.S.!
Is your chapter thinking outside the box?
