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The 2020 Rounds 4 Research fundraising program to support turfgrass research sold out of all 997 rounds of donated golf and netted nearly $265,000 in its July online auction. This is the first time since the auction’s inception that all available rounds were sold.
Originally scheduled for April 27-May 3, the 2020 Rounds 4 Research auction was postponed to July 20-26 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the number of rounds donated and the total funds raised were affected by the pandemic, the results of the rescheduled auction show the game and the auction remain popular.
“We are delighted with the results of the 2020 auction, and it exceeded our expectations in light of world events,” says GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans. “Rescheduling it was the right thing to do, and we knew some courses would no longer be able to make donations. However, the fact that all rounds sold and we greatly exceeded our goal are evidence of the popularity of golf in today’s world and the strength of the R4R program.”
The Carolinas GCSA raised $50,907 and was the leader among the more than 64 GCSAA-affiliated chapters and turfgrass organizations that receive proceeds from the auction to support turfgrass research at the local level. The Florida GCSA was next, with $29,981 raised for its chapter.
The top bid was $10,009 for one membership with full member privileges to six private clubs in the Dormie Network.
Rounds 4 Research is administered by the Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of GCSAA, and is supported by a $50,000 donation from The Toro Co. The national campaign has raised more than $1.7 million for turfgrass research since its launch 2012.