For a few homeowners near Colonial Country Club it’s BYOB: Build your own bleachers
Colonial without party tents is akin to seeing the hairless cat.
When the PGA Tour announced that it would return to play with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth at Colonial Country Club, it was not kidding when it said no fans would be allowed.
That includes members of the club, many of whom were/are none too pleased with this edict.
There are a few select spots where a few select fans can watch a fraction of a fraction of obstructed view golf to be played at Colonial, throw a party and in the process help out one element of society that is hurting these days.
There are three different homes that have erected their own party tents to watch whatever they can of Rory, Justin, Dustin, Phil and the rest hit a shot or two. No more than two.
If you are so fortunate, what can be seen are an approach shot at No. 3 and its green. The middle of the fairway and the green at No. 15. The tee box at 16, and the putting green at 15.
Anything else and you’ll need a drone. (And, no, that’s not an invite to launch one.)
Two of the tents are across the street from the course, while the other is located directly to the side of the tee box at No. 16. The owner of that home actually had a small temporary stand built.
To be sure, none of the views offered here would qualify as good, but it’s not like there are a lot of options. The Colonial is so tucked away that it’s hard to see unless you are standing directly on the course itself.
Not to be lost in this limited seating capacity, one of the three tents and parties is built not so much to watch golf but to generate money.
One of the parties, whose founder asked to remain anonymous, is charging admission with the pledge that all of the proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County. He expects that it will be a minimum $10,000 donation.
It’s a small way to address a part of Fort Worth’s annual PGA Tour event that has taken a kick in the face in 2020.
This event typically raises in excess of $10 million for local charities. The 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge won’t come close to that figure.
Because of the slew of COVID-19 related closures, organizations that rely on annual donations are doing virtually anything to maintain their level of giving for families in need.
“We basically run six months behind everyone else; people have to feel comfortable with their finances before they give,” said Daphne Barlow Stigliano, the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County.
The Boys & Girls Clubs have had to postpone multiple events that are big fundraisers for their annual budgets. Even when they do hold their events again, they are not expecting to generate the same levels of donations.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, their clubs were closed. Now that they are starting to reopen, they are having to spend more just to produce less.
They have turned their buses into mobile food delivery units.
To give you some idea of what money does for these types of organizations, Barlow Stigliano said $10,000 will fund a mobile unit’s route for the entire summer. That means one bus will be able to provide food to families in need at four different locations for the next three months.
The 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge has been forced to be a made-for-TV event, and in the process eliminated the festive party tent element of the tournament, and dramatically affected the amount of money raised for charities.
Back outside the country club, the few homeowners who have been able to create their own version of party tents, to see what little can be seen, are fortunately seeing the much larger picture.
