Like so many clubs across the country, Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md., has a 501(c)3 charitable foundation that operates as the philanthropic extension of the club. While the club was founded in 1898, the foundation was not incorporated until the fall of 1997 and for the better part of two decades struggled to create meaningful awareness. Until recently, the club and the foundation operated in two separate spheres. While the club was busy focusing on the membership, the Columbia Foundation began working with small, local charities with whom its members were already affiliated. This continued until the two boards started asking themselves and each other: “Is this working?”
The events of 2020 and 2021 encouraged the club to dig a bit deeper and ask if it could be doing more to impact its community. At the conclusion of a thorough and thoughtful review process, the club and the foundation identified two cornerstones that it felt would activate the membership’s resources and, more importantly, make a difference. The first cornerstone centered around our employees and their families and finding ways to impact their lives in traditional and nontraditional ways. The second cornerstone centered on reaching the local community through sports and recreation. These choices seemed obvious as they capitalized on our strengths of people (our employees) and sport/recreation (our facility).
Inspired by a long-standing relationship with the First Tee, what started as an informal conversation and exchange of ideas between a few members of the club and the club’s leadership team, ended up as an innovative and exciting new venture between Columbia Country Club, the Columbia Foundation and the First Tee – Greater Washington, DC. Columbia Country Club has supported the First Tee for years. Their mission is to impact young people’s lives by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through golf. For more than 20 years, First Tee has helped young people “realize their dreams and achieve their goals by providing active learning experiences that build their inner strength, self-confidence and resilience.”
Columbia Country Club hosts and participates in events for the organization, and its members and employees serve in various leadership positions at the local, regional and national level. The group’s collective goal was to develop a program that would provide young (golf) leaders the opportunity to practice, play and enjoy golf at Columbia Country Club and build relationships with our membership and the club’s golf professionals.
To achieve our goal, Columbia Country Club, the Columbia Foundation, and the First Tee worked together to develop a structured program that would provide annual access to the club with all monetary fees covered by a club member or an affiliated organization (the Columbia Foundation). Ultimately, the First Tee recipients would be approved by the board of governors and given Honorary Guest status at the club. For years, the First Tee has succeeded in improving the lives of many young ladies and gentlemen by exposing them to values and life lessons that are integral to golf. The club felt this partnership was a great way to build on the strengths of the First Tee program in a meaningful way. The scholarship recipients will receive an unprecedented opportunity and the club will undoubtedly enhance its junior golf program by including the First Tee scholarship recipients.
About the Program
A Scholarship Committee was formed to supervise the program at Columbia. Among other responsibilities, it reviews and recommends the First Tee selected candidates for approval by the club’s board of governors.
The First Tee is responsible for communicating with its constituents about the Honorary Guest Scholarships and the process, including candidate criteria. It then selects and recommends candidates to the club’s Scholarship Committee.
The Columbia Foundation funds the Honorary Guest Scholarships. The scholarship terms are for one year and may be renewable by the Scholarship Committee. To participate, candidates must:
- Have longstanding First Tee participation
- Fall between the ages of 12 to 18 years old (high school students preferred)
- Reside in the Washington D.C., metropolitan area and demonstrate a financial need
- Complete the requisite application and a commitment to follow the club’s policies, rules, and bylaws
Scholarship recipients are required to pass Columbia’s Junior Golf Certification course to participate in the club’s junior golf program.
In June of 2021, after months of communication and coordination, Columbia Country Club, the Columbia Foundation and the First Tee – Greater Washington, DC announced the inaugural class of scholarship recipients. Myles Manor and Dominique Barksdale (seen in the photo on page XX) were selected and welcomed to Columbia as Honorary Guests. The one-of-a-kind program has received incredible support from the membership and the First Tee. The club hopes to not only expand the number of scholarship recipients at Columbia Country Club, but also that clubs across the country will be inspired to start similar programs of their own.
William T. Duthe is general manager at Columbia Country Club. He can be reached at 301-951-5010 or [email protected].