2009 GolfChamp ParsforCharity Challenge

Last year, we heard Vijah Singh say - "I am donating $5,000 to St. Jude for every eagle I make this year. What are you doing?". Several GolfChamp Member Courses are providing all golfers regardless of skill level, location, or frequency of play with an opportunity to make every par-or-better hole they score this year also count towards something truly memorable and meaningful.

Participants select from a list of local charities at registration. They pledge money for each point they earn during the golf-a-thon. At the end of the Golf-a-thon, they write a check to the charity. The Charity returns a receipt for tax purposes. Players can also solicit pledges from their peers, family, friends and sponsors.

This year's goals include raising more than $2,500 for charity by November 30, 2009 and having a great time doing it! Participants are also competing for prizes, trophies, free rounds of golf and the opportunity to represent their team, course and sponsors in the 2010 GolfChamp ParsforCharity Championship

All tracking, calculations and ranking of individual and team golf performances and pledges are done by the GolfChamp Databank - a private golfer's databank with a yearly membership fee. GolfChamp's golf databank service provides various personalized graphical snapshots to allow you and your coach to answers such questions as:

1. How does your game compare to others of similar age, gender and golf ability?
2. How are you performing on Par 3’s, 4’s, 5’s?
3. Which holes on a particular course do you have the most trouble with?
4. How does your performance on any particular hole compare to others of similar golf ability?
5. Should you be focusing on improving putting, approaches, or tee shots?
6. What are your strengths?   Areas to Improve? ... and a whole lot more !!

To start enjoying the above golf experiences - Join Here!

The golf challenges to test your game being held at upscale private and public courses will be limited to no more than than eight foursomes. They will be open only to registered 2009 GolfChamp Databank Members and will be on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you are not a 2009 GolfChamp member, the registration fee is $20. Click on "JOIN" button at top of page.!

Prizes/Awards That Individuals Can Win

   Season-long Team Competition (Teams of 12-24 players each)

• To be supplied - Most monies raised for Charity:
• 1 Captain and top 2 ranked individual fund-raisers from the 2 teams raising the most funds
• 2 Top fund-raisers regardless of team


• To be supplied - GolfChamp ParsforCharity Team Championship (Points OverQuota System)
• Captain(1) and top 5 ranked players from top eight (8) ranked teams
• Ranking gased on the Points-over-Quota Scoring System (modified stableford)
• Each player needs more than 5 scores to qualify
• All "Points-over-Quota" calculations is done by The GolfChamp Databank
• Name: Top Team, Top Golfer Gross and Top Golfer Net engraved on ParsforCharity Golf Experience Cup


• Next-in-line rule applies where a player already qualified or cannot attend championship
• Golf Ability Ranges (GAR), Age Group and Gender Trophies
• Low 70s: Top 3 males and top 3 females based on age group and total of best 4 scores
• High 70s: Top 3 males and top 3 females based on age group and total of best 4 scores
• Low 80s: Top 3 males and top 3 females based on age group and total of best 4 scores
• High 80s: Top 3 males and top 3 females based on age group and total of best 4 scores
• 90s: Top 3 males and top 3 females based on age group and total of best 4 scores
• Over 100: Top 3 males and top 3 females based on age group and total of best 4 scores
• Age Groups are: 4-12, 13-18, 19-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80 and over 80 years old

   Events Competition (Individuals and Foursomes)

• Foursomes:
• Best Foursome - based on average points-over-quota
• Ranking points for season-long foursome competition


• Individuals:
• Low Gross - Male
• Low Gross - Female
• Best Net - Male or Female - based on points-over-quota

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Benefiting Charities and Partner Organizations

The First Tee

The First Tee is a World Golf Foundation initiative dedicated to providing  young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. The intent is to offer opportunities for improvement in the quality of life and create a platform where children can increase their potential for success.

Ronald McDonald House Charities

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Inc. (RMHC®) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. RMHC fulfills its mission by creating innovative, effective programs that address targeted needs, and by supporting these programs and other activities conducted by its local Chapters worldwide. RMHC also awards grants to other nonprofit children’s organizations that positively impact the health and well being of children around the world.

The Eye Tumor Research Foundation

The Eye Tumor Research Foundation is a foundation devoted to research in eye cancers and eye tumors in an effort to win the struggle for life and sight. The ultimate goal of the Foundation is to improve patient care by improving methods of diagnosis and treatment of affected patients. The contributions made to the foundation are specifically for one purpose - to provide support for research in the investigation of eye cancers and eye tumors. This organization is based out of the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

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Contact Information

Contact Information

For questions throughout the year, contact ParsforCharity Info.

Email: peryerdj@parsforcharity.org
Fax: 610-539-5105

To add/captain a new team - Email: Add New Team

To add a new Partner/Organization - Email: Add New Partner

For registration issues - Email: Sign-Up/Join Issues?

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FAQ's

Details and FAQ regarding the 2009 GolfChamp ParsforCharity Challenge

Q: How do I get invited to events at upscale private and public courses?
A: You must be a member of the 2009 GolfChamp Databank! You register for the event and registrations are on a first-come-first-in basis. If you are not a member of the 2009 GolfChamp Databank, click on "JOIN" at the top of this page.

Q: Who is eligible to play?
A: All Golfers regardless of age, gender, location or golf ability!

Q: How do I raise money for the selected charities?
A:Two ways:
(1)  For each point earned on a participating Course, that course donates $.01 to the local First Tee chapter on your behalf.
(2)  You pledge money yourself and solicit pledges from peers, friends, family, etc.
Based on Gross Scores for each hole played, points are:
•  Double Eagle = 16pts
•  Eagle = 8pts
•  Birdie = 4pt
•  Par = 2 pt
•  Net Par = 1pt

Q: Can I also have friends, suppliers and family sponsors me?
A: Yes! It is a golf-a-thon. It is an opportunity to celebrate all your pars-or-better scores and make them count towards something meaningful. We therefore encourage you to additionally pledge for yourself and solicit as many pledges as you can from friends, family and peers.

Q: What charity will my personal donations go to?
A: Your choice from a list of several charities. At registration, you select and notify us of your zip/postal code. At the end of the golf-a-thon, the ParsforCharity databank will notify you of how much you owe as well as the address of the local chapter of your selected charity where you should mail your check. You will be mailed a receipt for tax purposes.

Q: Is this a traditional, one day golf tournament?
A: No, the 2009 ParsforCharity Golf-a-thon Experience runs from March 1st – November 30th. Every round you play, regardless of where, when or with whom you play count.

Q: What is the competitive team structure?
A: Region, Country/State, Golf Course teams. The world has been divided into 23 regions - 11 of which are in USA. At registration, the databank will ask you for your country, zip/state code (if applicable) and use this to attach you to a region. You will also be grouped into teams of 24 players each based on the home course you select.

Q: Can participants from clients/sponsors/leagues see how they rank against each other?
A: Yes! When a new team is formed, it's captain can add sponsors/organizations/leagues to the databank. At registration, each participant identifies his/her organization. The GolfChamp databank ranks all individuals and teams against each other by organization/sponsor. This allows leagues from different locations within a company to organization (e.g. College Alumni) to compete against each other.

Q: Do I need a handicap?
A: No, players do not need to have an established handicap, everyone is welcome to join. The Pars for Charity database will calculate for you a Golf Ability Rating (GAR) based upon the scorecards you turn in. A GAR is very similar to that of the USGA Official Handicap.

Q: Do I need to have a team selected before I can play?
A: No, if you are not recruited by a specific team in your region, you will be assigned to a team in your region.

Q: Do I need to play with other team members for my scores to count?
A: No, players do not need to play with other team members for their round to count, but the score needs to be a full round (18 holes). It can also be the combination of two nine hole scores that was played within a ten day period

Q: Will anyone else be able to see my scores?
A: The top five score cards from each player will be available for viewing. This is to ensure the competitive nature of the SAP Americas Golf Challenge. However, the number of rounds that each player has played will be kept strictly confidential.

Q: What does the $20 registration fee cover?
A: Membership To Golfchamp Databank The $20 Fee will cover all administrative costs associated with 2009 GolfChamp ParsforCharity Challenge. You can register for all Golf challenges to be held at upscale private and public courses. You will also be able to track and analyze all your cards and playing statistics between January 1 and Secemv=ber 31, 2009.

•  You will be provided with a golfname and password for the GolfChamp databank upon receipt of your payment. To view and maintain your individual scores and data profile, access the Personal Databank . Upon entering, click on the "Members"  logo located on both the top and side menu bar and enter your golfname and password. Then, select any menu-item from your personalized menu bar.

Q: How do I enter my scores?
A: You can log on and enter your own card here  .

Q: How are team members ranked?
A: This is done automatically by The GolfChamp Databank once you have entered at least 5 scores. It uses a modified stableford system (often referred to as the Over Quota System).

1. You start each round with a number of quota points (or points to earn during your round). Your quota points is 36 less your Handicap/GAR which is calculated automatically for you by the GolfChamp databank once you have entered 5 or more scores
2. You are awarded points for each good hole you score during the round. You are awarded points: Bogey = 1, Par = 2, Birdie = 4, Eagle = 8 and Double-eagle 16. You lose 1 point for each Triple or worse
3. An overQuota value is calculated from the difference between your starting quota and points you earned during the round
4. The average of the best 4 of your last 9 overQuota scores (in date sequence) are used for ranking
5. Example:
   1. Your GAR/Handicap = 16
   2. Your Starting quota  = 36 - 16 = 20
   3. You made 5 bogies, 6 pars, 1 birdie and 2 triples during your round
   4. You were awarded (5 *1) + (6*2) + (1*4)-(2*1) = 19 points
   5. Your over quota for that round is -1. Note that even or over is the desired result 

Q: How are Foursome teams ranked?
A: Foursome teams are ranked against each other based on the average points over quota score of all the members in the foursome. If a foursome only has three players, the points-over=-quota score of the worst player is counted twice.

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Past Annual Golf-a-Thon Results

Over the past 5 years more than 163,000 holes of golf have been played by Greater Delaware Valley golfers with charitable contributions in excess of $112,000!

2007: Parents of kids, 4-12 years old, playing on the 2007 U.S. Kids Philadelphia North and South Golf tour donated over $2,000 to the Eye Tumor Research Foundation. One kid who was having a very bad golf day finally made a birdie on his last hole of play. He instantly loooked at his grand-dad who was caddying for him, issued a fist-pump, and said. "See Pop-Pop - That is $4 for Kyle and tomorrow, I am going to make it $8". His Grand-dad replied instantly - "You do that and I will make it $16. I am also sure that your Grand-ma will want to add something to the pot"

2007: For the fourth year in a row, SAP Americas provided its employees, clients and partners with an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy competitive fun and team camaraderie while generating $15,000 in charitable revenue for the American Red Cross and over $10,000 to The First Tee based on the pars-or-better golf holes played by SAP NA employees, partners and clients. A team from Global Marketing - "The Atlanta Prime Time South" based in Atlanta, Georgia won the fund raising title by raising over $4,000.

2006: SAP celebrated it's third year of internal competitive fun and team camaraderie by generating $19,000 in charitable revenue for the American Red Cross based on the good golf holes played by SAP NA employees. With the Ernie's Castaways from New York stealing the fund raising title away from the Dallas Drivers.

2005: We surpassed our $10K objective and finished with 103.5% of goal. We also had repeat team champions. Taylor-made golf team won the annual SAP Golf Challenge and Dallas Drivers won the year end Championship.

2004: The total charity funds in this phenomenal first year of this event totaled $8,500. And the Dallas Drivers started showing SAP what they had by placing first!

Over the past 4 years more than 78,000 holes of golf have been played by SAP employees with charitable contributions in excess of $57,000!

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