Golf course architect David Kahn's twin daughters continue to battle Batten disease, a genetic nervous system disorder that has reduced their eyesight and mobility steadily and mercilessly since their initial diagnosis in 2017.
There is no current cure, but every year the golf community shows its capacity for generosity by supporting an annual auction put on by the ForeBatten Foundation, which Kahn and his wife Karen started soon after receiving news no parent or child deserves.
This year's auction, which directs proceeds toward research into Batten disease, is underway, with donors and organizers making available valuable items ranging from foundation merchandise sports memorabilia to a brand-new Toyota Camry, in addition to dozens of opportunities to play world-class golf courses.
Rounds at U.S. Open hosts like Oakmont Country Club, The Olympic Club and Merion Golf Club are up for grabs, as is golf at exclusive clubs like Old Elm in Chicago, Indian Creek in Miami, Old Sandwich south of Boston and several more.
Some golf experiences include special guests. You can bid on a round with former Vice President Dan Quayle at "a private North Scottsdale golf club." Or you could tee it up with football legend Joe Theismann at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside Washington, D.C., or 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta at Conway Farms in Chicago.
Many items will go for thousands of dollars, but there are plenty of more reasonably priced ones, too, if you want to contribute but need to limit the expense. As of this writing, foursomes at resort courses like Bay Harbor Golf Club in Northern Michigan and Ak-Chin Southern Dunes south of Phoenix are available at approximately rack rates.
Click here to visit the auction, which runs through March 29.
Golf may, in fact, be a "rich man's" sport, but, as this article shows, it is played by "rich men (and women)" who continually share their "riches" with those in need.