Not just another charity tournament

By BRANT JAMES

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 10, 2001

The phone rings a lot in Stan Cooke's office. Many times in an average week, it's someone hoping to stage a charity tournament at the World Woods course he oversees.

When representatives from the Joshua House called Cooke eight years ago, he thought the event the group hoped to have there would be just like the rest. Now he knows better, as Monday's Joshua House Golf Tournament will represent what has become one of World Woods' most ambitious yearly undertakings.

More than 480 golfers, representing segments of Tampa Bay's corporate, philanthropic and celebrity communities, will tee off in the eighth-annual benefit for the shelter for abused children. The tourney, said co-founder Olin Mott, is expected to raise $160,000 and bring the event's eight-year haul to roughly $1.02-million.

"I certainly never thought it would be something with 480 players in it, and to be such a top-end event," Cooke said.

"A lot of people come here and want to host a fund-raiser, and they all say it's for a wonderful cause. The standard had sort of been for someone to come in and raise $5,000-$10,000," he said. "I never thought they would be receiving $100,000."

Corporate connections fuel the revenue streams, thanks in part to Mott's connections as Tampa's original tire king.

Every foursome in the tournament is sponsored by companies, for donations ranging from $1,200-$5,000. In addition, a title sponsorship to the event was sold, as were sponsorship rights to the Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks courses that will be utilized.

"This event has grown and so have the sponsorships," said Mott, who in 1992 won a JCPenney Golden Rule Awards for outstanding volunteer service to the community. "Every foursome playing under a sponsorship is unreal.

"We try to give something back to the sponsors through the billboard advertising and such, and everyone has been just great."

World Woods' contribution will be in allotting the space and greatly reducing greens fees. The course charged the charity $50 per golfer -- roughly half of seasonal fees -- and allowed Joshua House to keep most of the $125 entry fee.

"We give them a break because we feel like it's an awesome cause," Cooke said. "The thing we like about them is all of their volunteers that play, pay an entry fee into the tournament. That's not always the case with other events. That shows they're committed."

Sports celebrities such as the Devil Rays' Wade Boggs and former Buccaneer Lee Roy Selmon are scheduled to play. The public is "always welcome" at the event, Cooke said.

Only the annual Ted Williams Museum tournament rivals the Joshua House event in scope at World Woods, and Cooke said expectations have grown each year.

"The event is so fine-tuned now that, yes, it is a big deal that all participants have come to an expectation level associated with the tournament," he said. "Any slip-up would be a poorly hosted event."

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