HFH Indonesia Holds Inaugural Charity Golf Tournament
Tournament Raises Money To Build 30 Houses; Other Golf Events in Shanghai and New Zealand
JAKARTA, 26th April 2010: Habitat for Humanity Indonesia held its first-ever charity golf tournament at the Cengkareng Golf Club in Jakarta recently.
Twenty-seven teams took part and each committed to sponsor a house, but by the end of the tournament, enough money had been raised to build 30 houses.
Professional golfer Cathryn Bristow giving tips during a golf clinic.
Each team which took part committed to each sponsoring a house.
The Lautan Laus team won the tournament.
The tournament, held on 14th April, offered a range of attractions for participants. However no one won either the Nissan Teana or the Volkswagen Touran on offer for sinking a hole in one.
Cathryn Bristow, a New Zealand member of the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association, conducted a golf clinic before the tournament began. Later, more intrepid golfers pitted their skills against Bristow and Indonesia’s top female golfer, Lydia Ivana Jaya, to see who could get their ball closest to the pin.
Teams came from locally-based international corporations as well as local companies. They comprised ANZ Bank, Asaba Computer Center, PT Bintang Baja Sinar Cemerlang, Lautan Luas, BSI Bank, JP Morgan Bank, RBS Coutts Bank, Saratoga Capital, Dunia Kimia Utama, Global Pacific Energy, PT Lautan Otsuka Chemical, Bank Central Asia (BCA), Samuel Sekuritas, SMS Finance, Credit Suisse Bank Indonesia, Caturkarsa Megatunggal, Mitrada, Patra Niaga, Pacinesia Chemical Indonesia, Kodak Singapore and LINC Group.
The team from Lautan Luas was the champion while teams from Global Pacific Energy and Caturkarsa Megatunggal took second and third places respectively.
The tournament included other fundraising activities such as an auction of sports memorabilia including a caddy bib signed by South Korean professional golfer KJ Choi. Players were also encouraged to purchase a mulligan or free shot that they could use during their round.
HFH Indonesia, which plans to make the tournament an annual affair, aims to help 100,000 families in need over the next five years.
“Every home we build brings us closer to reaching our goal over the next five years and we see golf as the perfect vehicle to do this. Companies who feel socially responsible can not only enjoy a day of golf but also build homes for the needy at the same time. This golf tournament will be an annual event which we will continue to build on and we appreciate all the support we have got from both local and foreign companies,” said Jimmy Masrin, chairman of HFH Indonesia’s board.
Golf also took center stage on fundraising platforms elsewhere. On 9th April, Marriott International held a charity golf day in Shanghai’s Tianma Country Club to raise funds for Habitat programs in China and other countries. Over 100 players took part in the tournament which included a hole-in-one prize of a BMW 318i.
The group’s 17 hotels in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Wuxi partnered with King Koil (Shanghai) for the event which raised 160,000 yuan (about US23,400) for Habitat.
On 25th March, HFH New Zealand’s Lower North Island affiliate held a tournament at Manor Park Golf Club in Lower Hutt, north of the capital Wellington. The tournament was followed by an auction of tickets to rugby matches, an introductory training flight at a local aero club and other items.