The Golf & Guitars Music Festival at Haggin Oaks Surpasses The 1.5 Million Dollars Fundraising Mark
Morton Golf Foundation Uses Funds To Support Programming For Youth, Veterans & Those With Disabilities
The Golf and Guitars Music Festival is a celebrity pro-am golf tournament and country concert featuring nationally recognized & major label country music artists that raises money for key children’s charities in Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, CA. Each golfer in the tournament plays with a celebrity and gets a seat near the stage where these generous artists put on a tremendous concert underneath the stars on the golf course. The hottest acts in country music, the up-and-coming artists you’ll soon see topping the charts and some of Nashville’s very best songwriters are all donate their time to help raise funds for children’s charities. Much of the funds from the event go to the Morton Golf Foundation with the balance being paid out via a tournament purse to the artist’s children’s charity of choice.
This year started with decidedly female slant as the Monday night Singer-Songwriter Showcase was a near-all women event. Nashville’s downtown club The Listening Room has hosted an all-female songwriter collective show every Monday for the last decade or so called The Song Suffragettes and our event was able to host a “West-Coast version” of their show with eight incredible young songwriter and artist talents including Kaylin Roberson, Lydia Dall, Bonner Black, Emily Brooke, Haley Mae Campbell, Jillian Dawn, Julie Williams and Olivia Faye. Daughter of PGA Tour player Bobby Clampett and wildly talented songwriter Katelyn Clampett and longtime supporters Megan Conner, Johnny and Heidi Bulford rounded out our first night playing for a few hundred VIP guests.
The next morning was our Pro-Am Tournament where all of the songwriters and artists play in a five-person gross score scramble format. Restaurants were on every other hole providing food, local Bud Light distributor Markstein Beverage (our longest-running sponsor) made sure no one went home thirsty and our Caddie Crew with nearly every group made for an incredibly fun day of golf. Golfers will be proudly wearing their Americana flag sweatshirt hoodies and caps that they received courtesy of another key sponsor, Adidas.
When the strokes were counted, these were our winning teams and the charities the artists chose to play for along with the dollar amount that was contributed in their name.
Steve Mendiola (Cripple Creek Band) – $5,000 – St. Jude Lydia Dall – $5,000 – Next for Autism Conner Smith – $4,000 – Show Hope Chris Roberts (The Lonely Fighters)- $2,000 – Valor Collegiate Academy Adam Wakefield (Texas Hill)- $2,000 – National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Kaylin Roberson – $2,000 – Hope Nation Foundation
The balance of our Tuesday was filled with incredible music from our main stage starting with our pre-show featuring Northern California act The Cripple Creek Band and new Americana duo The Lonely Fighters.
And before our main concert began, artist Jason Michael Carroll invited his four PGA Hope playing partners up for a standing ovation recognition and a gracious recognition gift from PING Golf who gave each of our veteran heroes a red, white & blue PGA Hope bag and a promise to fill it with a full set of custom clubs. Not a dry eye in the house was left from their response.
And lastly, but certainly, not least was the music. Jordan Fletcher, Conner Smith, Texas Hill, Jason Michael Carroll, Jackson Dean, Love & Theft, Restless Road and Ryan Hurd joined special last-minute guests Parmalee for three hours of musical celebration that lasted well into the evening.
The result? An incredible time had by all and a healthy addition to the more than 1.5 million dollars raised for charity with this event since its inception.
Angels for Hearts, one of our Morton Golf Foundation grant recipients, put together this fun video slideshow featuring songwriter/artist, and longtime Golf & Guitars alumni Chris Roberts.
The song was written by Chris and Ken Morton, Jr as a gift to the charity.
Angels for Hearts’ mission is to bring normalcy to pediatric heart patients ages newborn to 18, both in and out of the hospital. They remind heart kids that first and foremost they are kids before being heart patients.
Did you know that golf is recommended for heart kids as a safe sport by pediatric cardiologists?
Angels for Hearts have several programs that cater to the needs of heart kids and families.
I <3 Golf: an annual series of golf clinics, held at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.
Wishes, Wants, & Needs: Providing discretionary funds and responding to requests from Child Life Specialists at regional hospitals for anything pediatric heart patients and their families may wish, want or need while in the hospital.
Santa’s Wishes: Working with Child Life Specialists to deliver Christmas presents to pediatric heart patients.
Heart Families Rock: an annual “Heart Families Rock” dinner and dance party celebrating heart kids and their families.
Our most heartfelt thank you goes out to Chris Roberts and Ken Morton, Jr. for the beautiful song and to Angels for Hearts for sharing it with us.
The Sacramento Golf Council First Annual Player of the Year Awards were held on October 3, 2022.
The following are the Sacramento Player of the Year recipients:
*Men’s Player of the Year, Matthew Sutherland *Women’s Player of the Year, Sienna Lyford *Senior Men’s Player of the Year, Mark Morgan *Super-Senior Men’s Player of the Year, Jeff Burda
Each recipient was chosen from a Committee within the Sacramento Golf Council by their point system by this year’s accomplishments.
They were all recognized in front of their family and friends at the Creekside Landing at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. Their names were put on an inaugural plaque to be displayed at a City or Country golf course of their choosing.
Ken Morton, Sr told the history of the Sacramento Golf Council as it started in 1952 as everyone felt the growth and need as the Council continues.
Matthew Sutherland was quoted as saying, “I am honored to be the first name on the plaque as we kick off this prestigious award”.
We look forward to the growth of these awards in many years to come.
The Villara Capital Cup Fundraiser was held on October 7, 8 & 9, 2022.
For the 3rd year in a row Tom Morton, President of Morton Golf Foundation agreed to represent Morton Golf Foundation by playing & fundraising in the 8th Annual Villara Capital Cup fundraiser.
This event had a total of 32 business leaders playing in a Ryder Cup format with Tom Morton being the Captain for the Blue Team, River City Ramblers & Shannon Deary-Bell Captain of the Red Team, Sactown Stars over a three-day period.
The matches were played:
Friday, October 7th at Winchester CC Saturday, October 8th at Del Paso CC Sunday, October 9th at Granite Bay GC
The 2 teams had 16 golfers per team. Each golfer enters the event with a $2,500.00 entry fee as they choose their charity of choice & agree to raise money where 100% of all donations go directly back to the charities!
At the Sunday match, each player has the opportunity to bring a caddie. Tom Morton asked his 10 year old son, Ellis to step in and do the job. Ellis was qualified to handle this position after this year winning his age division in the First tee – Greater Sacramento “Little Linkers”.
This year, Morton Golf Foundation had the advantage to have 2 golfers playing for Morton Golf Foundation as they continue to spread the awareness of Morton Golf Foundation even further.
Tom Morton raised $65,856.33 and Kirk Kimmelshue raised $16,782.41 to round our total raised for this year’s event to $83,000.00!
Thanks to all of our donors who continue to support Morton Golf Foundation and the mission of giving back to our local youth, disabled and underserved as we continue to grow.
We are already in the planning stages for next year knowing this is an event not to miss!
Theresa Shaw, Senior at Bear River High School had the opportunity this past September to be one of the lucky chosen by the First Tee to play on TV at the PURE Insurance Championship golf tournament at Pebble Beach.
In a blind draw her Championship Golf Pro was Kevin Sutherland also from Sacramento.
On Thursday, September 22nd, 2022, they were together playing a practice round and Theresa got her first hole-in-one on Hole # 17 of Pebble Beach. Hole # 17 is 135 yards right into the wind and Theresa was using her 8 iron.
Kevin Sutherland, Theresa Shaw, and Kevin’s Caddie, Billy Lewis.
That day Theresa Shaw’s golf game was “on fire”. She shot a 70 for the round.
Are you, or someone that you know interested in rehabilitating using the game of golf? Golf Fore Health is the answer!
This program consists of a spring and fall program that provides the participants the opportunity to improve their golfing skills while on their journey of recovery. These sessions consist of coaching sessions on Mondays and 9-hole play on Wednesdays. Each of these sessions concludes with a “Hot Dog Scramble” where the participants can have family, friends, or caretakers play nine holes of golf with them.
Due to the requests of the participants, a July/August “Summer School” was added last year on alternating Mondays to allow the golfers to continue to hone their skills and maintain their friendship during the “dog days” of July and August.
This program has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past few years and includes participants aged 16 through the “young” 80’s. Such growth has been made possible through the dynamic coaches and volunteers that work with the participants.
Golf Fore Health is another example of how the Morton Golf Foundation uses golf as a tool for enriching people’s lives.
If you are interested in our Golf Fore Health Program, Click HERE
The Special Olympics Golf Reginal was held at Haggin Oaks on September 9, 2022. We were thrilled to host all of the athletes and families that participated.
Today was a very special day at Haggin Oaks. It’s been 3 years since the last Special Olympics Golf Regionals has held due to COVID-19.
The Special Olympics Athletes started to arrive, the volunteers were in place & the BBQ grills were cooking burgers.
36 Athletes had the opportunity to play 9-holes of golf & 100 more Athletes were transported to the back of the driving range to compete with their golf skills. No matter which way the Special Olympic Athletes competed everyone went home with a medal.
From the time everyone stepped onto the property of Haggin Oaks until the time that Alex Cooper, Director of Youth, Family & Adaptive Golf officially closed the Summer Games everyone was enjoying a healthy outdoor recreational golf experience.
We all can’t wait for next year’s Special Olympics Golf Regionals.
Nikki Chindavong is a junior golf development grant recipient for the past several years and it has been a joy to watch her development both on and off the course.
Nikki recently sent a thank you letter to the Morton Golf Foundation and we wanted to share it with everyone here. We were touched by the great art and her kind words:
Dear Morton Golf Foundation:
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for believing in me and supporting me from day one. They say, “never forget those who helped you along the way” and I will never forget what this foundation has done for me and the rest of junior golf. Currently, I am on track to play college golf. I am very excited for the future, but before that, I am so grateful for the journey that I have taken to get to this point in life. This foundation, the First Tee, my Coach Mr. Berg, and my family have been my core building blocks of who I am. I believe that golf is not just a game it’s a lifestyle. I have found that one of my passions in life is golf. Through such as perseverance, respect, integrity and confidence are crucial to life. Through the First Tee, I had the opportunity to play in the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach and the First Tee National Championship at Notre Dame University. These two experiences were not only fun and exciting, but they were truly life changing. At the PURE Insurance Championship, I found a new sense of confidence within myself. I re-learned that good things will come with patience and dedication. In Indiana, at the First Tee National Championship, I learned that we create our own personal wins. I came in 2nd place shooting a 3-day total of -4 (shooting 4 under on the final round) and felt that I played the best golf in my life. I lost the tournament by one stroke after making a bogey on the 16th hole. I walked away from that tournament realizing that as much as I wanted to win, it wasn’t my time yet. I knew that if I continued to work hard and stay persistent, good things would come my way … and it did. A week after this tournament, I was offered to play for the University of Nevada, Reno. Everything that you see on the front cover makes me who I am, and Morton Golf Foundation is a piece of my core. Again, thank you for being a part of my journey thus far. Playing college golf has always been a goal of mine. It’s one of my major steps in life, but it is not the end. It’s the beginning of a new adventure. Your endless support, guidance, and encouragement have been truly appreciated and will be forever remembered in my heart. Best Regards, Nikki Chindavong
We wish you all the luck as you head to play golf at University Nevada Reno!
Morton Golf Foundation, First Tee- Greater Sacramento joined County Club Optimist Club for the Annual Robla School Giveaway.
On Saturday, August 6th at 9:00 a.m. approximately 150 local school children from kindergarten through 6th Grade in the Robla School District joined in the fun for a back-to-school giveaway. What a wonderful way to get the students and families from the surrounding area of Robla School District off to a great start for the coming school year starting August 15th
There were several partners there to make sure the families had school class information. Many volunteers were handing out backpacks filled with school supplies, and healthy and nutritious bags of food and even the school Nurse was on hand to answer any questions.
The fun continued around the school yard as a BBQ lunch was being served along with games and snow cones to get the excitement up for the new school year.
Several of the students received a new pair of PUMA athletic shoes to wear all through the year.
Nothing is better than the safe feeling you have on that first day of School.
