Red Ribbons, Charitable Giving and Golf, at Lexus Champions for Charity

With the 2014 Lexus ES 300h on 16 at Spanish Bay Golf Links           ©GolfGirlMedia    

There it was, a massive red bow sitting atop a lustrous 2014 Lexus ES 300h on the sublime 16th hole.

Spanish Bay was bathed in autumnal afternoon sunlight, which cast a coppery glow on the landscape and painted the broad woven ribbons with striking scarlet highlights. The scene seemed as magical as those we see each year in the Lexus December to Remember commercials. 

That was a week ago... though it hardly seems seven days have passed... and I'd just spent several hours on the on The Links on Spanish Bay, playing a very casual and ultra-enjoyable round with Nancy Hubble, Prestige Communications Manager at Lexus, and hostess extraordinaire. Kristopher Zepeda and Jason Mills... two friendly, fun-loving Texans... filled out our foursome. 

As we made our way around the sloping dunes of the spectacular coastal course, we marveled at the beauty of the views and talked about the twenty-five-year-old event that brought us all here; Lexus Champions for Charity is an extraordinary philanthropic initiative that has helped raised over $250 million for a wide variety of worthy causes across the USA. Very basically, here's how it works: throughout the year, amateur golfers participate in local tournaments across the US. Lexus supports each tournament with a donation to the event's designated charity, plus an opportunity for each player to win a Lexus and represent their charity at the annual Champions for Charity finale ... which brings us back to sun-soaked Spanish Bay. 

Like Kris and Jason, every golfer I met during my five days at LexusC4C was delighted to be playing for their chosen charity, and despite the breathtaking beauty that surrounded us and the iconic courses we were playing on, those charities were front and center at all times. At breakfast at the Inn at Spanish Bay, on the shuttles to the courses and at the myriad activities planned throughout the event, everyone I met spoke proudly and often about the organization they were playing for; the chance to win for their local charity seemed to excite these far more than any individual recognition would. It was very inspiring. 

I'll be writing more about this awesome event in the days to come, covering the unique activities, the praiseworthy participants and the utterly spectacular venue, in a series of post between now and the end of the year. I look forward to reliving some awesome memories.