Country Music and Golf Join Forces to Help Provide Joy to Children

Most golf fans hear about larger endowments such as PGA Tour Charities and First Tee programs but there are also smaller philanthropic concerns which may never get the same scope of visibility - in this case a local Myrtle Beach foundation called the Pardue Children in Need Fund.

During the week in which I played in the Mystical Golf Tournament in Myrtle Beach, I had the opportunity to speak on several occasions with Claude Pardue, CEO of DG Golf Management and very passionate spokesperson for a charity which "Provides Joy to Children with No Joy in Their Lives."

The game of golf gives back in many ways through charities; in the case of the Pardue Fund, Claude (in association with The Waccamaw Community Foundation) raises money through his pro-shops and has a golf tournament the Saturday before Christmas - this year on December 21 (chances are that the weather in Myrtle Beach will be great). Man O War and the Wizard golf courses close for the event and every dime that is taken in goes directly to the kids.

Which kids are going to be helped?

Children that suffer from emotional and behavioral issues such as depression, anger issues, suicidal tendencies and manic issues among others, mostly caused by abuse and neglect. "The state provides for the vast majority of their care such as housing, food, school, treatment, meds but nothing else," says Pardue.

These kids for the most part are assigned by the court system to homes such as the Lighthouse care facilities and the Seacoast Academies. "Problem is," Claude continued, "that with what they have been through, they feel as though they were placed in prison."

Every year, the Foundation has a Christmas party with tennis shoes and clothes given as gifts to the kids. Pardue's team has also started athletic teams at the Macon and Augusta, Georgia facilities and his staff gives golf lessons once a week to boys and girls in SC during the summer. Claude says there are eleven total facilities in South Carolina and Georgia. "Every year, I am very sad that we are only providing for four of them."

One of the most fun things on the agenda is the annual show at the Alabama Theater. This year, superstar Grammy-award-winning country music group Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers have agreed to perform - Monday night January 27, 2014.

How can you help these kids in need? You can buy tickets to the Gatlin show, contact MysticalGolf.com directly or you can email me and I will be happy to forward your notes directly to Claude Pardue.

"By law and because it is right," Pardue said, "we cannot publicize anything that goes on in these facilities.  This is to protect the kids because of the sensitive nature of what they are going through.  Because of this, we do not have a brochure of any kind.  We rely on word of mouth and really good people that have gotten involved with us in our cause." 


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Is there a Secret to Getting Invited to The Masters?

Guest Golf Blog Written by Mary Roberts. See below for bio.

I swear I can spot a Masters Green Caddy hat miles away, and every time I do, I immediately envy that person and want to run up to them and ask, “How did you go to the Masters and not me?!” 

Being invited to The Masters is something I cannot wait to cross off my bucket list!  Year after year, my husband and I have entered the lottery (through random selection process) to get tickets and, every year, we promise each other that we will be just as happy if we only get invited to the practice rounds… unfortunately, every year we come up empty handed and broken hearted.

Just a note - 2014 Masters Tickets are already sold out - according to Masters.com, "the ticket application process for the 2014 Masters Tournament has concluded. All tickets were sold in advance by random selection and no additional tickets are available." - Bah, humbug!

Playing golf is our Sunday ritual: it’s our time together to enjoy the weather, each other and a good round of golf.  One Sunday I finally got the nerve to run up to that lucky person I spotted on the golf course, this time sporting a Masters golf polo, and asked him just how did he do it...what was his secret to getting invited to the Masters?!

He chuckled and said, “I don’t know either, but if I find out I’ll let you know.”

As I stood confused, I looked around and noticed he also had a Masters golf bag, Masters putter cover and a Masters golf towel sitting beside him in the golf cart. He was totally decked out.

He noticed me checking out all of his Masters gear and said, “Oh! I guess I do know a secret that may help you!”  He told me about a website where you can buy Masters Merchandise, called MMO Golf, so I made a mental note and continued my game.

Once I got home, I ran to the computer and found the site. Sure enough they had everything I ever wanted and more from The Masters, from pin flags and memorabilia to golf clothing for both men and women.

I dug around the site for a while, loaded up my shopping cart with Masters ball markers, a Masters golf polo for me, a wind shirt for my husband and a couple of caddy hats for friends and family.  A couple of items that I really wanted, like the Ladies Pink Caddy hat and the Masters Golf bag were not available so I called the number listed on their site to find out a little about the company and how I could get these items.

The customer service lady on the phone explained to me how the website is a shopping service and goes to the tournament every year in Augusta, Georgia, selling the items online to people like me who cannot attend the tournament. They use their tickets to go in (watch the tournament, of course...who wouldn't?) and purchase Masters Merchandise straight from the Augusta National Pro Shop.

MMO Golf Inc. doesn't manufacture any merchandise and only buys directly from the Pro Shop and then makes items available to the public on their website. Pre-orders are taken in February; the site then acts as a personal shopper to get the Masters Merchandise requested.

I thanked her for providing this service for the “uninvited” golf enthusiast like myself and told her I would be calling back in February to surprise my husband with a Masters Golf Bag for his birthday.

You bet every year I will continue to enter the lottery for an invitation to The Masters, but at least in the meantime, I can wear my Masters Caddy hat proudly and have others envy me!


Mary Roberts is a busy mom of 4 boys.  When she isn’t driving her boys to sports practices, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, or doing the bookkeeping for her husband’s business, she enjoys photography, kayaking and playing golf with her husband.  Mary's passion is creative writing, but knows she will never have time to really sit and brainstorm until her boys go off to college. Roberts majored in Mass Communications at the University of South Florida. 

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