I was on the 16th hole of the Witch Hollow course at Pumpkin Ridge, over a decade ago.
I’d recently joined the club, and it was a beautiful early summer day. As we stood in the fairway, another member came up in a cart and said, “Mind if we play through real quick? Mr. Davis is playing 144 holes today to raise money for the Children’s Cancer Association.”
I had so many questions. But the answer was obviously yes, of course.
He waved him up from the tee box, where this golfer piped one down the center of the fairway. A couple minutes later, a very spry-looking man came up and said “thank you so much!” — and barely stopped to hit his ball before knocking it to about 15 feet and moving on.
Before the cart took off, the other member leaned over and said, almost as an aside: “Not bad for his 88th hole of the day.”
That man is Gay Davis.
Not only is Gay one of the best golfers I know, but he’s also one of the four people who built Pumpkin Ridge back in the early ’90s. He’s become a good friend over the years, and I’m always impressed — not just by his golf game, but by his generosity.
Over the last 16 years of working with the Children’s Cancer Association, Gay has helped raise over $5 million dollars for the organization. The Golf for Joy tournament he founded has grown from a one-man endurance event into a signature two-day tournament that draws golfers from across the country, with a second event now running in Austin, Texas as well.
“Nothing tugs at my heartstrings more than a child with cancer,” Gay has said. “It’s just not a fair fight.”
That pretty much sums it up.
Next week is the 16th annual Golf for Joy event at Pumpkin Ridge. I bought a foursome for the event, and I’m genuinely excited to finally see it in person after years of just being on the periphery of it.
But this year, Gay is doing something extra.
Along with hosting the tournament, he’s also continuing his tradition of walking for charity. And at 80 years old, he’s going to walk 80 holes in a single day.
I’m half his age. I’ve barely walked half that in one day.
He’ll be starting at 4:30 in the morning and playing his rounds across both Witch Hollow and Ghost Creek courses.
Now, I’ll be honest: I’ve done very little public charitable work with Breaking Eighty. But as the brand has grown, it’s something I’ve wanted to change. I’ve never directly asked for money or donations, but if there was ever a cause worth doing it for, this feels like it should be the one.
If you’d like to support the Children’s Cancer Association and Gay’s 80-at-80 walk, you can do so here:
Make a Donation to Golf for Joy
No pressure at all, and no amount is too small. But if this one resonates with you the way it does with me, it’d mean a lot if you’d consider a donation.
You can learn more about JoyRx and what they do here.
Cheers,
Sean
