Kevin Moore from Delaney’s Irish Pub in Spartanburg is joining forces with Adam Ashcraft from R.J. Rockers and Shelley Sullivan from Budweiser of Spartanburg to sponsor the County Amateur and support First Tee of the Upstate. Spartanburg

From the time of old Tom Morris to almost any day of the week today, golfers have always known an important element of their favorite game.

A golf course can be a great place to do business.

In between shots and stories a proposal that might not get a hearing around a conference table often can be put together and finalized in 18 holes on a course.

First Tee of the Upstate and the Spartanburg County Amateur Golf Championships will be the beneficiary of some business done recently on the golf course.

Delaney’s Irish Pub, R.J. Rockers and Budweiser of Spartanburg have gotten together to form a sponsorship group to present the 2020 Spartanburg County Amateurs and support First Tee of the Upstate.

“I have been trying to find a way to help the First Tee for the last few years, but I couldn’t pull everything together until this year,” said Kevin Moore, the owner of Delaney’s Irish Pub. “Some things have fallen into place and with help  from Budweiser and R.J. Rockers we are going to be able to help the First Tee and the tournaments,” he said.

First Tee of the Upstate operates and benefits from the County Amateurs in Spartanburg by receiving a portion of the proceeds from the tournaments.

The two-year sponsorship will be used for equipment, training and scholarships to help youngsters build character along with life skills through the game of golf. Each of the sponsors expects to support other First Tee events throughout the year.

Moore invited Budweiser of Spartanburg’s General Manager Kevin Meegan and Adam Ashcraft, the Chief Hospitality Office and Owner of R.J. Rockers for golf at Musgrove Mill.

“I started talking about getting involved with the tournaments as a way to benefit First Tee and both wanted to help,” he said.

Matt Carter won the 2019 Spartanburg County Amateur. Carter has turned pro and will not defend his title. (GolfClub Photo)

Moore is a believer in the work of First Tee of the Upstate. He has experienced the program as the parent of young golfer and as a volunteer coach.

“I saw first hand what First Tee meant to my daughter. As I learned about teaching the core values of the program as a coach, I realized how much more kids get than just golf from First Tee,” said Moore.

As an avid golfer and a long-time participant in the county tournament Moore also saw the benefit to his business by supporting the tournaments.

“I get a lot of golfers who come to Delaney’s and a lot of them play in the tournaments, so it works for me from a business stand point. I’ve also enlisted some of them to help volunteer to run the tournament,” he added.

The same reasoning went into the decision by Budweiser of Spartanburg to get involved as a co-sponsor.

“Beer and golf just go together perfectly,” said Shelley Sullivan of Budweiser of Spartanburg. “From a marketing standpoint the two go together well and when you can add in supporting a very good community program it is a win-win for everyone,” she said.

The local Budweiser distributor has long been involved in supporting meaningful community programs, often beyond the obvious connection to its business. Sullivan sees the tournaments as a fun event for golfers and a way to help kids through First Tee programs.

“We like to get involved in events that help our community and supporting the County tournaments will get some much needed funding to the First Tee program to work with the kids,” she added.

Brian Kennedy won the 2019 Spartanburg County Senior Amateur championship. (GolfClub Photo)

All three sponsors view the opportunity to support the County Amateur tournaments as a way to build for the future of the community.

“Helping kids learn how to interact socially and develop the values and especially the respect that First Tee instills in kids is something that will pay off in the future for our community,” said Ashcraft. “Those lessons will make our community even better,” he added.

This year the Men’s Am will be played at The Carolina Country Club starting on July 17th and the Senior Am is scheduled to begin on July 31st at Three Pines Country Club. Dates are being finalized for the County Women’s Amateur and will be announced soon.

“This has been a difficult time for the hospitality industry and we can’t thank these three business’s enough for supporting the tournament and First Tee of the Upstate,” said Michael Pius, the Executive Director of The First Tee of the Upstate. “The support we are receiving will help us run programs all through the year,” he said.

While The First Tee of the Upstate operates in Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson and Cherokee counties the proceeds will primarily support the programs at Woodfin Ridge and Willow Creek.

First Tee of the Upstate Executive Director M Michael Pius presents Roger Page with his championship trophy for his win i the 2019 Spartanburg County Amateur Super-Senior event. (GolfClub Photo)

“This sponsorship will also help us with our newest program at The Country Club of Spartanburg. We are looking forward to having a location in the city and expect it to start up this fall,” said Pius.

Last year Matt Carter won the Men’s Amateur, Brian Kennedy won the Men’s Senior title and Roger Page claimed the Super-Senior crown.

Tournament information and registration for all county events can be found at https://www.firstteeupstate.org/events/2020spartanburgam/