The
natural time to hold the tournament was during International Water Week (the first full
week of May). This also worked well because the weather in North Carolina during that time
is generally excellent. The original location became obvious because of the on-going wastewater
reuse project, by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, at the Tradition Golf Course. So now
all we had to do was organize the event.
The first year went well with about 35 players and numerous sponsorships. It had all
the fun of a charity golf tournament. We sold lizards, mulligans and string and had
Johnson Beer (a local microbrew) donated. There was a hole in one contest on hole number 8
(sponsored by W.K. Dickson) with a Jeep Grand Cherokee up for grabs. To top it all off was
a great catered meal at the clubhouse. Of course the best part of all was that we raised
about $4000.
In 1999 we teamed up with North Carolina Outreach. N.C. Outreach does many of the
same types of things we do, except they do them in North Carolina. Of course we still had the
food, beverages and fun of past events but with more players.
In 2000 we accepted specific hole sponsorships for $250 each. A sign was provided at
the hole (tee or green). There were also opportunities for special sponsorships, if so
desired. A total of 23 sponsors aligned themselves with this worthy and fun event. At 9 AM
sharp, 71 players teed off on an absolutely gorgeous Carolina day. The temperature was in
the low 80’s with barely a hint of humidity. We had begun a
tradition of golfing to benefit the children of Bolivia and the needy of
North Carolina. That tradition has continued to grow.
The
natural time to hold the tournament was during International Water Week (the first full
week of May). This also worked well because the weather in North Carolina during that time
is generally excellent. The original location became obvious because of the on-going wastewater
reuse project, by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, at the Tradition Golf Course. 
The
first eight tournaments were held annually at the Tradition Golf Course
in Charlotte during International Water Week (the first full week of
May). However, a scheduling conflict with another tournament, and the
desire to offer a variety of golfing venues in the future, resulted in
our moving the event to April in Asheville in 2005. We've also
scheduled the tournament on a Friday, so golfers can stay and enjoy the
mountains over the weekend if they choose.
