It feels like another millenium ago.
Before we saw Cam Smith’s Ripper GC take out the very first LIV Golf League team playoff over two heart stopping holes. Before Brendan Steele lifted the individual LIV Golf trophy above his head. Before more than 94,000 energised fans swarmed The Grange’s fairways for another hugely successful LIV Golf Adelaide. Before we saw extensive infrastructure built and bumped-out.
Before all of that, we hosted another hugely important and successful event at the club – the 2024 IWS Grange Foundation Day on Friday, 8th March. With the LIV Golf build underway, it was a great opportunity to give participants, most of whom have been long term supporters of the club, the chance to experience the LIV course in most of its glory.
In partnership with Integrated Waste Services (IWS), and alongside passionate junior advocate, the late Tony Mazzone, The Grange Junior Development Committee established this event to help provide financial support for our promising junior members with opportunities they would not normally be able to experience.
Over the years, many tens of thousands of dollars have been raised annually, with our juniors having been beneficiaries of those funds, including through:
- the opportunity to compete at the highest level in state and national golf events;
- having access to high performance coaching and other athlete services such as gym and fitness programs;
- the establishment of the annual Australian Golf Foundation (AGF) junior girls scholarship program; and
- free school holiday coaching clinics, weekly Saturday junior clinics, fortnightly Sunday junior clinics and the recently established Grange Geckos MyGolf after school clinics;
A field of 112 players participated in this years’ event, with teams represented by Major sponsor, IWS (Joe Borrelli), Diamond sponsor, Collins Transport (Craig Collins), Platinum sponsors, Mazzone Constructions (Pat Mazzone) and Balco Australia (Hunter Hu) and a field of other sponsors including Totino Estate Wines, Schweppes, Peter Kittle Toyota, Waterpro, Greenway Turf Solutions, Ray White Grange, Bitu-mill, Brazzale Group, Bayside Insurance, Cavpower, Brentnalls, the Giglio family, Absolute Lighting Solutions, Toro Australia, Dai Phat Supermarket, Commercial Road Dental and Performance54.
On course, it was all fun and games for players with a temporary “Watering Hole” set up on the 15th East with our resident DJ, Greg Linke, playing tunes across the day, including specially selected walk-up music for some players. On the 17th East tee, the Gelatissimo Gelato cart offered a range of ice-cold flavours to cool participants down in the perfect March weather, whilst the Simply Flammekueche pizzas were a hot hit on the 11th East tee. Peter Kittle Toyota offered up a $20,000 deposit towards a new or used car for a hole-in-one on the par 3 12th East – sadly for participants, it didn’t go off.
A few of our junior stars – Elyse Kozlovic, Steph Keylock, Hudson Brown and Hunter Whetstone – jumped at the chance for a day off school to help out on the day, playing a hole each with groups as they moved around the golf course – a well-received initiative giving participants the opportunity to see first-hand how, and who, their financial support is benefiting. All four juniors were subsequently interviewed by our MC, Chris Dittmar, during lunch.
Speaking of lunch, our Head Chef, David Clay, and his expert culinary team, put together a delicious menu which included pre-lunch canapés, followed by a main course of 12-hour slow cooked lamb. Shared dessert platters were kindly donated by Unique Bakery and topped off what was another enjoyable Foundation Day lunch.
Wines were generously donated by Don Totino and his team from Totino Estate Wines, with Schweppes and CUB donating beer and soft drinks for consumption across the day.
The affable Dittmar, who graciously gave his time to MC the lunch, kept the crowds entertained, interviewing our star juniors, in addition to chats with the key event supporters – Joe Borrelli and Pat Mazzone.
Later, Warren Mercer joined Joe and Pat to announce the winner of the Tony Mazzone Trophy, established in 2018 and generously donated by the Borrelli family, to reward the best and fairest junior member who has excelled in their performance on and off the golf course over the course of the past 12 months. After a heartfelt tribute to the late, great Tony Mazzone, Warren announced that Elyse Kozlovic was the successful recipient for 2023/24, following her impressive results throughout the year, culminating with taking out the 2024 Women’s Club Championship at the age of 13.
Lunch finished with the Foundation Day auction and some highly sought after lots on offer. At short notice, David Lang took on auctioneering duties and delivered a highly entertaining auction, with nearly $30,000 raised from the 15 auction items. Thank you to Gary Simpson, Ben Layton, EOS by SkyCity, Adelaide United, Totino Estate Wines, Elderton Wines, Performance54, Warren Mercer, Sofitel Hotels & Resorts, Southern Cross Austereo and the Royal Adelaide, Kooyonga and Glenelg golf clubs for their kind donations.
All-in-all, the 2024 IWS Grange Foundation Day was another huge success. In total, more than $40,000 was raised with those funds to go towards supporting The Grange’s junior development programs over the coming 12 months and beyond.
An initiative, instigated by the late Tony Mazzone – a passionate club member and former club champion, who served many years as a pennant manager and on various junior development and high performance sub committees – continues to be strongly supported by those close to Tony, and who have a similar passion for The Grange Golf Club and junior development.
We thank everyone involved for their support of this event and we look forward to providing our juniors with more opportunities to help further develop their golfing skills and experiences as a result of your kind generosity.
