Sunshine Through Golf Camps help developmentally disabled This article appeared in the November...
No job too small - or big - for CDGA "super" volunteer
This article appeared in the November 2024 edition of Chicago District Golfer.
To read more Chicago District Golfer stories, head to our article archive.
Glenview resident Anne Gardner is an ardent supporter of the CDGA, CDGA Foundation and CDGA Sunshine Programs. Her passion for golf and the CDGA came from her father, Don, a former CDGA board member who was bestowed the Distinguished Service Award in 2014.
For more than 20 years, Anne Gardner has been the quintessential volunteer during Chicago-area golf tournaments. She has punched scores into once cutting-edge and now-outdated technology; she has hopped in carts to drive people to their assigned holes; she has distributed bibs to caddies, and she has held flags by a green to alert players of the status of their shots during a game of low-stakes betting.
“I’ve really enjoyed all of it,” said Gardner, who lives in Glenview. “I’ve gotten to know the people running these events, and I really like working with the Blue Coats and the staff – it’s such a nice group of people who are so sweet.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Gardner had never even played the game when she volunteered as a scorer during the LaSalle Bank Open at The Glen Club in 2002. The impetus for her undertaking? Her father, Don Gardner.
A Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) director for almost 30 years, Gardner served as a rules official for tournaments and was a big supporter of the CDGA Foundation. In 2014, he was honored with the CDGA Distinguished Service Award.
“I thought it would be interesting to get involved in golf when he was doing all these tournaments,” Gardner explained.
At her inaugural one, she worked in the basement of The Glen Club with David Haverick, today a CDGA Past President, who helped her with the scoring and tracking statistics for the players.
“David would train me what to put in if the ball was in the rough or if the player had two putts,” Gardner said.
Haverick was happy to have Gardner as a right-hand woman until the LaSalle Bank Open changed hands in 2008.
“Anne was always eager to help and was attentive to details,” he said. “It always amazes me that so many people like Anne will devote their time and effort, pay for their uniforms and endure long hours for these events. The tournament could not be successfully executed without these dedicated individuals.”
Eventually, Gardner pivoted to hospitality at the BMW Championship and the Encompass Championship. At the International Crown on the LPGA Tour, she was tapped to be hospitality chair.
“The first year it was kind of special because I had a pass to the cocktail party as the chair,” she said. “I decided I liked that type of volunteering.”
Busy today with 6-8 events a year, her range of work has increased in recent years. At the Chicago Golf Show, she volunteers during the longest putt event, an 85-foot attempt; the rare person who’s successful is accompanied by Gardner to a booth to receive various prizes. This summer, she volunteered at the inaugural Chicago Adaptive Open – which was conducted by the CDGA and featured the world’s best golfers with physical and intellectual disabilities ranging from cerebral palsy to muscular dystrophy – for three days at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club.
“I helped with registration. It’s fun for me to check people in,” said the loquacious volunteer, who also dedicated time in October at an event for visually impaired veterans.
For many years, she wanted to play golf with her father (“I always wanted to try to hit the little white ball”). But he insisted that before they tee it up, she needed to take a lesson.
Finally, around 2012, she did. She also played a few times afterward. Gardner asked her father to play, and the octogenarian agreed. During a fundraiser, they took part in what was promoted as 100 holes of golf. The duo played threeballs each per hole and completed the nine-hole track three times. “We were the last ones to finish,” Gardner said. “I only did it to prove that I could do it. My shots were going all over the place. But it was special.”
Alas, it was the only time she ever played with her father, who died in 2015. But thanks to his love of the game, Gardner is still in the swing (“It’s more of a social thing for me than trying to become part of the LPGA”) and has become a mainstay at every type of golf tournament, where her passion to volunteer is unquenchable. Said she, “It comes down to whatever they need help with at an event, I’ll do.”
David A. F. Sweet, author of “Three Seconds in Munich” and “Lamar Hunt,” is the club historian at Onwentsia Club.
CDGA Foundation Events
The CDGA Foundation hosts numerous fundraising events throughout the year. As evidenced by Anne Gardner (see adjacent feature story), these events are a great way to support the Sunshine Programs spotlighted throughout this issue:
CDGA Longest Putt at Chicago Golf Show®
• 2024: Feb. 23-25 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center – $11,500 raised
• 2025: Feb. 28-March 2 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Better Through Birdies Par-3 Challenge (pictured above)
• 2024: Saturday May 18 at Zigfield Troy Golf – $114,000 raised
• 2025: Saturday, May 10 at Zigfield Troy Golf
CDGA Foundation Online Auction
• 2024: June 10-16 – $86,000 raised
• 2025: June 9-15
CDGA Foundation Fore Our Veterans Outing
• 2024: July 22 at Ivanhoe Club – $115,000 raised
• 2025: July 14 at Oak Park Country Club
On The Tee For Autism Golf Outing
• 2024: Aug. 26 at Chicago Highlands Club – $105,000 raised
• 2025: Aug. 25 at Chicago Highlands Club
