MARBLEHEAD — Tuesday at Tedesco Country Club, 120 women teed off for a cause that was as meaningful as it was fun.
The club hosted its annual Swing Fore Pink golf outing: a women-led, women-only event that raised more than $100,000 for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Since its 2012 inception, the outing has grown into one of the premier women-only tournaments benefiting Dana-Farber in New England, surpassing $600,000 in total funds raised.
For organizer Kacy Jauron, the event hits close to home.
“I’ve been on the committee for a number of years and I think, with cancer, you always know someone who has it, and this past year, two of my best friends had just gone through breast cancer diagnoses and I just lost my dad (Dick) in February from melanoma,” she said. “It just made it that much more special to take part in this.”
Tuesday featured a full field of golfers, with touches of pink everywhere — from pin flags to matching outfits worn by Tedesco staff.
While men don’t play, the club’s professionals supported the cause in their own way, including taking drives on the 10th hole for $10 per attempt. That alone raised $1,120.
“It’s a lot of fun for us. It’s a lot of work, but we love being out here and it’s all for a great cause,” said Head Golf Professional Ryan Train. “We love supporting them in any way we can. It’s a terrible disease that affects everyone, unfortunately. I don’t think anyone has come across someone in their life that hasn’t dealt with cancer. It’s something that is near and dear to everybody’s heart and we’re happy as a club to help support them and raise money for Dana-Farber.”
Train noted how the event has transformed over the years.
“It’s progressed a lot in the last 10-12 years, since its inception. They started raising anywhere from $3,000-4,000 a year to now, where we’re getting over $100,000-125,000 a year. It’s excellent to see the camaraderie, the support, and the turnout that the ladies have for each other. We were told last year that this is the largest women-only golf tournament for Dana-Farber in New England.”
Committee member Mary Abramson has seen that growth firsthand. She recalled how the outing started modestly before taking off into the six-figure fundraising event it is today.
“Back in 2012, the 9-Holers ran a small event where everyone chipped in $5 and then we’d send the money in afterwards. Things progressed over time and then they handed it over to the 18-Holers, who then started to run this event,” she said. “It became a bigger event and then they came to me. I was always on the committee helping, and they said they wanted to make it bigger and raise a lot of money. My husband (Joel) and I came up with doing hole sponsor signs. That was the beginning of a small event coming to raise over $100,000 a year.”
For Abramson, the heart of the event is its women-led spirit.
“It’s very special to us that it’s an all women-led event. The guys do help and they’re all out there helping the event. They don’t play though. They’ll also be around when we’re having lunch, but it’s really special that this is organized and led by women,” she said. “It’s a very special thing to me, but it’s also a special thing for all the players who come back every single year. They love it so much that they come back to play in it.”
Jauron agreed, noting how the sense of community and purpose keeps the event thriving.
“I think a really cool thing about this, specifically, is that it’s organized by and played by women,” she said. “It’s amazing to see how the staff at Tedesco jumps in and does this type of thing. They do the pro drives, they wear their pink with matching outfits, there are pink flags for the pin – it’s really nice to see.”
Even after more than a decade, the passion and dedication hasn’t waned. In fact, it only seems to grow stronger each year.
“It’s amazing,” Jauron said. “I think, every year, the membership really steps up. It’s fun because we’re having more people that are being touched by cancer in different ways who are willing and want to be involved and participate.”
Abramson added it wouldn’t be possible without the help of Tedesco’s staff members.
“We couldn’t do this without Tedesco getting behind us. Everyone – from the board of directors, the pro shop, the superintendents, food and staff, they’re all in and behind us.”
