Columnist Joan Crosby was among the pink-clad putters at the 2009 Rally for the Cure at Superior National Golf Course.
My team tried. We really did. But we came in last.
No matter. The2009 Rally for the Cure Golf Tournament was a slam-dunk success.
Dressed in pink, and driving pink-adorned golf carts, my teammates and I joined 71 women at Superior National at Lutsen for the third annual Rally for the Cure Golf Tournament fund raiser on Sunday, July 19.
Pink is part of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s logo. This organization, begun by the sister of a breast cancer victim who died in 1982, battles breast cancer by raising money for research, education, screening and treatment and by doing so, combats all forms of this insidious disease.
Heath and Leah Ekstrom, Rally Ambassadors, planned the event. The staff and several volunteers added to the day’s fun by selling Mulligans and free “throws,” distributing lunch and beverages and assisting in games on the fairways.
Thesun shone as we began playing, and like a newly hatched swarm of pink dragonflies, we spread over the 18 holes of Mountain and Canyon.
Joan Crosby
Laughter, hoots and chuckles echoed through the fairways and greens but the day’s purpose was serious.
Even as I struggled to make those dang putts, I was reminded of cancer’s menacing presence and the people struggling with it. Memorial and encouragement signs placed around the green by loved ones or friends of cancer victims or survivors were a vivid reminder of our purpose.
No one who has experienced cancer in the family, no one who has watched a friend battle cancer, remains unscathed and though the tournament atmosphere was jovial, the cause was serious to every participant and the organizers.
All that aside, my teammates and I were waging our own personal battle with that small white object called a golf ball. Putting was a big problem; we could see that at the very beginning. But we persevered.
Lunch was delivered. I hoped food would upgrade our energy level and improve our game, what with the potato chips, turkey wrap and cookies.
No such luck. I along with my pink visor cap began to feel droopy, so I forced myself to think positively as we finished the first nine holes and moved on.
Peanuts—to supply a little extra energy. This should have done the trick.
It didn’t.
Hole, after hole, green after green—we battled something I can only label as “dysfunctional putting.” One team member did achieve several nice putts, but it wasn’t enough.
We rounded the bend for the last hole, managed a fairly good score and filled with optimism, returned to the clubhouse, only to discover we had placed last.
But the sun was shining as we sat on Superior National Golf Course’s patio for the closing awards; raffle prizes, laughter and camaraderie were abundant.
All in all, it was a good day and a good cause.
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