MINNEAPOLIS, MN | JUNE 2020

Father Writes in Appreciation of the Prep Tour

I want to thank you, Tim, Dick, Mike, Jack and others I have not met yet. It started quickly last fall with the Tim Herron Prep Tour for high school golfers to fill a GREAT need for fall for Minnesota players wanting to play college golf. I was amazed at how well it was set up and run at such short notice. My son, Jack, both greatly appreciated it and was benefited by it. He now has a D1 golf scholarship where he can pursue his golf dreams and engineering degree. I believe your tour was impactful in this result! Minnesota kids are in a tough place compared to Southern kids as those without means can’t travel to all the AJGA and other events showcasing players in the South events and you guys provided a competitive environment for them to improve and display their abilities. Even more meaningful to our family was/is the LumpCo series this Spring/Summer. It has been a tough year for all of us, especially our youth. They have missed so many things that those before them took for granted. Jack was a Senior this year Mark Haugejorde and Jack Johnson looking towards high school competition on a great team. His goals were for State Championships. It wasn’t in the cards. He was extremely saddened. Who could blame him. It was a tough spell. Then he got the invite to the LumpCo Tour events and his demeanor changed. He had something to look forward to and work for again! The kids were able to get together with the friends they have met over the last few years. Thank You! These events were all excellent and quickly paced with sub 4 hour rounds. Great work by all! I also want to thank you for keeping these events affordable for us. I don’t know the details, but I imagine the costs of golf, staffing, website, travel, legal, etc far exceed what is asked of the families to pay. Not all golfers come from wealth and we are one of those and appreciate all that has been done for us. I don’t know who, but think you must have some very generous donors. I know Jack caddied for a fundraiser at Windsong. Anyway, whoever these people are please know that their money is well spent, appreciated and will not be forgotten. If you are ever short and need a hand at an event please let me and my wife know as we would certainly help. Also, if this continues I am sure Jack would love to pay it back as well. You have had a memorable and positive impact on my son. For that I am grateful — Erik Johnson.

LumpCo Pop-Up Tour: A Minnesota Exemplar Caddie U, Tim ‘Lumpy’ Herron offer blueprint for safe, successful junior events Article by National Golf Foundation • www.ngf.org | June 2020

At 6-foot-6 and about 280 pounds, were given limited prep time: 10 Mark Haugejorde chuckles at the use of minutes to putt, 10 minutes to hit the word “nimble” to describe his efforts balls as a warmup and then were called in making youth golf tournaments a to the tee 10 minutes before their successful reality amid the pandemic. tee time. Kids are ready to play, with “Nimble isn’t the word most people limited gathering and standing around. would use around me,” says Haugejorde. Pace of play has been exceptional; at “But in business it’s what we’ve done a recent event, the slowest threesome and what we’ve been.” finished 18 holes in three hours and Haugejorde is a former executive 32 minutes. The fastest played in three for the Nicklaus Companies who hours, 10 minutes. Scorekeeping is started Caddie U in 2018 to provide kept through a mobile app, which teen caddies, players and students with limits physical touch-points, keeps an disabilities with innovative programs updated leaderboard and makes it easy that advance their social, workforce and for parents to follow with no spectators competitive aspirations. During a time permitted on course. of confusion and uncertainty created The next venture for the group, by the coronavirus, Haugejorde and his Phase 2 if you will, is the Minnesota team have become exemplars for how Legends Match-Up Tour featuring youth golf tournaments can not only Herron along with fellow captains be run safely, responsibly and efficiently, and . It but perhaps provide a blueprint for how will feature 10-player teams of high some golf charity events might operate school and college players — the top in the future. 30 from the Pop-Up Tour — with “We realized there were a lot of threesomes competing at leading venues committee-driven associations watching throughout Minnesota. The participants what they could and couldn’t do, plus will raise money through pledges for a lot of people in government offices “Birdies for Food Banks.” In addition, who are well-meaning but looking for it will involve 12 teens from the Sanneh didn’t touch any equipment and adhered For Haugejorde, it’s added validation guidance too,” he said. “We asked what Foundation in St. Paul who will learn to social distancing requirements, they that the measures they’ve “nimbly” can we do to give back, have some fun how to caddie and incorporate financial helped to keep the event running adopted and implemented out of and do some good.” literacy practices through Caddie U’s smoothly by lending assistance to necessity are not only working, but Haugejorde has been instrumental business school. the participants, including using the can be a pathway for others to follow. in the success of the Minnesota-based Over the past several months, Caddie mobile app to regularly input scores as It helps that his organization is a little LumpCo Pop-Up Tour, named after U’s donors have gotten a first-hand look at well as shooting yardages, finding lost “lighter on its feet” than some other former PGA TOUR player Tim Herron, the organization’s learnings and how their balls, fixing divots, repairing ball marks, established groups, which has meant a a Minnesota resident who is also actively resources have been applied to plan that reading greens and using their own rake buy-in from various associations and involved in the effort. The events include wasn’t on the drawing board for 2020. to rake bunkers. PGA professionals, not to mention both high school and college boys and “We have a template now that works “They know exactly what to facilities that have implemented some girls, providing opportunities to players so well,” Haugejorde said. “To me, this is do,” Haugejorde said. “They were the practices. who had their school seasons cut short. absolutely transferable to the non-profit leaders and teaching those players, the “We were able to respond, it’s With more than a handful of tournaments golf outing.” adults, that this is the way we do it and working and we’re going to keep going,” now in the books, the results have been Kids who participated in the youth this is what we’ve learned through the said Haugejorde. “We have a reset that’s encouraging and invigorating. tournaments served as “group caddies” at LumpCo Pop-Up Tour.” been put in place.” Adjusting to safety restrictions in the organization’s annual fundraiser, the The result was a golf outing with effect due to the coronavirus, players LumpCo Invitational at Windsong Farm traditional foursomes that finished went out in threesomes and participants in Minneapolis on June 8. While they in an almost unheard of four hours. INAUGURAL EVENT of the MINNESOTA LEGENDS MATCH-UP TOUR

WITH HONORARY CAPTAINS Tom Lehman, Tim Herron and Rocco Mediate

North Oaks Golf Club June 29, 2020 Tee Times: 9:30 – 11:00am 10-Player Teams 18 Holes Match & Medal Individual & Team