Announcing the 63rd Annual Pro Amateur Golf Championship and Dinner on the Bluff - June 25–26, 2023

Gather together (safely, of course!) or stay in and make the Pro Am’s signature cocktail, the Swing and a Spritz!

Spending the evening in with your family? Download the Pro Am’s paddle and showcase your or your kids’ artistic skills—this year’s paddle can be colored however you choose! Once your artist has created something just right, raise your paddle up high and post the art on Instagram using #60thProAm.

If you’ve invited a few close friends for a gathering at home, share a selfie of your party and post your photo on Instagram using #60thProAm.

And while you’re joining in all the fun, don’t forget to participate in this year’s Virtual Paddle Raise!

 

We did it! With your help, we surpassed our need goal of $250,000 and our reach goal of $350,000 and raised $414,018 for the children cared for at Lurie Children's. Thank you!

It’s your last chance to raise your paddle for Lurie Children’s! Make sure to give today.

Virtually join one of our beloved golfers teeing off with one of our favorite pros as they get ready to enjoy the course at the Onwentsia Club, and raise your paddle for Lurie Children’s!

Tune in to watch Mark Rolfing, former pro and current golf commentator, moderate a very special virtual roundtable with David Abeles, CEO, TaylorMade, Bob Ford, Head Professional, Seminole Golf Club, and JJ Weaver, Augusta National Co-Head Professional.

An exciting message from the Onwentsia Club’s Golf Pro, Nick Papadakes, about what to expect at this year’s Pro Am. As you anxiously await the golf course in September, make sure to raise your paddle!

Join Stuart Larkins as he demonstrates his mixology skills by making the 60th Pro Am’s Signature Drink, the Swing and a Spritz, and raise your paddle for Lurie Children’s!

The Lurie Children’s Pro Amateur Golf Championship Virtual Paddle Raise kicks off with a very important message!

Ingredients

2 oz. Cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 oz. Vodka (your favorite kind)
1/2 oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liquer (optional)
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
Club Soda
Ice
Mint and cucumber slices for garnish

Directions

Muddle cucumber and mint
Add the cucumber mix to shaker, along with the simple syrup, St. Germaine, lemon juice, and vodka, and then shake.
Add your favorite club soda and garnish.

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Identified as the number one issue facing kids and families in Chicago, this summer’s program will spotlight the mental health crisis facing youth and how Lurie Children’s is addressing the dramatic need for treatment access and improved quality and responsiveness in communities experiencing the greatest health disparities.

With widespread exposure to trauma like gun violence, food and housing insecurity and physical and mental abuse, children and youth living in underserved communities experience a disproportionate share of mental health issues. Lurie Children’s takes a public health approach to mental health care. Through the Magoon Institute, we help build support:

• In the Community: A new Clinic and Community Hub facility in Austin will bring physical and behavioral health services directly to youth.
• In Schools: We train teachers and administrators in Chicago. Public Schools to create trauma- informed environments to protect and promote youth mental health.
• Through Peer Connections: In partnership with Communities United, Lurie Children’s engages young people of color in conducting research, building alliances and leading strategies to resolve unaddressed trauma and to create healing- centered communities.

Groups who participate in the Best Ball format will compete for the coveted June Seaman Trophy, named in honor of June Seaman, the chair of the first event in 1961. Prizes are also awarded to the second-, third- and fourth-place finishing teams in Best Ball – Net category, and the top-finishing groups in the Scramble and Best Ball – Gross formats.

For more information, please contact Alison Tibbits at atibbits@luriechildrens.org.

The first Pro Am was held on Monday, July 31, 1961, at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Illinois. It raised $65,000 for the hospital’s “Free Care Fund,” designated for families who could not afford to pay for their children’s lifesaving treatments.

In its early years, the Pro Am attracted a number of golf legends, including Arnold Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriquez, Jack Nicklaus, Homero Blancas, Gene Sarazen, Julius Boros and Lee Trevino, in addition to entertainer Bob Hope. Today, golf professionals from top-rated, prestigious country clubs across the country are invited to play with the amateurs.

Corporate support has allowed the Pro Am to achieve record-breaking success for the hospital. Today, the event raises nearly $2 million annually.

To celebrate the Pro Am’s sponsors, golfers, and donors, the annual Dinner on the Bluff, which serves as the official tee-off event for the Pro Amateur Golf Championship. This elegant dinner is held at Shoreacres, the perfect setting to celebrate the Pro Am’s decades of friendship and philanthropy and to honor the important life-saving work taking place at Lurie Children’s.

The Pro Am is the most successful annual fundraising event of the Founders’ Board, as well as in the hospital’s history. Cumulative proceeds total more than $32 million, which has enabled Lurie Children’s to enhance patient care and to recruit renowned leaders in pediatric medicine and science.