Florida Charity Golf: Where the Game Gives Back

Golf as a funding engine

Florida has more golf courses than any state in the country and one of the highest concentrations of wealth associated with the game. The result is a charitable golf infrastructure that funds hospitals, youth programs, and medical research at a scale most states cannot approach.

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children — Orlando

The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill is the primary annual fundraiser for the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, both in Orlando. Palmer opened the children's hospital in 1989 and the women's hospital in 2006, naming the latter for his late wife.

The tournament has raised tens of millions of dollars for these institutions since its founding. Palmer's personal involvement in Central Florida philanthropy — long past the point where he needed to be involved — is a substantial part of why the API carries the emotional weight it does.

Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation — Palm Beach County

Jack and Barbara Nicklaus founded the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation in 2004, based in North Palm Beach. The foundation supports pediatric healthcare across South Florida, with Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami as its flagship affiliation.

Golf events across Palm Beach County — including tournaments at PGA National and various private club fundraisers — feed this foundation. The Nicklaus family's presence in the Palm Beach golf community makes this one of the most consistently supported causes in Florida golf.

The Players Championship — PGA Tour charitable giving

The Players Championship generates significant charitable distribution across Northeast Florida. Beneficiaries include organizations in Jacksonville, St. Johns County, and Duval County, with a particular focus on youth development, education, and health services.

The PGA Tour's headquarters is in Ponte Vedra Beach, and the Tour's overall charitable model — where tournament net proceeds flow to local nonprofits — makes The Players one of the largest single charitable events in Northeast Florida each year.

First Tee chapters across Florida

First Tee — the youth development program that uses golf to teach life skills — has chapters throughout Florida, including:

• First Tee Central Florida (Orlando)
• First Tee North Florida (Jacksonville)
• First Tee Tampa Bay
• First Tee Miami
• First Tee Palm Beaches

These chapters run year-round programming and are consistent beneficiaries of local club charity tournaments. For golfers looking to give back through the game locally, First Tee chapters are the most accessible entry point.

Club-level charity tournaments

Beyond the PGA Tour events, Florida's private club culture generates a dense calendar of member-guest charity tournaments. Palm Beach County, Naples, and the Orlando corridor host hundreds of these annually, benefiting causes from cancer research to veterans' services to local food banks.

These events are typically member-organized and not publicly open, but many clubs welcome outside sponsorship and corporate participation. If you're looking to support a specific cause through golf in Florida, contacting the club directly is usually more productive than searching for a public listing.

Folds of Honor and veteran programs

Folds of Honor — which provides educational scholarships to families of fallen and disabled service members — has a substantial Florida presence, with golf tournaments at courses across the state. Given Florida's large veteran population and multiple military installations, veteran-focused golf philanthropy is unusually well-developed here.

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), the PGA of America's veteran rehabilitation program, runs chapters at facilities throughout Florida including PGA National.

How to get involved

• Play in a charity scramble. Most Florida charity tournaments are scramble format and welcome all skill levels. Local First Tee chapters and hospital foundations publish schedules.
• Sponsor a hole. For businesses, hole sponsorship at a charity event is the lowest-friction way to participate.
• Attend a Tour event. A portion of every ticket sold at The Players, the API, the Valspar, and the Cognizant Classic flows to local charitable beneficiaries.
• Volunteer. PGA Tour events in Florida recruit thousands of volunteers annually. Volunteers typically receive a credential, apparel, and course access.