The Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, welcomed John Deere & Co. to its Platinum Tee Club, recognizing its donation from the 2006 John Deere World Championship.
A portion of John Deere's donation of $15,000 from its World Championship was applied to complete its pledge to the "Investing in the Beauty of Golf" endowment campaign. The remaining portion of the donation makes John Deere a Platinum Tee Club member. The Platinum Tee Club is the giving club for organizations that contribute a minimum of $5,000 annually to The Institute. John Deere also is recognized at the Champion’s Club level through The Institute’s cumulative giving program of organizations that have contributed between $250,000 and $499,999 since 1987.
"John Deere is committed to this industry and we believe in investing in the future of golf,” said Gregg Breningmeyer, director of sales and marketing, John Deere Golf & Turf One Source™. “That’s why we are pleased to make this additional contribution to The Environmental Institute for Golf. We look forward to the research and educational advancements The Institute is planning.”
The 20th annual John Deere World Championship was held Nov. 9-12, 2006, at Reynolds Plantation in Oconee, Ga. Utica Farm Equipment of Port Perry, Ontario, Canada, featuring GCSAA Class A member Thom Charters, golf course superintendent at Bayview Country Club in Thornhill, Ontario, won the 36-hole event played on the Oconee Course and the National Course. Each foursome competing in the tournament represented members of a typical golf course management team - superintendent, owner, manager, pro, etc. - brought together to demonstrate a different set of skills on the golf course. A total of 44 teams from eight different countries participated in 2006, narrowed from a field of more than 1,000 teams that competed at the local and regional levels to qualify for the Championship.
