SIU Golf: Dream Come True
In life, there are two kinds of dreams.
One is a dream that is always going to be just that, a dream. A vision that you are never really going to hold in your hands.
Then there's that that thing that seems to be more than a dream.
it's almost like a map, a map that you live by, that you trade your days for, knowing that some day you are going to stand on that mountain holding everything you saw in your head right there in your hands.
For SIU men's head golf coach Justin Fetcho, the vision he had for an inaugural golf scramble to help support his program was a dream come true.
The event over the weekend was everything Fetcho hoped it would be and more as it brought in much needed money for the Saluki Men's Golf Program.
The two-day event started with a meet and greet at Pinch Penny Pub in Carbondale last Thursday and ended with the golf scramble at Crab Orchard Golf Club Friday.
Close to 100 participants showed up for the live and silent auction at Pinch Penny, while 126 golfers (21 teams) teed it up at Crab Orchard.
Fetcho was six golfers short of his goal of 22 teams, but that was about the only thing that didn't go right for the Eldorado native, who just finished up his first year at SIU.
"The Thursday night event at Pinch Penny was really key for this whole deal," Fetcho said. "To me, that was the most surprising part of it all. We had so many people come out and show support for the program by taking part in the live auction for players to be paired with teams for Friday and then the silent auction, where we raffled off opportunities to play at Belle Rive Country Club, Victoria National and a PGA signed flag by Dustin Johnson.
"When we started this, I knew that was something I wanted to incorporate, but I also knew it would take a while for it to build up. I really didn't know if 20 people would show up, but to know we had about 100 people walk through the door and for me to look out and see that, it was really something special."
The golf scramble was just as successful as it was broke up into two flights, a Championship flight and an A flight, where a score of -20 under took home first place.
Mt. Vernon native Brandon Bullard, who played golf for the Salukis from 1999-2001, was one of the former players auctioned off and as an alumni was looking to give back to a program that gave so much to him.
"When I was at school in the early 2000's we didn't have anything," Bullard said. "We had to beg, borrow and steal, but Justin as done a great job getting ahead of the curve, being proactive and building a base for community support and alumni."
Bullard gave Fetcho a golf cap and a tip of the hat for his efforts in spearheading a grass roots effort that may have taken off quicker than anyone could have imagined.
"To me, this is exactly what the program needed," Bullard said. "The great thing about Thursday night were the people that were there and were supportive were there just because they were asked. You really have to give Justin credit for rallying the troops and building a foundation and base.
"Those that were involved came out in droves," Bullard added. "And it all started from a couple of flyers and emails. Imagine what an event like this will be like in 10, 15 or 20 years. The things he is doing are what big time college programs do and he's working with a mid-major right now. I'm not certain he got the credit he deserved."
Fetcho wasn't alone in his efforts. He had a strong supporting cast, better known as his committee that helped him implement and spread the word about the inaugural golf scramble.
Crab Orchard's Steve Heckel, Sarah Haas and Joe Karmos, as well as former players like, John Phelps, Gene Carello and Jake Erickson, along with Kevin Klaine, Jeff Speith and Jimmy Karayiannis were all integral parts to the launch of the event.
"I knew I wasn't going to be able to do it all on my own and if we wanted to have the success we wanted to have hind this, I was going to have to get some people to help me out," Fetcho said. "They all did a phenomenal job in securing teams, hole sponsors, coming up with ideas or getting auction items to use. Each one of them played an important part and hopefully we can get this same committee back for the future."
The future is what Fetcho is looking towards now.
The SIU men's golf fall season starts September 13 in Normal and will conclude in Kennesaw, Georgia on October 20.
The golf scramble was just a part of the process that Fetcho knows was about building support for his program and is looking forward to making things bigger and better.
"At the end of the day, this wasn't about me - at all. It was about my current players and even about my former players. The idea was to get something going to support SIU men's golf and keep (the community) involved throughout the season. With this event, we wanted to reach out to other people, parents, people that I knew and people that hadn't been involved with SIU prior and make them feel welcomed and that they could be a part of what we were doing."
That's the dream come true for Fetcho.
Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Harrisburg Daily Register. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.