By Jimmy Allinder
When Jeff Sluman plays a round of competitive golf, the 1988 PGA Championship winner and regular on the Champions Tour dons his invisible blinders to shut out the constant motion that surrounds him.
When you play professional golf for as long as Sluman has — some four decades — you learn to handle those kinds of interruptions — the ones that cause the younger breed on the regular PGA Tour to launch into fits.
Fans sometimes misinterpret the veteran’s seemingly stoic appearance as aloofness, but if you know the real Sluman, nothing could be further from the truth. He is caring, even-tempered and articulates with well-chosen words the values that are most important to him.
As an example, Sluman could very well be a walking billboard for the Champions Tour’s major element of its culture since 1992 — the year it was formed — and that’s appreciation for volunteerism and charitable giving.
This spirit of volunteerism was on full display during the Constellation Senior Players Championships June 9-12 at the panoramic Philadelphia Cricket Club. Sluman was asked to talk about the importance of volunteerism and the charitable giving that has become an extension of this major tournament, which is one of five on the senior circuit.
“Honestly, this tour doesn’t exist to the extent it does now without the dedication of these folks,” Sluman said as he waved a hand around the Cricket Club’s Wissahickon course.
He punctuates this statement with a rhetorical question.
“Imagine what it would cost if we had to pay for what they do?
“Volunteers generally come from the local communities where an event is staged,” Sluman said. “Many commit to six to eight events a year and are willing to travel a long way to perform their service.”
The contributions these volunteers make off the course are impactful and often include fundraising activities. At the Constellation Senior Players Tournament, for instance, a friendly competition took place among the over 800 volunteers who wore buttons on the lapels of their bright blue shirts they pointed to and asked fans to cast votes for them. The one with the most votes presents a $10,000 check to a local charity in the Delaware Valley. The funds were donated by Astellas Pharmaceuticals, and one of the more prominent charities is the ALS Association, Greater Philadelphia Chapter. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
“Hopefully, people will recognize that kind of thing is what this tour is about,” Sluman said about how charitable giving has been tied to the volunteers’ jobs. “It’s no secret we play for purses that are in the millions and, of course, that’s a great motivation for us. But in the history of the PGA, $2 billion ($2.14 billion to be exact) in charitable funds have been raised, and our tour has done its part.”
Last year, $160 million went to charitable organizations in communities where events were staged — an enormous figure considering the Champions Tour pales in comparison to the size and scope of the regular tour.
Volunteer Jeff Cline devotes his time to helping put on the Constellation tournament.
“I feel we are called to serve,” he said. “The opportunity to be here at this prestigious event was something I just couldn’t pass up.”
Cline said if he won the Volunteer Challenge, he would donate the money to the local ALS chapter.
“People who voted for me were voting to help families impacted by this hideous disease,” he said. “Every 90 minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with ALS. And in that same time span, someone else loses his or her battle. Additional awareness and funds are what will enable us to provide care and support to patients currently fighting this disease.”
“This challenge was a fun way to raise funds for charity and honor the contributions of these volunteers who donate their time and energy,” Joe Rotellini, executive director of the tournament, said. “We encouraged volunteers to not only participate in the program but seek out friends, family members and co-workers to visit the website and vote.”
Bernhard Langer, a native German and one of the winningest golfers on the Champions Tour, captured the Constellation Senior Players Championship for the third consecutive year — a tour first. But even Langer would admit the real winners are those who volunteer their time to help stage this tournament and the good feelings that come with giving back to the community.
