One Father's Golf Quest: 50 Rounds, 50 Days, 50 States - Forbes

Pete Crozier played 50 rounds of golf in 50 states over 50 days in an attempt to raise $50,000 for research into type 1 diabetes.

Fifty for Father

Fifty rounds of golf, 50 different golf courses, 50 states. And all in 50 days.

That was the epic summer quest for Pete Crozier, but it was about far more than just golf. Crozier’s journey was intended to raise $50,000 to fund research into type 1 diabetes, a disease that affects approximately 1.25 million Americans and has no known cure. Crozier’s 15-year-old son Gavin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 4 and his father, George, died of complications from the disease 20 years ago.

Crozier started his adventure, called Fifty for Father, on May 27 in North Carolina and concluded it in mid-July at Green Hill Golf Course in Worcester, Massachusetts, the same course on which his father learned the game. He raised more than $55,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and said the mental and emotional rigors of the relentless schedule helped him experience, for a short time, the challenges that type 1 diabetics face every day, among them stress, fatigue, sleepless nights and anxiety of the unknown.

But Crozier, an avid golfer, also realized how the game can bring people together for a cause. Every year, golf is a key driver of almost $4 million in charitable giving, with the majority of funds going to causes outside the sport.

Pete Crozier with his son, Gavin, during the early days of his almost two-month-long cross-country journey.

Fifty for Father

“I talked to thousands of people about Fifty for Father and not one person asked me who I voted for, if I want to build a wall or how I feel about Obamacare,” Crozier said. “Each person listened to my story and then, universally, they said, `Who do I know? What do you need? How can I help?’”

Crozier was left with not only an incredible appreciation of the generosity of others, but some incredible golf memories along the way.

He played golf in Hawaii and Alaska on consecutive days, a feat only a select few golfers can boast. He recalls the sting of hitting two balls in the water at the island green par-3 17^th hole at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, the joy of hitting the floating green at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Idaho and the elation of dropping an 80-foot putt at Royal Oaks in Vancouver.

Crozier hit out of jet-black slag traps (not sand) at Old Works in Montana, teed it up at Troon North in Arizona on his dad’s birthday, soaked up spectacular mountain views at Belgrade Lakes in Maine, and regaled in stories of Arnold Palmer’s humility and generosity at home course in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  

On Day 2 of the journey, Crozier and his son met LPGA player Ally McDonald, also a type 1 diabetic, at the U.S. Women’s Open in Charleston.

“She said to my son, ‘Gavin, we understand each other, you and I. As athletes, we have to push ourselves to compete. But because of our diabetes, we have to push ourselves smart.’” Crozier said. “As a parent, I was amazed. She compared her world class golf career to my son’s experience running cross country in high school. I could almost see the thought bubble over his head, ‘Well, if she can do this, nothing will stop me from pursuing my dreams.’ Simply one of the best parenting moments of my life.” 

A map of the cross-country route that Pete Crozier followed while playing 50 different courses in 50 states.

Fifty for Father

Crozier traveled with his son for the first 10 days of the trip, which included a 36-hole day with rounds in both Mississippi and Tennessee. During the morning round in Tennessee, Crozier shared his story with a pair of golfers he let play through his group. Several times during the round, that twosome would drive across an adjoining fairway to ask another question about the journey.

Following the round, the same two players were seated next to Crozier’s group at lunch and asked more questions.

“I said, ‘You know, I have an extra spot in our foursome in Tennessee if you want to come,’” Crozier said. “One of the guys, Jay, left the table. He came back a few minutes later with a $200 donation and drove to the next state to play the afternoon round with us. I now I have a new friend for life.”

A father of four, Crozier said he missed his wife and kids desperately during the trip. While he held up physically, the non-stop schedule was far more taxing from a mental standpoint than he expected. A few weeks in, he was playing in the blistering heat of the southern Utah desert after a long driving day, the natural high of the journey having worn off. 

“I was mentally and physically spent,” Crozier said. “I called my son and asked him, ‘Is this what it feels like to have diabetes?” He said, `Yeah, I can’t quit and neither can you.’ That energized me. The next morning, I was in Vegas. I threw the bag on my shoulder, carried for 18 holes and shot my best score.”

Crozier had specially-marked balls for each round of the journey.

Fifty for Father

Crozier said the most common question he got when he finished his quest was whether he’d do it all again: 50 rounds, 50 courses, 50 states, 50 days. He recalled a conversation from almost three decades earlier after telling his father he was excited to be graduating college and putting school behind him.  

“He said, ‘Son, don’t talk to me about finishing your education. If you stop learning, you stop growing. Talk to me about the challenges you faced. The failures you overcame. Talk to me about what’s next,’” Crozier said.

What’s next for Crozier is continuing to try to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. His quest didn’t end with his final putt. He hopes to continue to use golf as a bond to further his cause and, in the meantime, to live by the same words of wisdom he learned along his epic journey.

“Listen to your family, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues and total strangers,” Crozier urges. “Just listen and then say, `Who do I know? What do you need? How can I help?’”

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikmatuszewski/2019/07/31/one-fathers-golf-quest-50-rounds-50-days-50-states/

2019-07-31 10:00:01Z
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