Team Golfathon was a concept founded by Kilwinning man Rikki Black over a decade ago.
For the past ten years, the team have been raising funds for the Ayrshire Hospice through various events – resulting in over £200,000 being donated to the charity.
This total does not even include even more funds which have been raised for a number of other charities, most recently the Glasgow Children’s Hospital.
The group rounded off 2024 with their annual sportsman’s brunch on Friday, December 27 – an event they have hosted every year since 2014.
Other occasions through this time have included charity balls and hidden teams, while his eldest son ran the Edinburgh Marathon for the hospice as well – though it is one event in particular the group is known for.
(Image: Team Golfathon)
That is, of course, the annual ‘golfathon’ which has seen Rikki and various other friends or family play continuously around his home course, The Irvine Golf Club.
Playing from first light until darkness, Rikki has played over 130 holes each year for the past 12 years to raise cash for worthy causes.
The idea was born after his wife lost her step-mother, who passed while cared for at the Ayrshire Hospice.
“The work they done for her was just unbelievable,” Rikki commented.
Around this time, the PGA professional at Irvine was completing his own golfathon to raise money for the club’s junior section.
Rikki continued: “I decided to go along with him, just at short notice, I done it for the children’s hospice up in Glasgow. I raised £1,000 in two weeks.
“The following year I decided to take it on from there and continued doing the golfathon.
“I done it with my mate and we raised over £6,000 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer because two of our pal’s wives were going through that at the time, so we thought that was a good cause.
“The following year we all got our heads together and thought we would do it for the Ayrshire Hospice – it’s been them ever since.”
(Image: Team Golfathon)
After passing the £200,000 landmark, Rikki said he was “chuffed to bits” to be able to support such a worth charity.
He added: “We thoroughly enjoy raising money for them, it’s just a really good cause, it’s hard going but you get a good laugh.
“The Hospice are really good to us as well, they help us out with a lot.
“We are chuffed to bits, we’re not out there to get lots of publicity, I just love the fact we are raising all this money for them – it’s brilliant, you get a real buzz out of it.”
(Image: Team Golfathon)
Events are now slowing down after a hardworking 2024, but Rikki says Team Golfathon will be raring to go again shortly.
He said: “That’s us now for a couple of months, we will get the batteries recharged and get back into it again.”
More information on the group and their efforts can be found online via the Team Golfathon Facebook page at facebook.com/teamgolfathon.