PGA Tackles Domestic Violence with BMW Championship Event

The Avon Foundation for Women and the PGA Tour Wives Association are set to take over Cog Hill Golf Club in Lemont on Tuesday for the inaugural Walk the Course Against Domestic Violence charity event.

The event, which is being held in conjunction with the 2011 BMW Championship, will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the Dubsdread course. All proceeds will benefit programs for education and prevention at local domestic violence agencies.

The following article was originally published Aug. 26.

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A loving partner is kind of like a trampoline: They help lift you up to achieve new heights and they are there to provide a soft place to land when you fall.

What happens, though, when that soft place is full of jagged rocks and holes?

When the person you love and trust most cuts you down as you ascend, how can you ever achieve your full potential in life?

Domestic abuse cuts at the core of your self esteem. Did you know that a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds in the U.S.? Domestic violence happens at all income levels. 

It could be someone you work with or know through church. It could be your own daughter who is a victim. And children raised in this environment don't know what is normal in a relationship. Therefore the cycle of abuse may continue. 

If a woman has access to a shelter, however, the severity and occurence of domestic re-assault can be reduced by 60 to 70 percent in the following nine months, according to a John Hopkins University School of Nursing study. Shelters, in fact, were more successful in reducing the chances of severe re-assault than court and law enforcement protection.

With budgetary crises and an economic recession, though, many shelters have seen reduced funding. Fortunately, five Chicago area agencies will be the beneficiaries of a new fund-raising effort headed up by the Avon Foundation and the PGA Tour Wives Association.

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, , 12294 Archer Ave. in Lemont, will host the inaugural Walk the Course Against Domestic Violence. The event will take place during the 2011 BMW Championship, where PGA golfer Dustin Johnson will defend his title.

Participants will walk 18 holes at the beautiful and legendary course, along with PGA wives and families. One hundred percent of all proceeds will benefit the local service agencies.

Elmhurst resident Amy Wilson heads up the PGA Tour Wives Association and has been involved with it for more than eight years. Amy is married to PGA golfer Mark Wilson, who will be competing in the BMW Championship. The PTWA interested her because it is focused on lifting up children and their families, a mission close to Amy's heart.

"I am a believer in the potential of people," she said. "Domestic violence takes away people's potential."

Amy met Mark on a blind date that was set up by mutual friends. Mark was already on the PGA Tour and Amy had been working for a large consulting company for several years. She was ready for a different challenge. As her relationship with Mark became more serious, she decided to take a year off and tour with him.

"I needed to see if I could live that type of life," she said.

While on the tour, she began attending the regular charity events organized by the PGA TOUR Wives Association. The events generally occur on Wednesday evenings, just prior to golf tournaments.

"Golf fans are some of the most generous fans, in my opinion, and golfers are the most giving athletes," she said.

The PGA Tour donates more money to charity than all the other major sports combined, Amy said. Add in the wives and the individual players, and it's astronomical.

The costs of the Walk the Course against Domestic Violence event are being picked up by Avon, Cog Hill, BMW and the PGA Tour Wives Association, so all of the proceeds will directly benefit the shelters.

"There's no minimum fund-raising requirement for the walk, just the fee," Amy said. "But the top 100 fund-raisers will be invited to a VIP reception afterwards with the PGA golfers."

And if you can't make the event, you can still donate online to help this worthy cause.

Domestic abuse can be physical, mental or verbal. Each type of abuse can wound someone deeply in its own way.

"No one talks about abuse with their friends, " Amy said. "Women will talk about miscarriages, but don't discuss abuse."

Though this is the first year for the event in Chicago, it started in Charlotte, N.C., in 2009. Since then, the event has raised $300,000 towards ending domestic violence.

Through these walks and events, Amy has met many people who have experienced domestic violence, either through a friend or themselves.

It's these and other charity events that really inspire Amy. PTWA events have helped raised funds and gifts for the wives of soldiers, for needy children and for foster kids, among other causes.

While the Wilsons are very private, they both have a strong faith and believe Mark's talent is a platform by which they can give back to the community.

"We have so many blessings, as do our children," Amy said. "I have met the most incredible people touring with Mark."

All of us who are fortunate enough to have the security and strength of a loving relationship have a lot to be thankful for, in my opinion. By participating in this event, we can help stamp out domestic abuse and ensure that others have the same chance for love and peace.