Youth Golfers Complete 100 Holes For Growth of the Game Foundation

Breck Gatheridge, Parker Christianson, and Sully Braaten after completing 90 holes during their 100-hole challenge at Lakeview Golf Course on August 23, 2022. (Photo: Zeke Fuhrman)

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – Three Detroit Lakes youth golfers spent 12 hours at Lakeview Golf Course on Tuesday on a quest to golf 100 holes to benefit the Growth of the Game Foundation.

Parker Christianson, Sully Braaten, and Breck Gatheridge teed off around 7:00 am on Tuesday and completed their 100th hole around 7:30 pm that evening, walking 22.5 miles in the process.

“My feet were really starting to hurt towards the middle,” said Gatheridge. “I could barely feel them by the end. It wasn’t fun to walk.”

Breck Gatheridge tees off on Hole 15 at Lakeview Golf Course during his 100 holes of golf round on August 23, 2022 (Photo: Zeke Fuhrman)

“The whole thing was Kris Smith’s idea,” said Christianson. “It was a good idea to raise some money for Growth of the Game.”

The boys collected sponsorships from area businesses, some pledging as much as $10 per hole, to raise money for the Growth of the Game Foundation, which helps promote the game of golf for area youth. The Growth of the Game Foundation purchases and donates clubs to youth golfers, awards college scholarships to high school golfers, sponsored Women’s Golf Day last June, organizes a golf scramble that benefits the Boys and Girls Club, and helped plan and fund the golf simulator room at Detroit Lakes High School.

“They make it cheaper for the kids who can’t afford golf,” said Braaten. “It helps a lot of people around here learn how to play the game,”

Combined, the boys made 17 birdies and 106 pars on the 300 holes they golfed. Braaten shot a 398 over the 100 holes and, along with Christianson, played the same ball for all 100 holes. The three boys played golf for 12 and a half hours with only a fifteen-minute break for lunch.

Sully Braaten hits a tee shot on the Par-3 14th hole at Lakeview Golf Course during his 100 holes of golf round on August 23, 2022 (Photo: Zeke Fuhrman)

The Growth of the Game foundation is a 501(c)3 charity that focuses on the promotion and growth of the game of golf in Detroit Lakes by making the game more accessible, affordable, and welcoming to all ages. Growth of the Game holds a variety of youth camps and clinics as well as adult clinics and events to help people learn how to play the game.

“It has been a lifelong dream to align people who love the game and share the same interest to create this organization that allows anyone entry into this great game,” said foundation vice president Kris Smith.

Parker Christianson sizes up a birdie putt on Hole 15 at Lakeview Golf Course as he and his buddies play 100 holes to raise money for the Growth of the Game Foundation on August 23, 2022 (Photo: Zeke Fuhrman)