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The tournament was founded by the Limmat Foundation’s project director, Juan J. Alarcon.
Together with Martin Holz, at the time club champion of the Lucerne Golf Club, he organized the first Esmeralda Charity Tournament to fund projects for street children in Colombia. The founders were actively supported by Olympic medalists Pirmin Zurbriggen and Max Julen.
On July 6, 1996, both ski champions proved themselves successful athletes on the fairways of the Lucerne Golf Club. 10,000 CHF were booked in 1996 as the proceeds of that pioneer Esmeralda Tournament, which enabled 100 children from a slum in Cartagena to attend elementary school for a year.
Since then, the Esmeralda Charity Cup has continued to grow, and now belongs to the most traditional tournaments on the Swiss charity golf scene.
In the past 25 years, 12,000 enthusiastic golfers have raised 2’700’000 Swiss francs. 100% of the proceeds have been channeled into 46 projects, improving living conditions for about 32,500 children.
All of the projects are sustainable and continue operations without further foreign financing.
More than 25,000 children and youngsters live on the streets of Colombia day and night.
Most of them have run away from home to escape the human misery (physical and mental abuse, alcoholism, quarrels) and poverty of the family.
The street children try to earn a living with irregular jobs, such as washing car windscreens, selling cigarettes, recycling rubbish, or by committing small theft.
Prostitution, especially for girls, is also a source of income.
Their bed is the sidewalk; their blanket, the sky; their food, often cheap drugs (glue, gasoline). Abandoned and pursued, they have no life befitting a human being.
Without education and training, they have no prospects.
Since 1998, every year around 625 underprivileged children are receiving integral care and the opportunity for better future.
The following list is impressive in that many of the projects have been implemented and are sustainably effective and continue without additional foreign financing.
MATCH VENUE
GC Goldenberg – Thu, 02.06.2022
GC Heidental – Wed, 13.07.2022
GC Crans-sur-Sierre – Sun, 31.07.2022
GC Bad Ragaz – Thu, 11.08.2022
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Teams of 2 players 4 ball best ball, stableford, 3/4 hcp.
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The tournaments are open to guests with maximum handicap 30 (ASGI members max. handicap 24, whenever accepted by the clubs).
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Start fee:CHF120 or EUR 110 as contribution to the projects.
The main sponsor, J. Safra Sarasin Bank will match the start fees from the players.
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Green fee for non members: normal green fee (between CHF 100 and 130, depending on the Golf club).
Some of the golf clubs also contribute half of the green fees to the street children projects.
For each tournament
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5 bests net teams
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2 bests gross teams
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6 times closest to the pin (different for ladies and for men)
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The winners of the net competition at the final (Wylihof) will travel to Colombia, where they will visit the Limmat Foundation’s street children projects.
Bank J. Safra Sarasin is a leading Swiss private bank whose many years of banking experience has made it consciously opt for sustainability as a key component of its corporate philosophy.
It provides a high level of service and expertise when acting as investment advisor and asset manager for private and institutional clients.
