South Seattle Community College Foundation Meet Our Donors

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Meet Our Donors ~ Bayview Golf Club

Scott McCullum & Andrew Coghill Foundation donors Scott McCullum and Andrew Coghill.

The nearly 700 members of the Bayview Golf Club do more than play golf; they work to provide young people access to opportunities, both in golf and in life. The club's commitment to local youth began with their Junior Golf program, which provided golf instruction, equipment and tee times for kids. The philosophy of equal access has since evolved into the Bayview Golf Club Memorial Scholarship for students at South Seattle Community College.

"The purpose of the Junior Golf program was to break down barriers between golf and the community," says Bayview President Scott McCullum. "It can be difficult for local kids to play golf because of the cost, and because many are intimidated by the formal atmosphere of the game." Club members embraced the program by donating their time, while past Bayview Officers Bill Coghill, Mike Joyce and Steve Nash operated raffles and collected equipment and donations.

"It was a great program," says former Junior Golf participant and current Bayview director Andrew Coghill. "It not only gave me a chance to get involved in a sport, but there were lots of adults around that served as role models, which helped me mature."

In 1994, changes in management within Seattle Golf necessitated closure of the Junior Golf program at the West Seattle Golf Course. Nonetheless, Bayview was still very much committed to young people in the community, and had a surplus of funds from Junior Golf, so the decision was made to create a scholarship program.

Bayview partnered with South Seattle Community College, another local organization that provides opportunity to youth, and the Bayview Golf Club Memorial Scholarship program was born. The club's vision was to not only offer a one-time scholarship, but instead establish a program that would be viable for future generations. Since then, over ten years ago, the program has annually awarded a full-year of tuition to one local high school student who has shown academic excellence and commitment to the community.

Since the inception of the program, the Bayview Memorial tournament, which is open to the public, has become the largest fundraiser and most popular event surrounding the scholarship. This tournament actually began when Bayview Captain Mike Shoemaker created the Coghill Memorial tournament to honor former Bayview Secretary Angus Coghill. Over the years, however the tournament was renamed to honor all officers who have passed on, such as Dick Hill, Don Brentsen, Greg Cramer, Jack Hathaway, and other club members who contributed since 1940.

Bayview members past and present have dedicated many hours to fundraising and support to the Bayview Golf Club Memorial Scholarship. They encourage donations from all members, operate the Bayview Memorial tournament annually, and throughout the year explore other fundraising options. Also, the Bayview newsletter always features updates about the scholarship and student recipients to keep the program top of mind on the club's agenda.

To Andrew Coghill, who experienced Bayview's commitment to youth firsthand, and to current President Scott McCullum, funding this scholarship is a way to honor friends and carry on the club's commitments beyond golf.

"Raising money for this scholarship will be a cornerstone of the Bayview golf club for a long, long time," Scott says. Thanks to members' dedication, young people in the community will have access to opportunities that will help them achieve their goals and contribute in our community for years to come.