On June 23, 2024, Matt Brown walked the walk. And it was a long walk, up and down the rolling fairways of Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. He was one of around 100 golfers who participated in the 5th Annual Chambers Bay Solstice, conducted by First Tee of Greater Seattle as a fundraiser and held each year on or around the longest day of the year, with the goal of playing 72 holes in one day.
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Brown is the director of development and donor engagement for the Washington Golf Foundation, and with WA Golf being one of the sponsors of this event, it was another opportunity to connect with the golf community.
And he went all in. He got up at 2:45am to be at the course at 3:30am to register, and teed off at 4:40am, when there was just a sliver of light.
“There was just barely enough light for us to see the ball as we teed off the first hole,” he said. “But, out there will no trees, it went to full light in about five minutes time.”
Participants each made efforts to have people sponsor their number of holes played – the more holes they played, the more money they raised. The First Tee chapter exceeded their fundraising goal on the day, reaching the $178,000 mark.
Although Brown didn’t play all 72 holes in the one day, his three playing partners all went on to do so.
With three young sons at home, Brown had to bow out of the day early to coach some little league baseball games (yes, after hiking over and around Chambers Bay, he then went home to spend the rest of the very-long-day coaching a bunch of enthusiastic young kids in three different games).
