Golf for Good

Playing a Round for Worthy Causes and Better Communities

Originally published in ideal-LIVING Magazine, January 2025 | Article written by JG Walker

THE CLUBS AT ST. JAMES

Southport, NC

Located on the North Carolina coast near the seaside town of Southport, the St. James residential community features an unrivaled recreational centerpiece—The Clubs at St. James. Managed by industry leader Troon Golf, The Clubs offers 81 holes of on-site play with three 18-hole gems by acclaimed designers PB Dye, Nicklaus Design, and Tim Cate, plus the 27-hole Hale Irwin layout. It’s a year-round golfer’s paradise, which club members and residents put to good use with six major annual fund-raising events.

First up on the schedule every March is the St. Paddy’s Day Tournament for the North Carolina Dementia Alliance. This year’s event celebrated its 20th anniversary at St. James with a field of 180 players on the three nines at the Members Club, which has the facilities to serve as the headquarters for all of the community’s big golf fundraisers.

The newest charitable event at St. James was an April 27 benefit to support the vital work of the Wounded Warriors Project. The 380 golfers who participated teed it up on the Members, Founders, and Reserve courses, raising more than $130,000 on the links and at the post-round dinner for nearly 500 attendees.

On September 7, the 4th annual Captain Austin Murga Memorial Golf Tournament was held to support the Stop Soldier Suicide organization. Sponsors, volunteers, and 184 golfers combined efforts to raise $115,000 at the 2024 event. A few days later, on September 11, the St. James community rallied again for the Tunnels to Towers tournament that helps fund mortgage-free homes and support services for the families of fallen first responders and Gold Star heroes.

“St. James has a very active veteran and military presence in the community and we want to be as supportive of these groups as the residents have been over the years,” says Kent Silhanek, general manager of The Clubs at St. James. “It truly is an honor to have a role in raising funds for the worthy causes our community supports,” Silhanek noted that Troon and The Clubs had contributed the equivalent of $65,000 to support the six major fundraisers in 2024 and a total of more than $100,000 for local charities during the year.

The final annual event on the calendar, held on October 15, was a golf tournament and social events to support the Little Pink Houses of Hope, a group that funds initiatives like weeklong retreats for breast cancer survivors and their families. Now in its fifth year at St. James, the 2024 event included 150 players and raised $40,000.

“We’re proud of our residents at St. James and their dedication to so many special causes in the community. They are always ready to volunteer, to donate their time, and make contributions to different organizations,” says Jay Atkinson, president of St. James Properties. “The Clubs at St. James’ members are especially service-oriented and golf tournaments are just one way that they give back to the community, both locally and regionally.”

And while the golf events certainly draw the biggest crowds, St. James residents also support more than two dozen additional local charities with their volunteer time and fundraising efforts. “I cannot imagine another community that is as giving as our St. James residents have been in the past and will surely continue to be in the years ahead,” Atkinson concludes.

For more about the St. James community, go to StJames-Properties.com.