50th Annual Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf
Thank you for five decades of charitable giving!
Hundreds of golfers competed in the 50th Annual Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf tournament in Paradise Valley this spring, carrying on a philanthropic tradition that has stretched over five decades.
Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf has become a celebrated rite of spring in addition to achieving the highest acclaim of charity golf events in Arizona, raising much needed funds for patient care, medical education and research at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, which has been serving the Valley longer than any other medical facility.
The annual event was established in 1973 by Lou Grubb, the Valley businessman who rose to fame in the automotive industry at the same time he won the admiration of fans via his “Take Five” commercials. It started as a casual round of golf with Grubb and his closest friends, who pooled donations together for local charities. In 1986, Grubb narrowed the beneficiaries to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and its Barrow Neurological Institute in gratitude for lifesaving care he received there, and he, wife Evie and the Grubb family have been generous supporters of the medical facilities ever since.
Through the dedication of the Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf Committee, co-chaired this year by Erik Jensen and Elizabeth Oviedo, along with the generous support of the golfing community, the tournament has raised millions for areas in critical need at Barrow and St. Joseph’s, including the Cleft and Craniofacial Center, Concussion Network, Family Medicine, MOMobile and research impacting a wide variety of debilitating conditions and diseases.
“I believe my parents would be proud and grateful to know our community continues to celebrate the philanthropic tradition of Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf,” says Dan Grubb, who sponsors and participates in organizing the event. “I thank the members of the Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf committee and golfing community for recognizing the value of supporting this tournament and its contributions to St. Joseph’s and Barrow.”
Watch Dan Grubb, Roger Maxwell and others talk about the history and impact of this special event: