Durham School Tradition of Excellence Golf Tournament a Success

The 14^th annual “Tradition of Excellence” Golf Tournament was a huge success, with 61 teams and over 250 construction industry professionals participating. The event always draws a large crowd for many reasons, but, “a day spent golfing is always better than a day in the office” is a sentiment felt by many on the green. But more importantly, this tournament raises funds for an endowment that, since 2006, has awarded over 40 “Nebraska Construction Program of Excellence” scholarships, totaling $68,000.

This year’s tournament was held July 11 at Tiburon Golf Course in Omaha. It started with registration, mingling and mulligan purchases, and ended with dinner, a raffle, flight prizes and pin prizes. Seventeen students from several UNL engineering student groups were involved in the event. The student groups represented were: Mechanical Electrical Specialty Contractors (MESC), Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCA), Associated General Contractors (AGC), and Latinos in Science and Engineering (MAES/SHPE). 

The student groups interacted with the golfers by selling raffle tickets and sponsoring four wagering holes. At Flop Shot, presented by MAES/SHPE, participating golfers had three chances to shoot a golf ball through the open sides of a golf cart and into a wading pool. The next wagering hole, presented by MESC, was Coastal Drive. In this challenge, a golfer chose an MESC student to tee off against, attempting to land closest to the pin. Presented by the AGC student chapter was perhaps the most memorably named challenge, Toilet Tee. Participants took a seat to hit their shot. Golf Pong was presented by students from all represented student groups, and they shared proceeds from this challenge. This was a valuable opportunity for students to network with industry professionals, in addition to raising money for their respective student groups. Their presence and involvement served to remind participants that the students are the real focus and purpose of the tournament. Durham School Industry Fellow and Golf Tournament Planning Chair, Pat Cuddigan, commented, “I love helping [with this tournament]. It is fulfilling to work with the students.”

The Durham School is appreciative of the support the construction industry provides to the construction programs and the students who attend. The 2016 Golf Tournament Committee and Corporate Sponsors are invaluable to the success of the program. Committee members included: Pat Cuddigan, Neil Davidson, Dennis Eden, Michael Naccarato, George Schuler, Andy Stine and Don Wrieth.  HDR, Kiewit, JE Dunn Construction, Johnson Controls, United Rentals and Wietz were 2016 corporate sponsors.  In addition to the six corporate sponsors, there were over 50 construction companies represented at the tournament.

To view all of the event’s photos, visit The Durham School’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TheDurhamSchool/