Tournament History

The tournament was started in 1991 in San Diego, CA at the Steele Canyon golf course. It was started as a networking function for facilities people to get together with some of the vendors that they deal with from time to time, and also to meet new vendors. Doug Underwood, Ben Newell, Larry Imray, Phil Wylezi, and Joe Sclafani conceived the idea of this function.

The awards dinner at Steele Canyon was held in the parking lot (the course was new and the club house wasn't built yet) with beer and soda in some coolers and sandwiches brought in by a deli. The prizes consisted of a couple office chairs, putters and any beer that was left over.

The following year, the tournament was held in New Orleans, where the tournament was refined and improved upon in the years following that humble beginning. The tournament expenses were the main concern for the first few years, until the idea of vendors buying hole sponsorships could make more money than we needed to run the tournament. The money that was left over from the tournament was donated to the IFMA foundation general fund. The Utilities Council then decided that they would like this money to be used for a charitable contribution that would make an impact on the Facilities Management field, in the form of a scholarship for someone in the Facilities Management curriculum.

The Doug Underwood/Utilities Council Scholarship was created to award a $5,000 scholarship to a student who is aspiring to be a future Facility Manager. The remaining funds are used for scholarship travel expenses, IFMA Foundation expenses and funding for future tournaments. While the tournament itself would appear to be for networking and entertainment purposes, the real purpose for the tournament is to raise money to aid in the future development of Facility Management. 

This year (2010) the Utilities Council will be awarding $20,000  in scholarships (four $5,000 scholarships) in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the golf tournament.