Reed and Ashley will play marathon golf game to raise funds for Folds of Honor.

Reed and Ashley will play marathon golf game to raise funds for Folds of Honor.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

On Saturday, April 30, local business owners Tad Reed and Scott Ashley will participate in a marathon golf game to support the children and dependents of fallen and wounded soldiers and sailors. The 100-hole marathon will raise funds for Folds of Honor Michigan, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the families of military men and women who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty in the United States armed forces. Its educational scholarships support private educational tuition and tutoring for children in grades kindergarten through 12, as well as higher education tuition assistance for spouses and dependents.

Reed is co-owner and president of Ludington Beverage and served in the U.S. Army for 18 years, with four deployments, including combat deployments to Iraq and two to Afghanistan as well as a humanitarian crisis response deployment to Liberia, West Africa for Operation United Assistance during the Ebola response spearheaded by the United States and the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault. In 2016 he joined the Michigan National Guard. His present rank is major. 

Ashley and his wife, Leona, owns Lakeside Links Golf Course in Pere Marquette Township. Leona served nine years in the Michigan National Guard, where Scott grew his appreciation for the armed services and the dedication and sacrifices of military families. 

The marathon will be held at American Dunes Golf Club, formerly Grand Haven Golf Club, in Ottawa County. The recently renovated golf club is a project between Lt. Col. Rooney, Folds of Honor, and professional golfer Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus donated his talents and services to redesign the course into a world-class golf course with the agreement between himself and Lt. Col. Rooney that all proceeds of the golf course go directly to Folds of Honor top fund scholarships.

In July 2021 Reed and golf pro Michael Rey raised $40,000 for Folds of Honor playing 101 holes at Lincoln Hills. This year, the golf marathon is a collaboration between Ludington Beverage Co., and fellow Anheuser Busch distributors Fabiano Brothers of Bay City, Mervenne Beverage of Holland and Bud Distributing of Dowagiac are teaming up to play 100 holes. Reed and Ashley will play 25 holes as a twosome, alternating shots while three other twosome teams will each also play 25 holes. Their goal is to raise $100,000.

The marathon will precede the Folds of Honor Michigan golf tournament, a major fundraiser for the organization. 

“This event, and Folds of Honor, is about standing with our military families who have sacrificed so much for our freedom,” Reed said. 

“I am also honoring the partnership that Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch have committed to the legacy of Folds of Honor,” Reed said. Ludington Beverage Co. was the first Anheuser-Busch independent wholesaler in the United States of America to complete a Folds of Honor Golf marathon. Every year, a dollar per case of special Budweiser packages goes directly to Folds of Honor, funding hundreds of scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members.

Folds of Honor was founded in 2007 by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, a PGA professional and F-16 fighter pilot in the Air Force Reserves who served three tours of duty in Iraq. Folds of Honor has awarded approximately 35,000 scholarships in all 50 states and some US territories, including over 5,700 in 2021. 

To pledge a donation to Reed and Ashley, click here. 

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