Neighborhood Rivalry At Its Best

Jul 11

Neighborhood Rivalry At Its Best

Posted In: Spirit of the Game By: admin 0 Comments

The 2009 TravisStock Cup

The rosters read like a dream golf fantasy team with names like Stuart Appleby, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia. It’s the best versus the best. It’s the Tavistock Cup, a PGA-sanctioned, bragging rights tournament for the residents and members of Isleworth Golf & Country Club and Lake Nona Golf & Country Club. Located about 25 miles apart from each other, these golfing communities’ A-list resident players come out in March to defend their neighborhood’s honor and take home the coveted trophy cup.

The Creation Of A Tournament

“Early on, the Tavistock Group was looking for a way to do something that hadn’t been done before. Something that would have people saying, ‘wow, that’s so original,’” says Andy Odenbach, vice president of sports ventures for Tavistock Group. “It just so happened that the internal locker room banter between both communities gave way to the tournament idea.”
According to Odenbach, there had been talk about which neighborhood would win (aka “my neighborhood is better that yours”) on the course. Taking this a step further, the group approached the players in both communities with this idea, and their response was positive. So, in 2004, the Tavistock Cup was created and it would be unlike any other tournament in the world.

Inside Tavistock Cup
The invitation-only two-day tournament focuses on the players and the competition. A helicopter takes the team to the opposing team’s golf course to avoid causing any rush hour traffic jams. But perhaps one of the most unique parts is the absence of ropes.
The first three years, the Tavistock Cup donated over $1.5 million to domestic and international charities. However, Joe Lewis, founder of the Tavistock Group, and philanthropic in nature, felt the players needed to be more engaged with dispersing the money. Lewis and the group decided to provide $1 million dollars to the winning team and allow each team member to directly donate $100,000 to the charity or foundation of their choice.

“Spectators have the opportunity to walk with the players,” says Odenbach. “Unlike the other tournaments where they have to rush from hole to hole to see their favorite players, the Tavistock Cup allows them to immediately walk with the players as soon as they hit the ball off the first tee. It is such an intimate atmosphere; they can even hear the conversation between the player and their caddy.” He adds, “After the first year, everyone knew that we had something special with this tournament.
Now the spectators aren’t the only ones enjoying themselves. The players have a good time as well. Odenbach refers to the tournament as a “backyard match, friendly in nature, yet competitive,” and with good reason. The players, who have won a combined total of 48 major championships and have over 680 career worldwide victories, are competing for a respectable sized purse, $3.88 million, as well as other little twists along the way.
“There is a lot of fun built into the competition. On the 15th hole, which is a par 3, if a player hits a hole-in-one, they win a Cadillac for their entire team. There is also a long-drive competition in which a player can win $100,000 for the entire team. A player can be at another hole and not know that another team member has won something for the whole team.”

Giving Back to the Community
It only makes sense that a tournament of this stature would whole-heartedly give back to the community. The first three years, the Tavistock Cup donated over $1.5 million to domestic and international charities. However, Joe Lewis, founder of the Tavistock Group, and philanthropic in nature, felt the players needed to be more engaged with dispersing the money. Lewis and the group decided to provide $1 million dollars to the winning team and allow each team member to directly donate $100,000 to the charity or foundation of their choice. Starting last year, local charities, such as Central Florida Children’s Home (donated by Justin Rose), and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (donated by Retief Goosen) received money.

All combined, the Tavistock Cup has donated over $2.5 million to charities since its inception in 2004.

Tavistock Cup and the Future

“The tournament has grown, not in terms of size,” says Odenbach. “It is being broadcasted to different countries around the world, and we have increased the number of sponsors. We have so many phenomenal sponsors.”

Also, the tournament goes beyond exhibiting the 20 best male players
Paula Creamer and Annika Sorenstam played in last year’s tournament – Creamer for Lake Isleworth and Sorenstam for Lake Nona.

“It’s not just only an only men or only women tournament, it’s the best golfers,” says Odenbach.GFM

Who is Joe Lewis?
British-born, currency dealer Joesph (Joe) Lewis lives a private life. The billionaire, ranked number 369 on the 2007 Forbes Magazine’s list of “The World’s Richest People,” is the principle investor of Tavistock Group, which he founded about 30 years ago. The group has interest in over 170 companies in 15 countries. He is also credited with bringing bio-technology and new healthcare offerings to the Central Florida area.
With a home base in Lyford Cay, Bahamas, he also has homes around the world, including property in Isleworth Golf & Country Club. And yes, he is somewhat of a golf fan; Tavistock’s portfolio includes both Isleworth Golf & Country Club and Lake Nona Golf & Country Club. Lewis is also a partner, with Tiger Woods