Charity begins at home (and in Naples, Fla.)

Stateline group creates ultimate golf buddies trip

Published on February 21, 2012

A group of players from the Wisconsin-Illinois border area had a great golf buddy trip to Florida going season after season. But it got even better when they decided they could simultaneously help people in need back home.

The now annual event, called the Gjilbare Cup, began with 16 players in 2000, but it grew to 40 participants several years later and 36 are expected this spring (March 3-10) when the fun resumes in Naples, Fla.

Beginning in 2008, the Gjilbare Cup informally changed itself into a charity that became source of great pride for all involved.

“At that time, I said, we’re raising the fees,” said Tom Tibbetts III, one of the organizers of the event who was part of the discussions that took place prior to the 2008 trip. “It’s $1,200, plus you have to give me a check for a minimum of $10 made out to whatever charity we choose.”

Beloit Meals on Wheels was selected as the first recipient, and Tibbetts was pleased when the 24 participating players in 2008 contributed much more than 10 bucks apiece. An impressive total of $1,645 was collected that first year, and it was doubled to $3,290 with a matching donation from the family of the man whose name is attached to the tournament.

His name was Gilbert Vanderaa, but his friends called him Gib, and Gjilbare seemed a loose translation of the French pronunciation of his name. Vanderaa, who owned a McDonald’s restaurant in Beloit and lived in northern Illinois before moving to Florida, came up with the idea for the annual tournament among Beloit area players and Wisconsin expats living in Florida. Vanderaa participated in the first two Gjilbare Cup before passing away.

But the Gjilbare Cup was just getting started. The players, as well as friends, family and anyone else who wants to show, also meet in August for an annual reunion. Tibbetts collects donations at the summertime event, which attracts 60 to 90 people.

In 2009, the Gjilbare Cup generated $2,925, which was turned over to Beloit Meals on Wheels and Beloit Hospice.

In 2010, $3,470 was donated to the same two charities.

In 2011, $4,165 was donated to Illinois Special Olympics.

In 2012, prior to the March golf event and based on donations the previous year, $4,465 was donated to the Stateline Boys and Girls Club.

That’s a total of $18,315 in five years.

For the last six years, the Gjilbare Cup has been held at Lely Resort in Naples, Fla., but it moved among other Florida resorts before that. The $1,200 fee per player covers seven nights lodging, green fees, meals and golf shirts and hats for all participants. The group stays at GreenLinks Golf Villas located next to the resort, and each night they meet in a banquet room for a group meal. A dinner is held on Friday night that includes an annual “Roast the Rookies” event.

“Lely Resort and (head pro) Marc Canady have been outstanding with us,” Tibbetts said. “They get us tee times that accommodate us, and they have a meeting room that they let us use. So we pretty much don’t even look around anymore.”

Dan Sullivan, director of sales and marketing at GreenLinks, called the Gjilbare Cup participants “a really fun group, and we’re glad to have them here.”

Tibbetts, who used to live in Beloit but now resides in Davenport, Fla., usually arrives in Naples a few days before the full group gets there to lay the groundwork and buy groceries, all the way down to stocking rooms with players’ preferred libations.

“(Tibbetts) sets us up so well, all you have to do is get off the plane,” said Mark Masterson of Beloit, who will play in his fourth Gjilbare Cup in March and is one of the group’s volunteer dishwashers.

The Gjilbare Cup styles itself after the Ryder Cup, and lifetime won-loss records are kept for all 75 players who have competed over the years. When players arrive on a Saturday night, two team captains draft players for their sides. Then the competition, and fun, commences on the two public golf courses at 54-hole Lely Resort.

“Everybody, every night, we get together,” Tibbetts said. “We have a few cocktails. We have a meal. And it’s just a bunch of guys getting together and having a lot of fun.”

With or without the charity component, that’s the whole point of a golf buddies trip.

Editor’s note: wisgolfer.com would like to know about other unique golf buddies trips related to the state of Wisconsin – either with Wisconsin as the destination or participation among state players. If you know about an unusual golf buddies trip, you can tell us about it here.