Golfers in Portage la Prairie are gearing up for a long but rewarding day on the green this June as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Plains brings back a unique and endurance-testing event: the Ultimate 90 Hole Golf Marathon.
Set for Thursday, June 19, 2025 at the Portage Golf Course, the event invites players to take on 90 holes of golf in support of youth mentorship programs in the community. It will go ahead rain or shine, and follows a successful return of the fundraiser in 2024 to mark the organization's 50th anniversary.
Ways to get involved
Participants can register as a solo golfer to complete all 90 holes, pair up as a two-person team to split 45 holes each, or join a five-person team, with each member playing a standard 18-hole round.
Dawn Froese, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Plains, says the flexibility makes the event more accessible.
"The ultimate 90 Hole Golf Marathon, it sounds a lot and it is, there's lots of golfing categories to choose from. So if you want to try and go for that 90 holes, we would love it. We actually have one person so far registered for the 90 hole," explained Froese. "With each of the categories you choose from, there's a minimum amount that we would like you to raise. If you're doing 90 holes, we'd like you to raise $1000 minimum. Two-person team is $600 per player and five-person team is $300 per player."
Froese notes that all green fees, carts, meals, and golf balls are provided. Those without a membership can also have their course fees covered.
A full day of fun for a cause
The solo golfers will tee off at 7 a.m. and are expected to finish around 7 p.m., with modified rules in place to help speed up play across five rounds.
Froese says the event is one of their most important fundraisers of the year.
"We would like to raise at least $13,000 from this," she noted.
Local golfer looks to beat last year's time
Preston Meier took part in the event last year and is gearing up to once again tee off for the 90-hole golf marathon.
The marathon packs five full rounds of golf into a single day, often starting around 7:30 a.m. and wrapping up close to 12 hours later. Each player moves quickly from hole to hole with just a few minutes per shot, maintaining a steady pace without much time for breaks or conversation.
“You just golf all day,” Meier says. “I don’t think you could ask for a better day for that.”
He admits the day can be physically demanding, especially around the middle of the third round, but says most participants catch a second wind by the fourth or fifth.
“All you do is you’re going up to the ball, swinging and trying to putt out,” he says. “And then you kind of get to that fourth and that fifth round and actually you kind of get a second wind going.”
Last year, Meier and his group finished in 11 hours and 45 minutes. He’ll be joined by a few others this year, all aiming to beat that time.
While the pace is intense, the reason behind it is what matters most to Meier.
He calls Big Brothers Big Sisters a vital part of the Portage community, noting the impact their mentoring programs have on local youth.
“It’s just a cool fundraiser,” he says. “Anything we can do to support them is a step in the right direction.”
Supporting mentorship that changes lives
All money raised will directly support Big Brothers Big Sisters’ local mentoring programs in Portage and surrounding communities.
Froese continues that demand for mentors—especially male ones—remains high.
"We are always looking for mentors specifically, right now we look for community-based mentors as our site-based, after-school and our in-school mentoring are closing for the school year. But certainly, in September we're looking for mentors for that."
"Our community-based program is our Big Brothers Big Sisters program and so we're looking for men and women who really just want to be walk beside a child or young teen and spend some time with them, do things that they enjoy doing. Introducing them to new things to do and just really being a role model for them for the future."
Froese remarks that there are currently 56 children matched in the program, with another 8 to 10 waiting—most of whom are boys.
"We do have a waiting list. We have a waiting list of about 8 to 10 kids on our community list. Most of those are boys, so we really are looking for men who would, who would like to come and walk alongside a young man."
More info on the golf tournament can be found here.
Click here to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Plains.