Participants of the 2024 Cradle Solstice.
Pinehurst Resort
Cradle Solstice is an annual charity golf event that makes a significant impact in the Pinehurst community, but I bet you didn’t know it all came from Kelly Mitchum’s idea.
In 2017, Mitchum, head instructor at Pinehurst Golf Academy and a Southern Pines resident, came up with an idea. On the shortest day of the year, he was going to see how many holes he could play on the shortest golf course in Pinehurst. Cradle.
Mitchum took off at sunrise, played the par 3 course until sunset, and had played over 410 holes of golf before the final putt was dropped.
While he could have ended the story there, Mitchum saw an opportunity for a charitable element to give back to the local community and worked with his team at Pinehurst to make it happen.
The following year, The Cradle Solstice opened to the public, attracting 10 attendees, including country music artist Scotty McCreery. Each player collected contributions from donors based on the number of holes played, birdies made, and even holes scored. When all was said and done, the event raised an impressive $18,000 for the North Carolina Food Bank and Young Life of the Sandhills.
With each passing year, the number of Cradle Solstice members increased, as did their charitable donations.
“I think we raised $46,000 a few years ago,” Mitchum said.
The increase in donations has enabled Mitchum and his team to donate to more charities in the area, such as PGA Reach, which supports local youth, the military and diverse populations through the game of golf.
Recognizing the full potential of The Cradle Solstice, Mitchum and his team revamped the event last year, moving from an individual to a team format in hopes of increasing charitable donations to the local community. Which was a huge success.
“Last year, I think we raised $78,000 to $79,000,” Mitchum said.
As donations nearly doubled, they were able to support additional organizations, including a local medical clinic, which Mitchum and his team personally visited to make a donation.
“Just seeing their reaction is everything,” Mitchum said. “Giving is so much fun, especially this time of year.”
This year’s Cradle Solstice event was held on Saturday, December 21, with benefits going to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Young Life of the Sandhills, the PGA Reach Foundation, Folds of Honor and the Hurricane Helene relief organization in Western Carolina North.
While it may be too late to play, it’s not too late to donate and make a meaningful contribution to the Pinehurst community. Visit them The “Just Give” page. to contribute.
