Las Vegas Founders Club

The Las Vegas Founders Club was founded by local community leaders with three distinct purposes in mind:

• Promote Las Vegas as a golf and tourism destination;
• Promote and facilitate the development of the game of golf in Southern Nevada;
• Raise funds for local area charities.

With inspiration from Jim Colbert, The Las Vegas Founders Club was founded in 1981 by the likes of Dick Etter, Chuck Ruthe, Herb Jones, Tom Hartley, Tom Wiesner and James Cashman.

The Founders Club operated the PGA Tour stop in Las Vegas for 25 years, creating such memories along the way as Chip Beck’s record setting 59 (a record which stands today) and the site of Tiger Wood’s first victory. There were numerous sponsors throughout the years, such as Panasonic Corporation, Invensys, Michelin and Fry’s Electronics.  For many years, however, the Las Vegas Invitational flourished with the constant support of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. In fact, the Las Vegas Invitational became the first million dollar professional tournament on the tour.

The Founders Club also operated many other professional and amateur golf events, including the Las Vegas Senior Classic, the Rebel Golf Classic and the Las Vegas Founders Junior Golf Championship.

Through the club and its charitable giving arm, the Las Vegas Founders Golf Foundation, more than $12 million has been raised from tournament activities and contributed to local charities and golf organizations.