Clinking golf clubs, the soft hum of golf carts, and the steady buzz of chatter set the scene at the Waseca Lakeside Club on Thursday, July 16. Inside the clubhouse, the live broadcast of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, flickered on screens, setting a decidedly athletic mood. Outside, however, the real action was about to begin as a local community rallied for a cause far larger than bragging rights on the green.
The occasion was the annual Waseca Lions Club Golf Tournament, a staple event that has been running for roughly 25 years. This year, the tournament proved that it has firmly found its footing again, drawing a massive crowd despite temperatures climbing past the 90-degree mark.
An impressive 21 teams of four—totaling 84 golfers—turned out to play. The surging participation marks a stunning comeback for the annual fundraiser, which saw 14 teams last year and just six the year prior.
“A good amount of supporters are here with golf clubs and bags in hand,” remarked Diane Beckmann, the event’s committee chair and former president of the Waseca Lions Club. While great prizes and securing sponsorships are always part of the equation, Beckmann emphasized that the ultimate objective goes beyond the scorecard. “The number one goal of the tournament is to bring a strengthening community together.”
The tournament is one of two major fundraisers hosted by the Waseca Lions Club each year, alongside their popular pancake breakfast in March. This year, organizers set a goal to raise over $5,000, with all proceeds directly benefiting local Waseca seniors, youth, and organizations. The event was bolstered by incredible local support. Local businesses stepped up to sponsor individual holes and donated an array of high-value raffle prizes. Lucky ticket holders went home with free rounds of golf at Lakeside, curated gift bundles of wine and spirits, signed sports memorabilia, premium skincare products, JBL headphones, and stacks of lottery scratch-offs.
Supporting seniors is just one branch of the Waseca Lions’ extensive local outreach. Established in 1927, the local club has spent nearly a century serving the Waseca community. Their initiatives span supporting juvenile groups, assisting the less fortunate, funding local scholarships, aiding with medical expenses, and partnering with organizations like Can Do Canines, which provides specially trained assistance dogs for individuals with chronic medical conditions.
This local commitment mirrors the international mission of the Lions Club. Founded globally in 1917, the Lions are best known worldwide for their crusade to fight blindness through sight conservation and the international SightFirst Program. However, their global network of volunteers also tackles disaster relief, feeds the hungry, and supports youth initiatives like the Leo Program, which provides volunteer opportunities to over 144,000 young people worldwide. Guided by the simple, powerful motto “We Serve,” the global network is supported heavily by the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), which has awarded more than $700 million in humanitarian grants since 1968.
Currently, the Waseca Lions Club boasts 45 active members and is looking to grow. Organizers emphasized that there are no special qualifications needed to join—only a genuine desire to serve the Waseca community.
Back at the Waseca Lakeside Club, as the afternoon heat intensified, coolers were packed to the brim with ice-cold beverages. Before sending the golfers off to their carts, Lions club member Steve Graft took to the microphone. Graft warmly welcomed the crowd to the annual tradition, while a Ben with Lakeside offered a crucial public safety reminder to the competitors: stay hydrated.
With a simple foursome scoring system in place—and a generous allowance of two mulligans per golfer—the participants darted off to their starting holes. The field was a diverse mix of club members, local residents, and representatives from local businesses, including a strong contingent from Edina Realty.
The afternoon was not without its share of entertainment. On one fairway, a flock of local geese decided to join a group of golfers, honking loudly alongside the cart path while politely keeping their distance.
On the links, the competition was a mix of raw power and delicate finesse. While one group delivered soaring, powerful drives to kick off their round, a group of elders demonstrated the art of the short game on Lakeside’s tricky greens. In a dramatic sequence of putts, three out of the four golfers missed the cup by the slimmest of margins, only for the final player to confidently sink the ball for the lowest score in the foursome.
While trophies and bragging rights were handed out at the end of the day, the true success of the event was written in the high turnout and shared smiles. In Waseca, the local Lions and their supporters proved once again that the pride they share in serving their community is something that simply cannot be quantified by a scorecard.
To learn more about the Waseca Lions Club, their upcoming service projects, or how to become a member, reach out to a local club representative or visit their community page.
