Putting for Progress: Every Putt Builds Futures

For the past 13 years, Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf and Pirate’s Island Adventure Golf have hosted Putting for Progress, an annual fundraiser that turns a round of adventure golf into an investment in the future. BellXcel is proud to be a Putting for Progress partner and deeply grateful to the team behind an event that’s turned 13 years of fun into real opportunity for youth.
–

Each year from August through Labor Day, customers at Pirate’s Cove and Pirate’s Island locations can make a donation at the course to support three longtime charitable partners working to advance education and support individuals and families affected by autism. The campaign also includes a contribution from each location based on a percentage of total sales over Labor Day weekend. In 2026, the campaign is taking place from August 10 through September 7 across 29 locations throughout the United States.

Over the life of the fundraiser, Pirate’s Cove and Pirate’s Island have contributed nearly $200,000 to BellXcel – proof that when a company puts its values into action year after year, the impact adds up. BellXcel is proud to be a Putting for Progress partner, and we’re grateful for every family that has also made an investment in the future of kids and communities.

We recently chatted with the team behind the event, Bryan Lee, Vice President, Ormond Beach Management Company, and Founder of P4P, and Jennifer Lee, Product and Marketing Manager, who runs the event today, to hear what drives their impact year after year and tips for running such an impactful fundraiser:

BellXcel: When you were creating Putting for Progress, what drew you specifically to education and youth prosperity as the focus?

Bryan and Jennifer: When we started Putting for Progress, we wanted to create something that would bookend our season with Putting for Patriots, which kicks off our summer season over Memorial Day weekend. Labor Day felt like the natural timing, and Bryan had a strong passion for making the event education-focused. Our company’s mission statement starts with “Let’s Make the World a Better Place,” and what better way to do just that than to help kids develop critical thinking skills early, hopefully creating a better future for them (and everyone) in our own small way. The timing also made perfect sense for an education-based fundraiser, as Labor Day marks the back-to-school season for so many families. It felt like a natural opportunity to invest in children and education as we headed into a new school year.

BellXcel: Putting for Progress has run year after year—through economic uncertainty, natural disasters, the pandemic, all of it. What has kept you going through these ups and downs?

Bryan and Jennifer: Dedication, commitment, and then honestly, just the routine of it. Putting for Patriots had already been established and running for years, so we had a model to follow, which really helped us at the start. From there, it was simply about continuing to show up for these causes we care about, even when circumstances changed. Sometimes we have great turnout, and sometimes it’s slower, but the impact over the years does add up! We’ve built it into our business, and that consistency was part of the idea from the beginning.

BellXcel: What would you tell other businesses that want to build something like this but don’t know where to start?

Byran and Jennifer: Find something you genuinely care about and want to support, then determine what you are realistically capable of doing within your means and outline your goals from there. Choosing beneficiaries carefully is an important part of it, too. Do your research so you know that the organizations you’re teaming up with are making a tangible impact. When we started, Charity Navigator was a huge help in evaluating organizations and making sure we were putting our resources toward charities that were doing meaningful work with the funds we raised. You don’t have to build something huge right away. Start with what you can do, do it well, and build from there.

—-

A huge thank you to the team for making a difference across the country in such a fun and meaningful way! 

This Labor Day weekend, September 5–7, a portion of proceeds from every round played will be donated to Putting for Progress. Visit piratescove.net/charity/putting-for-progress to find a course near you and make your round count.