About the Challenge

This precedent-setting tournament is the first golf tournament of its kind and a first for Indian Country. The tournament is entirely funded and operated by Indian Nations (title sponsors include San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians and Oneida Indian Nation of New York) and will support Notah’s mission of bringing Native American people together to benefit Indian youth.

The Challenge further demonstrates how tribes are coming together to show other tribes and all Americans the progress that Native American people have made in this country over the past 20 years to help improve the country’s economy, create jobs and educate the nation’s first people. Additionally, the tournament allows tribes who have experienced economic prosperity an opportunity to give back to their communities where help is needed most.

Youth Programs Benefit from the Challenge

Today, Native American youth on reservations are faced with increased rates of obesity, diabetes, drug abuse and overall poor health as a result of the lack of health and wellness programs and funding available in their communities. Started as a step-by-step, grassroots process that began on one reservation in New Mexico, the work that Notah is doing through the Foundation has already made a significant difference in inspiring the health, wellness and motivation among the kids who have been positively impacted by sport programs.

The Foundation’s soccer program allows approximately 150 Native American youth from the San Felipe Pueblo to participate on one of 16 different teams for a 10 game season within their community. The current golf program is a day camp that focuses on teaching Native American youth the game of golf in addition to teaching the principles of honesty and integrity that are part of the game.

While the programs have been a huge success in getting kids active, the goal for the Foundation is to introduce and establish the programs within tribal communities across the country, and in turn, encourage tribes to run the programs themselves by maintaining facilities and finding coaches from within the tribe. With the funds raised through the Challenge, Notah hopes to provide reservations across the country with the resources necessary to establish and sustain these important programs year after year.

A Catalyst for Change

While the tournament will bring together some of golf’s finest, in the end, it’s not really about golf; the Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge is about giving back and raising awareness about the efforts being made by Tribal people to improve the health and wellness of their young people. The hope is that through this level of support and empowerment, Indian children will in turn want to give back to their own communities and provide the same opportunity given to them to future generations.