Why Jack and Barbara Play Yellow for Children’s Hospitals

Led by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, the PGA TOUR and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, “Play Yellow for Children’s Hospitals” strives to bring the entire golf world together to help the 10 million kids treated at local children’s hospitals each year.

Watch to learn more.

Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, and the PGA TOUR invite you to Play Yellow! You can make a difference for local children's hospitals while playing the game you love. Whether that's through a corporate partnership, a special fundraising event, or partaking in a Birdie Bash, your role in Play Yellow is a critical one. Join the program that has raised more than $100M for children's health through the game of golf since 2019 and donate today!

Shodair
Play Yellow to Raise Unrestricted Funds Locally

Alongside Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and the PGA TOUR, Play Yellow helps to raise unrestricted funds for member hospitals of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Working with local courses, golf pros, celebrities, and pediatric ambassadors, children’s hospitals such as Shodair Children’s Hospital in Helena, MT, are harnessing the power of golf to fundraise and build awareness for their mission. Collectively, member hospitals have raised more than $100 million through Play Yellow, creating momentum to turn the love of golf into a nationwide movement to change kids’ health and change the future.

Birdie Bash
PGA of America Birdie Bash

PGA of America golf pros nationwide are teaming up for kids’ health in a fun “sprint” format. In this peer-to-peer fundraising model, golf pros pair up for 72 consecutive holes and raise money for each birdie they make that day. It’s a great day for a great cause, and it's hard to imagine a more ideal way to spend hours on the course! Reach out to bevans@cmnhospitals.org to learn more.

Ambassadors
Play Yellow Ambassadors: Golf’s Top Athletes

From Peter Malnati to 2023 PGA TOUR card earner Chris Gotterup and more, the best players in the game of golf are rallying with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus to change kids’ health. Play Yellow proudly includes more than a dozen renowned golf leaders as ambassadors for national and local fundraising efforts that tie golf to good through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. What started with golf’s greatest – Jack and Barbara Nicklaus – is moving forward with the generous support of athletes who care about the future of kids.

Jack & Barbara's love for yellow

Craig Smith

Play Yellow traces its origins back to a young man and friend of the Nicklaus family, Craig Smith, who was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, Ewing Sarcoma, in 1968. This program is a tribute to Craig, who had a penchant for wearing a lucky yellow shirt to cheer on Jack when he was competing, and his remarkable friendship with golf’s greatest champion.

Nicklaus Children's Hospital

The Vision of Jack & Barbara

A $100 Million Miracle

A Lifelong Commitment to Children's Hospitals

Barbara and Jack Nicklaus have established a lifelong commitment to saving the lives of children by supporting children's hospitals. Their personal efforts have made enormous impact on hospitals in Central Ohio and South Florida. Both Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and Nicklaus Children's in Miami, Florida are forever improved as a result of their efforts.

Teeing the Vision Forward

To build on this vision, Barbara and Jack are asking the entire golf world to step forward and help change kids' health by raising funds to help children's hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. CMN Hospitals, along with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and the PGA TOUR, have created a unique cause-marketing platform designed specifically for the golf industry.

Why Children's Miracle Network Hospitals?

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals provides the perfect platform to give back to children's hospitals. Its network of 170 children's hospitals across North America allows the golf community to give back to the communities in which they play and support. CMN Hospitals was built on a premise of keeping funds in local communities and allowing hospitals to use the funds where they are needed most. To learn more about CMN Hospitals, click here.

How about a little history?

A Lifelong Commitment

Jack and Barbara have a love and passion for children’s hospitals. They’ve committed their lives to raising funds and awareness for the 10 million children treated every year. Not only are they actively involved with their own hospital in South Florida, they want to help all children’s hospitals in North America. They set a goal to raise $100 Million for CMN Hospitals.

Enter Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

It’s a tall order to raise $100 Million dollars in five years. With the help of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a network of 170 children’s hospitals, along with corporate partners, media partner and the phrase “It takes a village” comes to life. Add in Jack & Barbara’s influence in golf and the PGA TOUR and the miracle starts to take shape.

How Play Yellow Began

The idea for playing yellow was born over a plate of chocolate chip cookies. We’re not kidding and yes, Barbara is amazing! Meeting at the Nicklaus home PGA TOUR Commissioner, Jay Monahan, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and John Lauck, CEO and President of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals asked the question, “how might we get the golf community together under one umbrella to help children’s hospitals?”