The PGA MacKenzie Golf Tour swung for the hills when it came to Windsor last summer, setting a first-year attendance record.
It generated $2.4 million in local economic spinoff, attracted 7,000 fans, and donated $110,550 to The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.
Colleen Reaume, the executive director of the hospice, said free programs, such as the home palliative medicine program, are growing and this money helps dying patients and their families.
"In 2018, our physicians and nurses went out to the homes 2,302 times and that was up almost 300 visits from the previous year," said Reaume.
Reaume said the palliative medicine program is very efficient and provides a valuable service to the community.
"Ninety-eight per cent of their patients received care in their home and only two per cent of those patients had to go in at any time to the hospital for an admission for care that was needed," she said.
Reaume said the hospice is very busy and fewer end of life patients are going to the emergency department to get treatment.
"We also have nurses doing community liaison calls during the day and over 37,000 calls are answered during the day. They're trying to do patient care with other nurses, other physicians, pharmacies, etc." Reaume said.
The MacKenzie Tour returns to the Ambassador Golf Club July 1 until July 7, 2019. The hospice is again the benefitting charity.
The PGA Tour raised $190 million for charity last year through all of its tournaments and has donated $3.3 billion for charities since it started.
