Golf can be such a game of “in the moment” that the present often usurps one’s purview.

But at SCGA Junior (formerly “Youth on Course”), the game’s future is in good hands.  With an ever-evolving vision, the transition to Junior asserts an enhanced pledge to the people and play of the next generation, along with a host of new programs to carve the game’s future fairways.

Among the new endeavors is the recent debut of the Donor Legacy Society, a philanthropic avenue honoring members interested in securing and sustaining continued opportunities for the SCGA’s youth movement.

For prospective donors aiming to pair the perennial prosperity of SCGA Junior with one’s own estate planning, the Legacy Society presents a number of program profiles designed to best fit an individual gifting plan.  Options for planned giving are as flexible as an “L” shaft, and gifting is tailored to best match the donor’s estate, charitable and retirement intentions.

Complimenting his service on the SCGA’s Board of Directors for the past five years, Bob Fischer is among the founding members of the Donor Legacy Society.  Fischer’s SCGA Board work includes serving on the Audit & Finance, Board Development, Rules & Competition and Strategic Planning Committees.

A veteran rules official for both SCGA tournaments and USGA Junior Amateur events, Fischer’s Legacy plan is long predated by a history of supporting of SCGA youth programs.

Over time, Fischer’s appreciation for junior golf has continually grown in concert with the kids whose lives his efforts have benefitted.

“From a rules standpoint, I’ve just always had a lot of fun with officiating young people’s events.  But I think the biggest selling point of SCGA Junior is when you go to an event where the juniors are there as speakers,” Fischer says.  “And you can see where we can take a kid of limited means and give him or her an opportunity to go to college, play golf in college and maybe pursue golf as a career. I just find that so very satisfying.”

A longtime financial donor to SCGA Junior, Fischer has also hosted an annual summer Play Day at The Los Angeles CC.

“I hear the other members raving about how impressive the kids are,” Fischer says of the Play Day.  “That’s another level of success, in exposing these kids to what I think is the top level of amateur golf and also exposing members to what the young people in golf are like; particularly, as it happens, demographically, to young people who may never have a chance to be members at a club.”

A retired attorney, Fischer is learned from court to course.  His experiences in the rules of both golf and law have led to an understanding of how to prep for the bounces.  Golf, like life, can oftentimes be a game of numbers.

With the creation of the Donor Legacy Society, Fischer and his wife Mary saw an opportunity to combine sound financial planning with a chance to continue giving to the game’s future after passing life’s home hole.

“In simple terms, which is probably as far as we’ve gotten, it’s just a question of giving a gift as part of your estate planning rather than as part of your current income management; making a gift through your will or through a trust,” Fischer explains.

Of his family’s gifting, Fischer describes a fairly simple process which included the modest costs of legal and financial consulting, along with the filing of tax returns.

“For me and my wife, financially, it was a very painless way of giving a fairly big amount of money to charity.  If you have an appreciated asset and want to avoid taxes – when there’s a taxable event like your death or the sale of a company or whatever – you put it in a charitable trust like this, get an income, and give the balance to charity when you pass.”

But beyond the paperwork, Fischer and his family ultimately see their donation as a chance to re-invest in the people, the programs and the game which has enriched their lives.

“Along with being fortunate in my career, golf has given me a lot, and I like being able to give back to golf,” Fischer says.

With the vision of looking beyond his own scorecard, Bob Fischer’s success in life is ensuring a prosperous future and ongoing opportunity for the game of tomorrow.

“I like what the SCGA does and, of course, they can do it better with more money,” says Fischer.  “So, ultimately, after I’m gone, if a kid without opportunity to do so otherwise now has money to go to college because of our contribution, or kids are just able to buy range balls and pay green fees, then I feel good about that as a way to give back to the game.”