How The Cradle Solstice event is impacting Pinehurst’s community

The Cradle Solstice is an annual charity golf event making a meaningful impact on the Pinehurst community, but I bet you didn’t know it all stemmed from an idea conceived by Kelly Mitchum.

Back in 2017, Mitchum, Lead Instructor at Pinehurst Golf Academy and Southern Pines native, had an idea. On the shortest day of the year, he was going to see how many holes he could play at Pinehurst’s shortest course, The Cradle.

Mitchum teed off at sunrise, playing the par-3 course until the sunset, and by the time the last putt dropped, he had played over 410 holes of golf. 

While he could have let the story end there, Mitchum saw the opportunity for a charitable component to give back to the local community and worked with his team at Pinehurst to make it happen.

The next year, The Cradle Solstice was opened to the public, drawing 10 participants, including country music artist Scotty McCreery. Each player gathered pledges from donors based on the number of holes played, birdies made, and even holes-in-one carded. When all was said and done, the event raised an impressive $18,000 for the North Carolina Food Bank and Young Life of the Sandhills. 

Every year that followed, the Cradle Solstice continued to grow and so did their charitable contributions.

“A couple of years ago, I think we raised 46,000 dollars,” Mitchum said. 

This increase in donations allowed Mitchum and his team to donate to more charitable organizations in the area, like PGA Reach, which gives back to local youth, military, and diverse populations through the game of golf. 

Recognizing the full potential of The Cradle Solstice, Mitchum and his team revamped the event last year, transitioning from an individual to a team format in hopes of increasing charitable donations for the local community. Which was a resounding success.

“I think we raised $78-79,000 last year,” Mitchum said.

With donations almost doubling, they were able to support additional organizations, including a local medical care clinic that Mitchum and his team personally visited to deliver the donation.

“Just seeing their reaction, that was everything,” Mitchum said, “There’s a lot of joy in giving, especially around this time of year.”

This year’s Cradle Solstice Event took place Saturday, Dec. 21, with the benefits going to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, Young Life of the Sandhills, PGA Reach Foundation, Folds of Honor, and Western North Carolina Hurricane Helene Relief. 

While it might be too late to play, it’s not too late to donate and make a meaningful contribution to Pinehurst’s community. Visit their Just Giving page to make a contribution.