Men’s Golf Prepares for Trip to Scotland
8/23/2023 2:02:00 PM | Men's Golf
Lions will spend the final week of August touring the “Birthplace of Golf”
NEW YORK — Columbia men's golf is preparing to embark on a one-week trip to Scotland. The Lions will depart Thursday, August 24 and spend a full week overseas before returning Friday, September 1.
Columbia is able to take advantage of this program after former Lion golfer, Julian Geiger '67CC was reminiscing with classmates about his experience as a student-athlete during the 2009 Alumni Outing. Mr. Geiger recounted his experiences as a Lion and how the lessons he learned on and off the field enhanced his life well beyond graduation. Julian, inspired to recreate these same lessons for the current players, founded the inaugural foreign tour and The Geiger Trophy tournament. Named in honor of his father, Howard W. Geiger, the Geiger Trophy was established to commemorate Howard's generous and extensive efforts on behalf of the University during his tenure as Chairman of the Parent's Committee of the Columbia College Fund from 1963-1967.
"Since its inception in early 1896, Columbia golf has been more than scoring averages, individual accolades, or finishes in the Ivy League Championship. It is the field in which men build their character, develop their virtues, come to know themselves and dare to achieve at least some small experience of greatness," Columbia Director of Golf Rich Mueller said. "It is, therefore, a natural progression in thought to yearn for the "Birthplace of Golf," where these aspirations became synonymous with golf. This is precisely why the inaugural foreign tour was held in Scotland in 2010; no stage could better suit these two firsts."
This will be the program's fourth iteration of this tour, which they also took in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Throughout the week, the team will compete in an intra-squad tournament to determine the winner of The Geiger Trophy. The Geiger Trophy will be determined using both Stableford and match play formats. The Stableford portion will be conducted over 54 holes using KingsBarns, Carnoustie, and North Berwick. The top two Stableford scorers will play a match at Gullane during the first round of the final day to determine The Geiger Trophy Champion. The trophy will be presented at dinner on the last evening.
"I can tell you that few moments within our program rival this trip – it will be a life-altering and memorable experience for our athletes," Mueller added. "This is more than just golf and, of course, several meaningful surprises are planted along the way. Finally, the players will spend time with the trip's founder and supporter, Julian Geiger."
Fans are encouraged to keep up with the Lions on their journey through Scotland by following @CULionsMGolf on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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For the latest on Columbia men's golf, follow @CULionsMGolf on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
