HORSESHOE BAY, Texas – To say that this year’s Folds of Honor Legacy Cup, conducted this fall at Horseshoe Bay Resort, the AAA-Four Diamond and Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Award-winning resort, a part of the Crescent Hotels & Resorts Latitudes collection, was a resounding success is probably a bit of an understatement.
In just its second year, this Central Texas District Folds of Honor event not only exceeded the $100,000 it raised in 2024 to help families of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders, it far surpassed it.
The 2025 Folds of Honor Legacy Cup at Horseshoe Bay Resort raised $164,000, which will be used to award scholarships to family members of service members and first responders who have made sacrifices to ensure freedom and make people’s lives safer.
The golf tournament was conducted on the acclaimed Apple Rock Course at Horseshoe Bay Resort.
“This event has become a deeply meaningful touchstone event for our members and our community and fills everyone involved with a sense of purpose, pride, and gratitude that we can do our part to contribute to the vital work of the Folds of Honor,” said Horseshoe Bay Resort Director of Golf Operations Anthony Holder. “We want to take this support and momentum and grow this event every year.”
Folds of Honor was founded in 2007 by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, the only F-16 pilot who is also a PGA of America golf professional. Folds of Honor has awarded 62,000 scholarships to military and first responder spouses and children, totaling around $290 million in all 50 states.
“That $164,000 net for us is equivalent to just over 32 scholarships,” said Bradley Allen, Regional Impact Officer for the Central Texas Chapter of the Folds of Honor. “It’s pretty amazing considering it’s only the second year.”
Ron Doherty and Steve Wilkins, who are both members of The Club at Horseshoe Bay Resort, along with Mark Voss from the Central Texas Chapter of Folds of Honor, have been a big part of the driving force behind the Legacy Cup. And when Doherty says it will raise even more money next year, he means it. Plans call for the event to double in size and use two courses next year.
In addition to the Apple Rock Course, Ram Rock, a Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design that’s long been regarded as one of the best and most challenging courses in Texas, will also host golfers. Instead of 144 players, it will have 288 players next year to raise more than $200,000 and impact more than 50 families.
The 2025 event, however, was so successful because of sponsors, speakers, auctions, and the eagerness of Horseshoe Bay club members to play in the event for a cause that nobody can say no to, said Allen, who is now a member of the Army Reserve and has spent 19 years in the service.
“It was not only a great cause, but a great time,” Allen said. “I don’t know anybody who walked away from that who didn’t have a smile on their face. It’s one of these events where people are saying that not only do they feel good, because they gave to a cause, but man, I can’t wait for that event next year because it’s so much fun.”
A new wrinkle at this year’s event was something called the SmartPin, which has partnered with Folds of Honor nationally. The way it works is that it’s set up on a par 3, where a camera can actually record each player’s shot all the way to the hole. It can detect a hole-in-one, obviously, but also if the ball finishes within “gimme” range, or 3-feet, which pays out prize money as well. It also provides each participant with a professionally narrated video. Twenty-dollar minimum donations were covered, but groups whose players contributed $50 to $100 each got an automatic “2” on the hole.
The speakers at this year’s event were Alex McIntosh and Hannah Davis.
McIntosh, a Gold Star father, has been heading up an event in Houston for years to honor his son, U.S. Army Cpl. Scott McIntosh, who, during his second tour in Iraq in 2008, was among five soldiers who perished because of a suicide bomber. He was 26 at the time and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Alex and his family were devastated. When he found out about the then-upstart Folds of Honor, he started the Scott A. McIntosh Memorial Tournament, which has not only raised more than $7 million but has served as inspiration to many more Folds events.
Doherty recalled a particularly poignant moment when a woman came to deliver flowers to go with a memorial setup of Scott McIntosh’s rifle, helmet, and boots.
“She had this stare,” Doherty said. “And I had seen that stare before. I asked her if she was alright. She said, ‘I lost my fiancé the first year of Afghanistan.’ I’m like, ‘holy smokes.’ It brought it all back to me.”
Hannah Davis was just three years old when her father, pilot Jeff Davis, died from injuries he suffered in a helicopter crash. Hannah was actually working at a golf course as a teenager when she found out about the Folds of Honors scholarships. She applied and was awarded a scholarship that allowed her to graduate from Michigan State University without any debt. Her younger brother, Blake, is also a recipient.
“Everybody hears those stories and sees stuff on social media, but when you’re there, face to face with the people who literally lost someone – and there are people in the crowd who might be in similar situations – it really hits home,” Allen said. “They are living the life that honors the memory of those we lost or supporting those who never came back 100 percent.”
As for next year, Doherty and Wilkins, along with the support of Horseshoe Bay Resort Director of Golf Operations Anthony Holder, are planning to enlist more sponsors as well and more members, especially women members, to fill up the two golf courses.
Learn more at HSBResort.com and FoldsOfHonor.com.