Inaugural Horschel Family Foundation Charity Classic presented by Zurich delivers on more than round of golf

Announcing the formation of the Horschel Family Foundation in October of 2023, with her husband, Billy, by her side, Brittany Horschel stood before an assembled staff of the PGA TOUR – with whom the foundation had partnered – and spoke from the heart as well as personal experience.

“We believe that changing one life alters the footprint left on our earth forever,” said Brittany Horschel that day, “and hope to help steer the world towards a more healthy, positive and loving place for future generations to come.”

The loved and respected wife of the eight-time PGA TOUR winner will celebrate her ninth anniversary of sobriety on May 21, and has used her time over the years being anything but idle.

“When Billy and Brittany came to me and said they wanted to start their own foundation, my first question for them was what it would be designed to do,” said Brad Nelson, executive director of the Horschel Family Foundation and Brittany’s brother. “They really wanted to positively impact people here in Jacksonville.”

On its website, the Horschel Family Foundation’s motivation and direction is described as passionately investing in communities by partnering with organizations that inspire hope, provide healing, promote health and honor our soldiers.

On April 3, the Horschels extended and expanded that passion with the first Horschel Family Foundation Charity Classic presented by Zurich.

The event at The Yards in Ponte Vedra Beach featured 18 foursomes, live music, awards and other prizes. While it was a nice opportunity for individuals who support the foundation to enjoy a round of golf, the overriding objective was to bring awareness to many of the organizations supported by – and supportive of – the Horschel Family Foundation.

“We wanted to have an event for people who have supported our foundation in the past as well as for others who still want to get involved,” said Brittany. “The idea was to bring everyone together for a fun golf event as a way to thank everyone for their support.”

“I’m deeply grateful to be invited to be a part of this with such an amazing cause,” said Steve Goyer, a long-time Jacksonville minister. “With those I come across in my ministry, every family is in some way impacted by drug and/or alcohol dependency. The Horschel Family Foundation is one of the few I know of that specializes in fundraising events. We need more like this. I’m incredibly grateful to the Horschels for being vulnerable and open with their life story to let God use it for redemptive purposes like this.”

“What has come together with this golf event is just awesome,” said Billy Horschel. “This foundation is my wife’s baby. To see the work she and her brother, Brad Nelson, have done in less than two years is unbelievable. We’ve got a lot of momentum. We’re really getting our foundation name out there as far as our causes, what we’re doing and who we’re supporting.”

In addition to its initial support of Feeding Northeast Florida, K9s for Warriors, the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA), they’ve expanded the Horschel Family Foundation to include the mental health and addiction services.

“With my sister’s public battle with alcohol, she really felt it was important to have a mental health and addiction pillar in the foundation,” said Nelson. “The foundation is set up to support the organizations they’ve been supporting for many years, but to also address the mental health and addiction side that is so important to Brittany and our family.”

Nelson, who will celebrate 13 years of sobriety in May, brings that unique level of understanding to his position as executive director.

“The motivation behind the foundation is to help set up different resources and connect individuals to other people who can help them get sober,” said Nelson.

The Betty Griffin Center, for example, is a safety center in St. Johns County helping survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault work through their life-changing traumas and live fulfilling lives on their terms. Services include a 24-hour crisis helpline, an emergency shelter, confidential counseling and legal assistance. All services are free to survivors.

“The Horschel Family Foundation is very clear with its four pillars of hope, healing, help and honor,“ said Jayne Evans, Betty Griffin Center board member. “Sometimes, there are substance abuse issues that come into play in homes impacted by domestic violence. I think that is one reason they found us to be an important organization.”

“We are a long-time supporter of the Horschel Family Foundation,” said Jill Thomas, chief marketing officer, PGA TOUR Superstore. “This is incredibly important to us. What people may not realize is that the purpose of the PGA TOUR Superstore is to give back to others. We’re very fortunate to be owned by Arthur Blank. Having a philanthropic, purpose-driven mission is really what we’re about. Supporting all four pillars of the Horschel Family Foundation is very important to us.

“We are so proud of Brittany. She is a shining star. She’s the center of their family unit. She’s an incredible wife, mother and woman. She is a true inspiration, and we are just so proud to be a part of their foundation. We consider them family and we’re really proud to be a part of it.”

As part of the Horschel Family Foundation’s evolution, the Horschels and Nelson are excited by a new campaign poised to launch this summer called “The Sober Modern Life.” The name is drawn from a former blog Brittany maintained, “The Sober Modern Mom.”

“After talking with different organizations like Baptist Health, Optum and other therapists, we’ve learned that in addition to addiction, there’s a bigger issue with the things that lead to addiction like anxiety and depression,” said Nelson. “Social media’s ‘doom scrolling,’ comparison and isolation are all contributing factors.”

Nelson explained that when many people hear the word sobriety, the basic definition of getting sober from alcohol or drugs is the first thought. But, with this new campaign, they will expand the definition of sobriety by determining what it is people need to get sober from.

With as many modern issues as there are that lead people into these addictions, the plan with “The Sober Modern Life” will place an emphasis on addressing those trigger points. It will feature both scientific- and faith-based approaches.

“Long-term sobriety is achieved by helping people,” said Nelson. “We take that and apply it to all the pillars of the Horschel Family Foundation.”

To acknowledge the effort and commitment at the forefront of Brittany’s sobriety, on the eight-year anniversary of his wife’s success last year, Billy relayed a message to the world via social media:

“I know there’s a lot of people out there struggling with addiction, and you can’t see the light at the tunnel. You don’t think you can get sober, you don’t think that anyone can care for you or love you enough to help you through the journey, but there are people out there. So, if you’re struggling with some form of addiction, please reach out to people, because people want to help you. People want to see you achieve a better life, a more happy, healthy life, a more successful life.”

“Billy has been absolutely fantastic through all of this,” said Nelson. “He’s playing full-time on the PGA TOUR, managing a family and so many more obligations that people cannot even imagine. But he always makes time. He doesn’t just show up and hang out in the background. He engages with everyone, which is fantastic. And Brittany is wonderful, too.”

By everyone’s assessment, though, all credit for the help given via the Horschel Family Foundation belongs to the woman who first needed help.

“I really am proud of myself,” Brittany said. “This has all been quite a process and years in the making. It will also continue to be years of learning and building to become the best ‘me’ for myself, my family and my community. Being able to live sober – be a sober mom, a sober wife – is extremely special and important to me. I’m grateful to be able to share my sobriety with everyone and excited to have the opportunity to continue to learn and share all I learn with this community.”