Immelman's father launches Golf 9/12 to commemorate, unite through golf

  December 16 -- Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001? Most likely, you know where you were and exactly what you were doing on the morning of 9/11. How about the next day?

On Sept. 12, 2001, American flags suddenly sprouted from nearly every citizen’s front door, side of the barn, and picket fence, as people across the country and around the world came together in a show of solidarity likely unseen since the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Annual day of unity. In that spirit, Golf 9/12 wants you to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the day after everything changed by playing golf with duffers worldwide on September 12. The ambitious goal is to kick off an annual day of unity on the first Monday after September 11 by having golfers tee it up at their local courses and employ technology to link up with hackers everywhere.

 "Golf 9-12 wants to bring people together, to unite people, to recall how we all felt that day," Johan Immelman, a North Carolina resident and former commissioner of the South Africa PGA Tour, told reporters Tuesday at Lake Nona Country Club in Orland, Fla. “We should always remember the tragic events of 9/11, but perhaps more importantly we should remember how we felt on 9/12, connected and engaged."

Immelman’s son, PGA Tour player Trevor, is involved in the undertaking, as are other golfers, including Davis Love III and former U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover, as well as World Series champ Johnny Damon, and NFL Hall of Famer  Dan Marino.

And a huge undertaking it is, as organizers seek eventually to enlist 10,000 golf clubs.

Big, hairy, audacious. "You have to have a big, hairy, audacious goal," said the elder Immelman, who offered a scaled-down, but still ambitious, objective of signing up 220 courses and 220,000 golfers for next year’s inaugural run. Immelman and the project’s co-chair and fellow South African expat, Richard Davies, came up with the plan after losing a friend in a plane crash on the morning of Sept. 11, 2009.

Perhaps an even brassier goal of the Golf 9/12 organizers is to knit together a country that has become increasingly polarized since Sept. 12, 2001.

"We thought, what can we do to unite people when they seem more divided than ever?" Jonah Immelman said of what he hopes will become “the largest multi-venue golf event in the world.”

Immelman’s boy supplied an answer. "I'm standing here as a South African, a proud South African who thoroughly enjoys living in the United States,” said Trevor Immelman. "This is such a perfect way for us to...get together and unite and stand together for something."

There’a a charitable element to the project as well. Each golfer will pay an additional $12 to play, with that cash and donations attained from optional post-round get-togethers supporting first responders, returning soldiers and their families, and several 9-11 memorial funds.

Twitter, Facebook, and a mobile application enabling live leaderboards will link each site.

Organizers said they have enrolled several dozen clubs to serve as Golf 9/12 sites and are actively seeking other courses. Click here for more information about Golf 9/12 and to get your club or course involved.

Speaking of polarizing, read how right-wing gadfly Sarah Palin is too “busy” for golf and wants President Obama to eschew the links as well.