The Colleton River Colligate has taken place every March for fourteen years. In 2010, Colleton River residents, Willa Thiess and her late husband, Al, started the tournament that quickly became a weekend event for not only the players and coaches but also for their families and Colleton River members.

In 2010 Sam Puryear was the men’s golf coach at Michigan State and is currently the golf coach of Howard University. He told us “I give Mr. & Mrs, Thiess credit. We developed a relationship and they walked me in, and we brought the team down. And that was just the beginning. Now look at what evolved. These young people now get the experience of a lifetime. Coach Casey Lubahn and Michigan State have done an amazing job. Right now, this has to be one of the best colligate events on the schedule for many of these teams. In that respect, Casey has done a heck of a job.”

“The relationships we’ve had with the families and specifically the McCanns, have honestly become like family. We go to church together, break bread together - I think that the community aspect of the whole membership getting involved makes the players extremely special, and it makes it easier to come back. Of course, the quality of the teams and the golf course speaks for itself. As well the hospitality interaction with the members and how much they get involved is awesome.”

-Coach Rob Shutte, Rutgers University. Eighth year attending Colleton River Colligate. 

“I stayed with Joe and Judy Hertel every year now. I keep in touch with them all year, not just when we are about to be in town. The relationships are what it is all about. You just don’t get treated like this at many college events. We run our own tournaments and we try to keep building it to something like this but to see a community rally around it - 240-something volunteers - that’s unbelievable. You just don’t see that in college golf. It’s an honor to be here.”

-Coach Justin Smith, University of Minnesota. Third year attending Colleton River Colligate.

“I think the biggest thing is the relationships we build with the people. What makes this tournament so special is the support it gets from the Colleton River community. We don’t get that every week. Obviously, the golf course speaks for itself. We play good golf courses pretty much every week but what sets this tournament apart is the support from the members, the relationships we coaches get to make with the members, and even more so for the players to get to form relationships with the members.”

-Coach Grant Robbins, Kansas State. Sixth year attending Colleton River Colligate.

“This is my first year coaching with Missouri. I had heard so many great things from our coaches and players who have come. So far it has exceeded every expectation that I had for it. What’s unique about this tournament is the support of the community and the host families - not just being able to stay with them but being able to interact with them, really spend time with them, and really get to know more of the history of this golf course and community. You know this part of the country is known for fantastic golf. This is one of the elite facilities and the best test of golf that our guys can find throughout the year. Combine that with the experience provided by the whole community you can’t have a better event.”

-Coach Glen Millican, University of Missouri. First-year attending Colleton River Colligate.

“It’s great to see the Colleton River family behind it. It benefits not just a community on the inside but also on the outside. I think that it’s fantastic. It’s neat when your young people get the chance to experience community support and get to play against great competition at a pretty magical place. For us, it’s a win, win, win on all fronts.”

-Coach Sam Puryear, Howard University. First-year attending the event since 2010.

This year there were 160 member volunteers filling 230 volunteer roles. In addition, 41 member homes were hosting players, coaches, and officials.

“I am extremely grateful to the Colleton River Community for the involvement and engagement with the Players, Coaches, Families, Alumni, and Spectators.  They represent the welcoming spirit of our community in a way that goes beyond measure.  In addition, their generosity to the charitable aspect of the event goes an incredibly long way to helping those in need in our local communities.” - Tom Eagan

Each year the event grows in what it offers its players and spectators. This year the new addition was the Live Streaming of the event. GameKast TV told us that this was the most viewed live stream of a collegiate event they have ever broadcast.  At one time there were over 40 international viewers online.  This is particularly important as 19 countries were represented by the players in the field. Our member commentators provided analysis, local course and club knowledge, and through their humor and banter, an unprecedented level of engagement with the live stream audience. A special thanks to our commentators: David Hughes, David Johnson, Mike Reever, Tony Ying, Sammy Liberatore, Bob Schultz, and Gary Sleeper.

The 2024 Colleton River Colligate hosted fourteen teams this year. Michigan State as the host team invited: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, University of Cincinnati, Georgia Southern University, Howard University, Indiana University, Iowa State, Kansas State, University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, Penn State, and Rutgers University.

The champions of the event were the Georgia Southern University Eagles for the fourth year in a row! They were -32 while Chattanooga Mocs came in second with -30, and Rutgers Scarlett Knights came in third with -24. 

“I had the opportunity to play with the Minnesota men’s golf team on Sunday. You have to be impressed with the quality of their golf game, but also with the character of the individual who is part of that team. It was a pleasure to be able to interact with these young men.”

-Dr. Lee Irving

"It was delightful to watch these young lads take on one of the most challenging courses in the state of SC. While I struggled to play, what was a par 95 for me from the tips, they were drawing, fading, and chipping the ball close to the hole for pars and birdies! 

They loved the generous landing zones off the tees, but they all had a great deal to say about the challenging greens. A couple of them exclaimed ...'these are the best greens that I have ever played.' ” -Hemant Goel