Carl's Golfland caps COVID-19 relief fund at $625,000, makes final donation to vets' group

Carl's Golfland took a hearty swing at COVID-19, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for relief efforts.

All told, Carl's Golfland — the golf superstore with locations in Bloomfield Township and Plymouth — raised $625,000 for its #ShankThisVirus, distributing its final donation this week, $26,000 to the Vietnam Veterans of America.

Funds were raised through the sale of #ShankThisVirus t-shirts, as well as personal donations and a significant contribution from Carl Rose Jr.

“We are grateful to the thousands of people who supported the #ShankThisVirus campaign,” Rose said in a statement Thursday. “It is a testament to the golfing community that we were able to help so much in this time of need.”

The campaign launched in April, a month after the COVID-19 pandemic took hold on hundreds of thousands of businesses across the country — including Carl's, which transitioned to an online-heavy operation.

Carl's announced a $100,000 donation of its own during a May televised exhibition match featuring Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.

The Vietnam Veterans of America is based in Silver Springs, Maryland.

“When COVID-19 hit, our organization was forced to scale back our work even as we were studying the impact of the virus on aging veterans,” John Rowan, national President for VVA, said in a statement. 

“This donation will help us to continue our work and restore services and outreach to our members.”

Rose's donations have been both local and national, including the American Nurses Foundation and the New York City Fire Department.

Carl's Golfland was founded in 1958 by Carl and Donna Rose; Carl died this March, and Donna died in 2018.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984