EAU CLAIRE — In 2004, the first Chieftain Golf Outing was hosted and Dowagiac resident Rich Hutchinson became hooked on attending. 

“I first started because it started with the athletic boosters, and then it went onto the foundation,” Hutchinson said. “Nowadays, the schools need all the help they can get.”

Hutchinson, who has not missed an outing since its inaugural year, was just one of 216 golfers to hit the green on Thursday at the 16th annual Chieftain Golf Outing at Indian Lake Hills Golf Course. 

“They put on a fantastic outing here. Tom [Carlson] and the whole booster group and foundation group put a lot of work into this, and it’s a fun time,” Hutchinson said. 

Since 2004, the outing has raised more than $450,000 for the Dowagiac Schools Foundation and Dowagiac Athletic Boosters, with 100 percent of the proceeds split between the two organizations.

For Hutchinson, the outing is a family affair. Both his sons played for Dowagiac golf, and they have continued golfing together for years. 

“We moved up here in 1994. We were originally from the Chicago area, moved up here to be by family, and that’ where it all started. Been coming here since,” Hutchinson said. “I tell Tom, ‘I’ll be doing this till I’m gone.’” 

Tom Carlson, the chairman of the Chieftain Golf Outing said he expects to raise about $40,000 this year. His goal is to hit half a million in total proceeds from the outing’s 16 years. Full fundraising totals will not be known until next week, he said.

Even with the weather being overcast, the event still sold out and attracted 54 teams with a total of 216 golfers, all ready to tee off and support athletics. 

Hutchinson, who grew up playing sports all year round himself, recalled just how much he has seen the outing grow. 

“Each year has been something different,” he said. “I remember the years where they struggled to get people here. The last few years, we’ve got all 27 holes filled up. The sponsors are back, and it’s a lot nicer.”

In addition to Dowagiac residents, past employees of the school continue to show support. 

“You look at all the people that are here that were involved with the Dowagiac schools,” Hutchinson said. “They’re not anymore. They may be at other schools, some of them teachers and administrators, but they all come back for this. They’ll always come back for this.”

When it comes to keeping score, Hutchinson prefers to just enjoy the 18-hole course and ditch the pencil. 

“I’m probably one of the worst golfers here,” he said. “My sons are both really good golfers, and I just come to be with them and everybody else. It’s all about having fun.”

Carlson, along with the rest of the Chieftain Golf Outing committee began planning the outing in January.