Teams participated in the day-long event on a dry and sunny day at the fantastic Fairways of Halfmoon. The golf scramble included morning refreshments at registration sponsored by Tech Valley Talent, lunch at the turn sponsored by KPMG, a post-golf reception sponsored by Amazon Web Services and Cisco.
Tournament participants enjoyed a variety of competitions in addition to 18 holes of scramble golf tournament play. Activities included: a NYSTEC Putting Green Challenge; player contests sponsored by Authorium that included men’s and women’s longest drive, closest to the line, and closest to pin competitions; a hole-in-one opportunity for a chance to win $5,000 sponsored by CGI; and Texas Roadhouse giveaways where 100% of the proceeds were returned to the Forum to be donated back to Double H Ranch.
The two beverage carts, sponsored by Palo Alto and Fortinet, kept spirits high on the course, while each player received a gift bag sponsored by SoftEd, filled with NYS Forum visors and donated golf gear from Arctiq, Aspire Technology Partners, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Gartner, Halcyon, and Workday. A tournament leaderboard sponsored by Halcyon provided real-time updates on team standings as scores were posted.
The tournament was further supported by numerous hole sponsors, including: Fran Reiter (The NYS Forum), Aspire Technology Partners, Authorium, Brown & Weinraub, CB20, CDW-G, CMA Consulting, Gartner, Halcyon, Hollis Public Affairs, NYSTEC, Ostroff Associates, Slalom, TEKsystems, and Workday.
Following the 18 holes, players gathered in the Fairways of Halfmoon Banquet Hall where they enjoyed a buffet meal, and time for networking. NYS Forum Executive Director Fran Reiter welcomed all attendees and addressed the crowd on the day’s events.
Also in attendance was TJ Roode, Community Relations Manager of Double H Ranch who provided an overview of the organization. The Forum was thrilled to be able to present them with a ceremonial check for $9,500.
Maureen McHugh (Halcyon), who chaired the golf committee, presented awards to the golf contest winners. Awards were given to Matt Galante, John Cope, Tom Suraci, and Dan Scandalito for the best foursome of the day. The team posted a tournament-best score of 60 and received a complimentary round of golf for four at the Fairways of Halfmoon. J.T. Nichel and Kiera Bentley recorded the longest drives of the tournament, while Chris Gryboski and Kiera Bentley won the Closest to the Pin competitions. Winners of the Closest to the Line contests were Joe Maltino and Fran Reiter.
A TaylorMade Cart Bag ($299 Value), a Fairways Hoodie ($45 Value), Novus Women's Quarter Zip ($69.99 Value), Novus Men's Quarter Zip ($74.99 Value), TaylorMade SpeedSoft Golf Balls ($11.02 Value), and a complimentary foursome at Colonie Golf & Country Club ($400 Value), generously donated by ePlus, were raffled off to lucky winners. Five participants were selected as winners of the NYSTEC Putting Green Challenge. Special thanks go to a member of TEKsystems, winner of the 50/50 raffle, who generously donated the entire prize back to the charity.
“The NYS Forum is incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to the success of this year's outing,” said Reiter. “The record-breaking support demonstrated by our golfers, sponsors, and volunteers will help Double H Ranch continue its extraordinary work. We are honored to play a small role in helping advance their mission.”
The Forum also thanks the Fairways of Halfmoon for hosting the event and maintaining excellent course conditions. Planning is already underway for the 2027 tournament!
The Double H Ranch, co-founded by Charles R. Wood and Paul Newman, provides specialized programs and year-round support for children and their families across the Northeast and beyond who are living with chronic and serious illnesses. Its mission is to enrich their lives through camp experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe, and medically sound. All programs are offered free of charge.
Located in Lake Luzerne, New York, the Ranch offers a wide range of activities throughout the year. During the summer and family weekends, campers enjoy amenities such as indoor and outdoor pools, a high ropes course, archery, horseback riding, a picnic pavilion, stage area, dining hall, arts and crafts building, ski chalet, and expansive outdoor spaces for recreation and exploration. In the winter, the Adaptive Winter Sports Program gives campers and their families the opportunity to learn to ski or snowboard on our very own hill, complete with a chairlift, magic carpet, and three trails.
