Donating over 1000 Golf Balls – A Lawyer Landau Trifecta!
Always trying to be efficient, Doug Landau enjoys supporting the initiatives that benefit from Bishop’s events. #RacingToGiveBack
Travis Bishop has built up a company that puts on over 200 races a year in the Northern Virginia / Washington DC Metropolitan Area. His races cater to all levels of runners, joggers, and walkers. Venues range from wineries to the C&O canal. Many of the Bishop’s events support charitable endeavors affiliated with veterans groups, the military, etc. Examples include: Boulder Crest Foundation (the nation’s first privately funded rural wellness center dedicated to combat veterans, first responders and their family members) and Operation Turbo. (Find out more about their “Boxes of Home.”) Bishop’s Events also support: Manassas Battlefield Trust and Central Virginia Horse Rescue, Inc.
When there is racing at Washington DC‘s Haines Point, Doug Landau is especially excited to support these organizations because it ALSO enables him to drop off golf balls for the “First Tee” program, which teaches youth in the city how to play golf at the public course. This past weekend, Doug delivered another 30 dozen golf balls, which now brings his donation to over 1000 balls for these children to practice with, and knock into the Potomac River!
Landau accumulated most of these golf balls primarily during the COVID-19 pandemic while training on his bicycle and running by Loudoun and Fairfax County links. “I would see balls in the road and trails around golf courses” Landau noted, “I would return from training with a hip bag full of balls laying around trails public courses. It got to the point where I could spot a golf ball from 100 yards away! I sometimes would have so many on my long runs that I could not carry them all. I think that the high winds, lack of buffers/tall fences, and perhaps the skill level of local golfers, all contributed to the thousands of balls I have collected. Even on Reston Bike Club rides, I will sometimes stop and pick up a few balls on the street, if it was safe to do so. After giving all the new balls and sleeves I accumulated from my speeches to lawyers to the Oakton High School Golf Team, and over 1100 balls to First Tee, I still have a full trash can full of Titleist, Calloway, Dunlop, Nike, and other top brand golf balls.”
While Lawyer Landau does not play golf himself, his late father was an avid and accomplished golfer. Norman Landau competed successfully in Pro-Am tournaments on both the East Coast and West Coast; volunteered to Marshall for PGA tournaments; and was one of the three Mediators selected to oversee the PGA/Senior PGA vs. the Merrill-Lynch litigation in New York City.
“Especially at golf courses, where there are no buffers or big fancy houses surrounding the fairways, it’s not unusual to see balls lying on the neighboring roads, or W&OD Trail. Golf courses are very beautiful places, and growing up, I used to go sleigh riding, running, turtle & frog catching, tobogganing, and even cross-country skiing on them. As an adult, I have raced a few cross-country races on golf courses. Once, when the rain was so heavy that my shoes got soaked, I ran barefoot! I would never run on a golf course if it wasn’t permitted, as it is against the rules. The Herndon Community Center used to have a Turkey Trot 5km that was on the course. It is the one time all year when you could legally run on the fairways! However, the race now has gotten too big, and is now ran primarily on the W&OD Trail just down the street from the Landau Law Shop.”
If you know of a charitable group or school team that could use some golf balls for practice and learning the game, please reach out to Doug Landau. His wife will be very happy if he’s able to give away more balls that are currently stored in their garage! For more information please contact us at (703) 796–9055 or email frontdesk@landaulawshop.com.