The New Jersey State Golf Association held a pro-am to benefit local charities on Thursday ahead of its 101st State Open Championship next week.

The event was held at Spring Brook Country Club in Morristown.

“The spirit of the game of golf is one of volunteerism and giving back and there's no stronger example than that than the clubs here in New Jersey,” says NJSGA president Eric Houseknecht.

Nearly 100 players participated in the event to raise funds for the New Jersey State Golf Association Youth Foundation.

“It's great to see the support we're getting from all the amateur golfers in New Jersey for our foundation and for this event,” Houseknecht says.

The NJSGA has raised nearly $30,000 for the youth foundation so far. The funds will help grow the game for youth golfers around the state.

“We give to the first tees of various counties, we give to the Par Four down at Kean University, we give to the LPGA Youth,” says Youth Foundation chairman Frank O’Brien.

Next week’s championship will feature more than 100 golfers. Officials say that they hope their work with the Youth Foundation will help increase participation numbers in the future.

“It's a game that we'd love to see more young people get involved in and pursue it, because it's a game you can play for the rest of your life,” says O’Brien.

The State Open Championship tees off on Monday.