Jerry Rich prepares to share his course with the world

When it comes to money, he lives up to his last name.

When it comes to men's golf, he's been there done that.

Jerry Rich has played some of the best courses in the world and had the opportunity to hang with some of the most influential people in the sport. This is not a man easily impressed - that is until the topic turns to women's golf.

"Every time I play with the LPGA players, I'm in awe," Rich said. "How accurate they are, their driving ability, their iron play."

For this Christmas, it's clear family and friends of Jerry Rich should forget trying to find something to put under the tree for the owner/architect of one of the top private courses around - Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

Rich already has received the best gift he could ask for, a gift that combines three of his passions - women's, amateur and kid's golf - and he's giving back and inviting everyone to share of piece of it as host of the 2009 Solheim Cup.

The 2009 Cup, which comes to Rich Harvest Farms the week of Aug. 17-23, wraps all Rich's passions neatly into one package, bringing the best women golfers from Europe here to challenge the top U.S. players in a Ryder Cup-style format.

Just as important to Rich, Solheim Week features several events for teens, highlighted by the PING Junior Solheim Cup, which is patterned after the Solheim Cup and features the top 12 U.S. girls vs. their European counterparts.

In fact, it was that event that really tipped the scales for Rich and convinced him to host a world-class event open to the public.

"In 2002, I heard that (PING chairman and CEO) John Solheim, when the tournament was at Interlachen (Country Club in Minnesota), had started the Junior Solheim," he said. "I sent the director of my (kid's golf) foundation up there. She came back after three days and said, 'Mr. Rich, this is the tournament we have to go after.'"

Rich tracked down then-LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw's number, placed a call, and the rest is history.

Now, following a year without any top-tier golf events in the Chicago area, the 2009 Solheim Cup promises to be the gift that keeps on giving for area golf fans.

And Rich, for one, can't wait to see how some of the top women pro golfers handle his masterpiece.

"When we joined a (golf) club down in Florida (years ago), JoAnne Carner was a member, Louise Suggs was a member, (2009 Solheim captain) and Beth Daniel became a member," Rich said. "Every time I had the chance to play with the girls, it was magnificent how well they play this game.

"Sure, the men hit their irons a little farther, their drives a little farther, but as far as an all-around game, I tell you, the girls are really magnificent."

If you really want to see Rich beam in this season of giving, just mention his Kids Golf Foundation, which he started 10 years ago.

"In 10 years we've touched over 100,000 inner-city kids from the state of Illinois," Rich said. "That's what is really important."

The emphasis on kids will continue during Solheim Cup Week in August. Children 15 and younger will receive a free admission with a ticketed adult and will have the opportunity to participate in activities at the event's main entrance, including a scavenger hunt with prizes, daily drawings, interactive golf lessons and a behind-the-scenes tour of the event.

"If you ask me what's the most important thing at Rich Harvest, it's our foundation and what we do for kids," Rich said. "Everything else takes a back seat to that."

And the man who made his fortune in integrated computer systems before turning more than 1,500 acres of farmland into one of the top 100 golf courses in the world doesn't take a back seat to anyone when it comes to giving back.

Especially when it comes to his passions.

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