When most Chicagoans move to Arizona in retirement, it signifies living at a slower pace as they enter a new stage of life. Not for Steve Pearl — he was just getting started.
Pearl (pictured) was a resident of the Chicago District for the first 62 years of his life, beginning with his upbringing in near-west-suburban Elmwood Park. There, he would take the city bus at 5 a.m. to Columbus Park Golf Course and play nine holes before “waiting in line and playing the second round, so you could say you played 18 that day.”
His play became sporadic while attending the University of Illinois and beginning his business career until accepting an invite for the final spot in a foursome at Glenwoodie Golf Club while in his early 30s in the mid-1980s.
“I fell in love with the game a second time,” Pearl said. “I have been playing on a regular basis since then.”
Pearl eventually started his own successful financial consulting business and resided in west suburban Hinsdale before retiring and moving permanently to Tucson, Arizona in 2014.
Pearl had long been benevolent prior to his move, a byproduct of his father’s instruction to “pay it forward.” Armed with more free time after his move, Pearl became even more ingrained with the Glenview-based Evans Scholars Foundation, serving as a Director and bringing the program to Tucson Country Club.
Supporting adaptive golf, however, is the passion Pearl discovered in the desert.
It began when he attended the 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open in Kansas to support competitor Bailey Bish, a student of his partner, top-100 instructor Susie Meyers. He watched Bish and nearly 100 other competitors with varying mental and physical disabilities skillfully navigate tournament pressure and sweltering summer heat.
“I was blown away,” Pearl said of his first exposure to the adaptive game.
“I was just so impressed by Bailey’s spirit and all that was going on.”
Inspired by what he witnessed, Pearl sought to utilize his entrepreneurial spirit to create an adaptive golf team event between his native and adopted homes. To do so, he enlisted the help of prominent philanthropist and local auto dealer Jim Click.
“I approached Jim and I said, ‘We have an opportunity here to expose adaptive golf to more people by starting a team event,’” Pearl said.
Finding an Arizona team would be easy, as Pearl quickly learned that the University of Arizona had one of the best adaptive golf teams in the country. However, Pearl was surprised to find out that his alma mater, long considered a pioneer in adaptive athletics, did not.
“I was getting ready to punt on it,” Pearl admitted.
Enter the CDGA. Still a CDGA Foundation supporter from afar in Arizona, Pearl learned about the organization’s adaptive golf efforts through reading Chicago District Golfer. He reached out to the CDGA, who was quick to jump at the opportunity to participate by forming Team Illinois.
“All of a sudden I had willing partners with the CDGA,” Pearl said.
The end result is the Click-Pearl Cup, a home-and-home event between five-person teams from Arizona and Illinois funded by Pearl and Click. The first leg was contested as part of the Arizona Adaptive Open at Papago Golf Club in December, with Team Arizona emerging victorious. The festivities also included an adaptive golf clinic and opening/closing ceremonies.
“It was beautiful, just beautiful,” Pearl said of witnessing his idea come to life.
The return leg is slated to be part of the 3rd Chicago Adaptive Open, June 13–14 at Fox Bend Golf Course in Oswego.
Moving forward, Pearl hopes to use the community-based model exhibited with Team Illinois to expand the series to other areas. Ultimately, he hopes to give as many adaptive golfers as possible the opportunity to experience the unique thrill that is team competition.
“What excites me about it is watching the passion for the game,” Pearl said. “It’s inclusive and it’s a beautiful game.” —Casey Richards
CDGA Member Spotlight articles are a partnership between the CDGA and Wintrust to highlight an individual, group or program making their underrepresented community Better Through Golf. Individuals with CDGA Member Spotlight ideas should reach out to magazine@cdga.org.
