Eric Church Band’s Golf Tournament Raises Record Amount for MusiCares

Forget a hole-in-one: The Eric Church Band are more focused on raising money for a great cause while out on the greens.

At their fourth annual Put a Club in My Hand Golf Tournament, held on Aug. 17, the country star's band and crew set a fundraising record, bringing in over $158,000 for the Grammy Foundation's MusiCares charity, which provides musicians with medical, financial and personal services.

This year's tournament's total topped last year's amount of roughly $112,500 by over $45,000. With this year's total added to the previous years' monies, the Eric Church Band has brought in more than $430,000 through their annual golf tournaments.

On Sept. 1, Church received the Jim Reeves International Award at the 2015 ACM Honors ceremony. Before he received the award, Holly Williams performed a rendition of Church's song "Like Jesus Does." The Jim Reeves International Award is given yearly to a country music artist who helps expand the acceptance, understanding and popularity of country music around the world.

“I remember being in Cologne, Germany,” Church recalls. “I think it was the most scared I have ever been. I saw people that didn’t speak English. I remember thinking, this could go one of two ways. I smelled marijuana, and I thought, ‘This is going to be okay.’ They sang every song. They held their boots up. They smoked marijuana. I learned something that night: You don’t need to speak English to speak music fluently.”

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