The weather is finally turning, and we're going to have a little bit of spring after all. You dragged your clubs out of your garage or your basement, and you're looking for a reason to get out and golf.

Maybe you'd like to make a day of it, perhaps at a charity golf outing. You're thinking it would be good networking, and if it helps a good cause along the way, all the better.

So, your next decision is, "What golf outing should I sign up for?" That's followed closely by, "Which charity should I support?" And then, "When is that golf outing?" and "Which course is hosting it?"

That's where we can now make your life easy. Small Business Times is launching the Wisconsin Golf Event Guide (golfeventguide.com/wisconsin).

SBT hereby invites all of Wisconsin's nonprofit organizations with annual golf outings to post the information about their events at the Web site. It's free. And free is good.

More than 40 organizations already have taken us up on the offer in a soft launch earlier this week.

"We want to connect Wisconsin's charities with businesspeople who are looking for a reason to get out and golf and support a good cause. Everybody wins," said Dan Meyer, publisher of Small Business Times. "You can search the Wisconsin Golf Event Guide by date, by charity name or by golf course."

The site includes a data base of more than 200 golf courses throughout the state.

Advertising fees are charged for more prominent listings as featured events, golf courses or vendors.

At the Web site, golf event organizers also can put their events up for bid for golf courses seeking to host more events.

The Wisconsin Golf Event Guide is powered by the Golf Digest Planner and is part of a national system at golfeventguide.com. Through the system, golf event planners will find a wide array of free advice and resources to help them stage the ultimate golf event at golfdigestplanner.com. The system even explains how to build a functional golf event Web site.

Small Business Times invites businesses to get out and hit 'em for a good cause this summer. In fact, here's an idea for taking your support and your fun to the next level: "Adopt" a nonprofit.

That's what Emteq Inc. is doing. The New Berlin manufacturer and chief executive officer Jerry Jendusa are the sponsors of the Emteq Charity Golf Outing to benefit the Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Fund at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

Emteq is inviting its vendors, its customers, its employees and anyone else who wants to help the cause to participate in the golf outing on Thursday, July 31, at Silver Spring Country Club in Menomonee Falls.

Emteq is soliciting other sponsorships, golfers, prizes and donations for the event.

"Our local community has truly played a key role in our business model at EMTEQ. Over the past three years, we have targeted our community involvement and services to the Child Abuse Prevention Fund (CAP) of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin by hosting a charity golf outing to directly support children and families exposed to abuse and neglect - and with the support of our employees, suppliers, and the local community, we have raised over $100,000 for this great cause," Jendusa said.

"This year, in conjunction with Small Business Times as our signature sponsor, we have set forth to match our three-year mark of $100,000 with our combined efforts. It's great to have Small Business Times as our signature sponsor, as their connection with our local community and small-business owners alike provides a winning combination for both the families and children in Wisconsin who benefit from the programs and preventions initiatives that the CAP Fund offers."

Tanya Bissen, special events manager at Children's Hospital, said, "EMTEQ believes passionately about the families and children that are served by the CAP Fund. We are so very grateful for their generosity and are proud to partner with them in the fight against child abuse. The funds that are raised from the golf outing will benefit so many families across the state. Every child deserves the right to be safe, and EMTEQ is doing their part in keeping them safe."

To sign up for the event, visit emteq.com/golf. To learn about some of the best practices for how your business could adopt a charity for a golf event, contact Michelle Neira, marketing manager at Emteq, at (262) 679-6412.