Golf:

Getting a golf charity event off the ground is a daunting task, especially in this economy.

People that would jump at the chance to play in an event are holding back a bit and many charities are suffering because of it.

Events like the Block Party that the Tiger Woods Foundation holds every October routinely raised more than $1 million, but donations have slipped a bit because of the recession.

That was why it was impressive that the inaugural Mariners Christian School Fall Golf Classic did so well a couple of weeks ago.

The event was sponsored by Northwestern Mutual, The Waltos Group and Bob Waltos and the cadre of volunteers put together a pretty good tournament.

A full field for an event is 144 golfers and the tournament had more than 100. Waltos is confident next year will be full and it is hard to disagree with him.

I have always thought having a scramble event at Newport Beach Country Club is a perfect place because the course can play to so many different levels of golfers. It is a relatively short course so the beginners and short hitters don’t get overwhelmed, but the approach shots and greens are tricky enough to keep lower handicappers interested.

One person who definitely enjoyed the day was Patrick Muñoz of Newport Beach. The golfer made his first career hole in one during the event. Muñoz got his ace on No. 8. He hit a five-iron from 165 yards.

His playing partners, Marc Forsythe, James Jackson and Matt Morsey, were all ribbing Muñoz during the day because he wasn’t playing well.

When the ball went airborne Muñoz had no idea his ball was going toward the cup.

“I had played terrible all day, and the guys were all over me because I hadn’t hit a tee shot airborne once before this shot,” said Muñoz, a member at Santa Ana Country Club for 15 years. “They were laughing after I finally hit one airborne, and we didn’t even know it went in the hole. I fixed my ball mark on the green, and there it was, in the cup. I thought it would be long. I never saw it go in.”

Unfortunately Muñoz didn’t get his ace on the 17th hole. The tournament was offering the lease of a new car on the signature hole for Newport Beach Country Club for anyone lucky enough to get an ace. The car went unclaimed.

The event raised more than $24,000 in its first year. The money will be used to help fund scholarships for the 2010-2011 school year for Mariners Christian School (MCS), a 2007 National Blue Ribbon Award-winning private school in Costa Mesa.

PELICAN RECEIVES AWARD

The Resort at Pelican Hill was one of 15 finalists for Golf Digest Magazine’s inaugural Green Award. The course was selected out of 60 entries.

“We were honored to be selected as the only green golf resort in Southern California,” said Ralph Grippo, Irvine Company’s Resort Properties President. “When building the resort, we were able to renovate the two Fazio-designed golf courses and design a water-management system based on conservation and recycling to protect the resort and Newport Beach’s most important asset: the Pacific Ocean.”

Golf courses have always been one of the leading places for conservation and innovative thinking in regards to the environment. It is nice to see Pelican Hill get some recognition for their efforts.

JOHN REGER’S golf column appears Thursdays. He may be reached by e-mail at nolimepublishing@aol.com.