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Members of the South Pasadena High girls’ golf team have come up with a unique way for the public to support their efforts.
On April 5, the team will hold a golf-a-thon at Arroyo Seco Golf Course in South Pasadena and are asking the community to donate to their program based on the number of holes they play, along with other factors, over the course of what looks to be a long day.
“The team will play as many holes as they can to earn the donations pledged per hole from their sponsors,” explained SPHS Athletic Director Anthony Chan, who will join the group for 9 holes starting at 8:00 a.m. when the event gets underway.
Chan noted that one big donor recently gave $5,000 to the local golf team. Marty Roth, 88, from the San Diego area continues to play two or three rounds of the sport weekly and is the uncle of South Pasadena High’s No. 1 player Lauren Calderon.
“He saw it as a way to support Lauren and her activities in women’s golf,” explained the school’s first-year golf coach Isaac Yamagata. “Not too many 88-year-old uncles who play golf two or three times a week are doing stuff like this. When I asked Lauren’s mom if he wanted to come out and play nine or 18 holes with Lauren [on Monday], I heard it made his day. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Roth will take part in the team’s fundraiser by playing with Calderon and Chan during Monday’s action. Golf team members are soliciting pledges to sponsor the number of holes played (e.g. $1 per hole, $5 per hole, etc.), flat donations for simply taking part in the event and any number ways to raise funds, including the number of birdies each player records. “I’m encouraging them to come up with other creative ways that they can come up with donations on the course,” explained Yamagata. “It’s just not the number of holes.”
The Tigers’ coach said some players could potentially play four rounds, going 12 hours from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., making for a long day. “Some are going to play two, three rounds,” he said. “It will be interesting to see how they last throughout the day.”
Yamagata, who has never held a high school golf coaching job before now, came up with the fundraising idea to support his team. “He has done a great job of organizing and empowering the young ladies to build and create positive energy around their program,” said Chan of the teaching professional golfer. “He’s been great!”
Arroyo Seco Golf Course is at 1055 Lohman Lane in South Pasadena. For more information and to sponsor a golfer, contact Yamaga at isaacyamagata@gmail.com or Chan at Anthony Chan at achan@spusd.net.
