by Charlotte Wilson-Murphy
Contributing Writer
Golf is generally a game for those with expendable income, but members of Shoreline Community College’s Golf Club play for free.
The group meets various Saturday mornings at the Puetz Driving Range on 117th and Aurora Ave. N. While Puetz rates are $10 to hit one hundred balls, Club members pay nothing because the Student Body Association at SCC awards all campus clubs a $750 budget, and also play a free full game of golf once each quarter.
Organizers hope that by using their budget to provide a forum for students to play for free, they will be less likely to skip class to play. On average, about 14 members attend each get-together, although the club has many more members.
The Golf Club coordinates tournaments at the end of each quarter. The tournaments are open to any student or faculty member, although non students must pay their own way. The club awards prizes to the winning team. Club Advisor Tony Costa is fond of picking up old sets of golf clubs at garage sales so that he can provide these to club members at a low cost.
Costa has taught a golf class at SCC for eight years and has been affiliated with the club since its inception. He helped to gather student signatures, and go before the Student Senate to propose creating the club. His office walls are lined with memorabilia such as golf balls built into small shelves, various sports posters, and family photos. According to Costa the club, “went from being nonexistent to the largest club on campus in one day.”
His passion for the game is evident when he speaks of teaching a man who had a stroke how to swing the club with one hand. Or when he talks about his 3-month-old granddaughter, and how he already has pint-size golf clubs he hopes to someday teach her to use. Costa says that golf is “for the ages.” Young and old can play together. The game is set up that way because it places handicaps on stronger players to even the score.
SCC student Frank Lingelbach has been Club President for 3 quarters and was a member for 3 quarters before that. He believes “everyone can excel without being great at it” and that “golf is a lesson in how to live life, it teaches honesty and patience.” Next quarter will be his last as president because he will be graduating.
Costa and Lingelbach espouse the benefits of a sport that allows you to get outside and enjoy nature, no matter what your age or ability, and emphasize the family atmosphere the club wants to offer. Costa believes some students don’t have that atmosphere or togetherness in their lives. For example, many international students may not be able to visit family. Costa hopes to create a sense of belonging for students.
One goal Costa has for the club is to set up a tournament to raise money for the Ken LaFountaine memorial scholarship fund. He and his wife were both avid participants in club activities and played in tournaments.
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