Junior golf in Santa Barbara can take some of the credit for the success of the local high school teams in the area.
Santa Barbara High’s boys golf team won the school’s first CIF State Championship in any sport last June, and most of the players on the team started playing the sport in a junior golf programs. Four players on that team are currently playing in college, with two of them at Division 1 universities.
The Russ Morrison Junior Golf Program has helped hundreds of youngsters, ages 7 to 17, from varied socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds in the Santa Barbara area get exposed to the sport. Besides the golf, the program helps youth develop good citizenship and respect for themselves, others, and the environment.
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“It’s not just golf that is learned,” said Matt Easterbrook, director of the Russ Morrison Junior Golf Program at Santa Barbara Golf Club, “it’s character building, sportsmanship, self awareness, self control, integrity and self reliance.”
On Saturday, Sept. 25, the SBGC will be hosting the annual Russ Morrison, Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament, which benefits the junior golf program.
The four-person scramble has an entry fee of $135, which includes a round of golf with a cart, tournament T-shirt, $10 gift card, post-tournament party, entry into a raffle, an auction and awards.
The event is also accepting donations. The donations go toward funding the program and a college scholarship.
Donations should be made payable to PARC Foundation/Russ Morrison Junior Golf Program. The can be mailed to PARC Foundation, PO Box 1990, Santa Barbara, 93102-1990.
For more information on the tournament and the program, contact Easterbrook at 453-4802.
