About Grandfathers For Golf

Grandfathers For Golf is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to teaching children from both low-income families and financially solvent families how to play the game of golf. Grandfathers is based in San Jacinto, in the Inland Empire area of Southern California. We work with school districts to sign up students and arrange busing to and from participating golf courses. We currently have two participating golf courses, the Golden Era Golf Course and The Country Club at Soboba Springs. We also work with the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) and its Youth on Course program.

In addition to learning the game of golf, kids learn other invaluable life skills including patience, manners, etiquette, responsibility, teamwork and so much more.

How To Get Involved Contact Grandfathers For Golf President Tony Viola, grandfathersforgolf@yahoo.com, (909) 754-4148.

The “Steeleheads”

Kids and volunteers in the Grandfathers for Golf program call themselves the “Steeleheads,” in honor of pro-golfer Brendan Steele. Steele, who is on the board of directors for Grandfathers, grew up in Idyllwild and honed his golfing skills on the same Hemet/San Jacinto courses the kids play on.

In May, 2012, Steele named the Grandfathers program to be the recipient of a $10,000 donation granted by the Valero Energy Foundation. Steele’s first tour victory was at the Valero Texas Open in 2011, and as returning champion he was asked to name the charity of his choice for the cash award.

The name was coined by Grandfathers president Tony Viola when Steele was still on the PGA’s Nationwide Tour, where budding tour players compete for prizes and a chance to move up to the PGA tour. When Steele was scheduled to play in the Nationwide at the Soboba Golf Classic at the Country Club at Soboba Springs in San Jacinto in 2009, Viola had 200 Grandfathers For Golf shirts made to include the “Steeleheads” logo. He passed these out to kids and volunteers participating in the golf clinic held during the tournament. The Steeleheads logo is now on every Grandfathers shirt.

As a kid, Steele and his father, Kent Steele, donated his clubs to the Grandfathers program as he grew out of them.

Viola said that kids and the volunteers who teach eagerly follow Steele’s progress on the Internet and television. They cheer his success. They make use of his trying rounds as examples for the kids. “Kids learn that you have to contain yourself and if you have a bad day, you have to let it go,” he said.

In The News

Summer Schedule

Beginners: Tuesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Golden Era, beginning June 12 and running through August. Contact: Tony Viola, grandfathersforgolf@yahoo.com

Intermediates: Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Golden Era, and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Golden Era beginning June 5 and running through August. Contact: Jim Crandall, jim.crandall@verizon.net

Advanced: Contact Frank McCollum, G4Golf13@aol.com

Valero Energy Foundation Donates $10,000 to Grandfathers for Golf on behalf of Pro Golfer Brendan Steele

The Valero Energy Foundation, which sponsors the Valero Texas Open golf tournament, recently donated $10,000 to Grandfathers for Golf on behalf of PGA Tour golfer Brendan Steele.

Steele, who grew up in Idyllwild, won the Valero Open last year, his first Tour victory. At this year's tournament, played April 19-22, he returned as reigning champion (he placed 4th this year). As a benefit of his celebrity, the Valero organizers asked Steele to pick a charity to receive the cash award.

The choice was a no-brainer for Steele. He sits on the board of Grandfathers, and teaches kids in the program when he's in town and has time. When Steele was a kid, he played golf at the Grandfathers home courses, Golden Era Golf Course and The Country Club at Soboba Springs.

Tony Viola, president of Grandfathers for Golf, said the money will be put to good use. "In the past two years the program has tripled in size," Viola said, adding that the program currently has about 600 kids per year. The program has a Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced levels, and the cost of clubs, balls, uniforms and busing from the schools amounts to a lot of money. "All the instructors are volunteers, and we have a tremendous amount of support from the community. But we can always use more

April 2, 2012

The year 2012 finds Grandfathers For Golf in good shape. During the past year our numbers have grown greatly. At any one point in time now we are serving over 200 children. We are looking forward to increased numbers in 2012. The "Snowbird" season is at end and our northern neighbors helped fill our coffers. We recently bought new mats for the beginners classes.

The Marty Finn Memorial tournament was its usual success. Although some non-arrivals did bring the numbers down a bit.

We must acknowledge the loss of founder and our sole club maker, Carl Pirchner, in late 2011. The loss of Carl resounds to this day for all of us here at GFG. GFG will never be the same.

The Board of Directors is struggling with the problem of how to find volunteers to do what Carl did for years for the kids.

Our Spring class is in full session with over 100 children in our Beginers level, 20+ at the Intermediate level and close to 30+ in our Advanced Classes.

GFG hopes to have some wonderful news for our next reporting with negotiations going on to start a new chapter of GfG in Beaumont, CA.