It’s a golfer’s dream, a family day, and a good cause all
wrapped in one. When the good folks at Diamond Drive Golf Center in Lake Elsinore started
planning their Second Annual Golf Expo they also began looking for a local charity to
support. “I was talking to Mike Hurst over at Lake Chevrolet and he suggested the
YMCA,” Dean Patterman of the golf center said. Last year their efforts went to help
Carlynn Field, a Wildomar teenager with a rare form of bone cancer. Over 1200 people
attended and $20,000 was raised.
Southwest YMCA is really starting to buzz. Still a branch of
Riverside YMCA, the steering committee is moving toward board status at their June 3
“Diamond in the Rough” black tie dinner and auction. Programming has been
underway for the last two years including basketball and NFL flag football and is
continuing to expand. Adventure summer day camp, swimming lessons and Indian Guides are
all available now in Southwest County.
According to Carmen Malone, special events chair for Southwest YMCA,
a location off Clinton Keith Road has been found and a memorandum of understanding signed
in hopes of bringing “166 acres worth of YMCA” to the area. Planned facilities
include a pool, basketball courts, and baseball diamonds. Funds raised also go to support
programs. “It’s a number of things,” said Malone. “It’s a lot
more than just a building.”
Golf Expo 2000 is proud to be a part of the effort. Plans are
underway for this Saturday, May 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. All seventeen of Diamond
Drive Golf Centers vendors will be there with displays and many donated items for raffle,
including a Ben Hogan Custom Wedge, a Cleveland Quad Pro Driver and Sand Wedge, and a
Titleist Titanium Driver. Other raffle items include a bicycle, a computer, and golf
packages. “It is a great chance to try out all the new stuff,” said Diann
Patterman, “and bring your kids along because there will be simple contests and
activities for them too.”
The day begins with Skydive Elsinore at 9:00 a.m., international
trick shot artist Brian Siemen and teaching professional and sports psychologist Randy
Wood will be there in the morning. Junior clinic with Brian Siemen begins at noon and
cut-off for the putting contest to win a new Camaro is at 1:00 p.m. In the afternoon, Jim
Delaby, 1996 PGA Teacher of the Year will give a lesson and K-FROG will join with a live
broadcast. Exhibitors range form Adams to Zevo, with all the c-words and t-words in the
middle.
“If we don’t start paving the way for our children, this
world is going to be a sorry place,” Malone said, speaking of her commitment to bring
YMCA to our valley, “We need to plan for them.” For more information regarding
Golf Expo 2000, call 245-GOLF. Tickets for the YMCA black tie dinner and auction to be
held on June 3, at Temecula Creek Inn, and hosted by honorary chair, Oscar de la Hoya, are
available for $95 a person by calling 699-8705. For more information about YMCA, just call
the old standby, 677-YMCA.