Pictured are Hamilton High golfers who joined the Niners for a fast nine holes March 13. The handsome gentleman on the right is Jerry Richards, Niners president. Special thanks to coaches Steve Kanner and Jackie Walker.
Jim Wegman, Publicity
March 13 was a special day at the Oakwood Golf course where the Men’s Niners Golf League hosted members of Hamilton High’s golf teams. For many years, the Niners have been supporting the Hamilton Golf Program with a fundraising play day with our members. The original idea came from Niners member David Mork and Hamilton High Golf Coach Steve Kanner. Those early play days resulted in thousands of dollars in donations from our members, which went directly to the Hamilton Golf Program. 2025 was no exception. The Niners membership outdid themselves again this year.
The project has been so successful that in 2023 we decided to include the Hamilton High Girls Golf Team. For many years, the Niners have held an annual membership meeting/Awards Luncheon. This seemed a great opportunity to raise funds for the Girls team. Our members visited local merchants and restaurants to ask for raffle items to generate funds for the Girls team. Individual members also made donations for the raffle. On March 5 we hosted coaches Steve Kanner and Jackie Walker at the luncheon, and they thanked the members for our efforts. This year we topped $8,000 for the two teams.
We could not have a successful fundraiser or play day without the help and generosity of the IronOaks golf professionals Eddy Renio, Kevin Maragume, Jan Roberts, and Tim Wilkins, all of whom donated free lessons as prizes. The Hamilton play day morning is always a busy time, and special staff member Barbara Solomonson kept all the parts moving along smoothly. And a big thank you to General Manager John Reyhons who provided all the pizza and pop for the play day lunch.
The 2025 play day included members from the Hamilton Boys and Girls Golf teams, and the skills demonstrated by these young golfers, from tee to green, was impressive. They are friendly and fully aware of golf etiquette.
The result of supporting the Hamilton High Golf teams can be seen in the number of players who move on to colleges, and with the skills learned from coaches Kanner and Jackie Walker at Hamilton, they are given golf scholarships. One outstanding young golfer who started at Hamilton reached “pro” status recently. Mason Anderson, a 2017 Hamilton High alum, won his PGA tour card in 2024. As they say on television, “This guy is good.”