The boys and girls golf teams from Hamilton high who golfed with the Men’s Niners in IronOaks. Pictured with the teams are Jerry Richards, Niners president, and Jackie Walker, Hamilton coach. (Photo by Bob Pender)
Jim Wegman, Publicity
On March 19, the Men’s nine hole league hosted 16 members of the Hamilton High golf teams. For the last 14 years the Niners have been supporting the Hamilton golf program with a fundraising play day with our members. Long time Niner member David Mork is rightly considered the godfather of this event, and with the cooperation of Hamilton High golf coaches Jackie Walker and Steve Kanner we have an annual play day. These play days are fun, but they also result in thousands of dollars in donations from our members that go directly to the Hamilton golf program.
The project had been so successful that in 2023 we decided to include the Hamilton High girl’s golf team. Each year the Niners hold an annual awards and fundraising luncheon. Our members visit local merchants and restaurants to solicit raffle items to generate funds for the girls team. Individual members also made donations for the raffle. This year, we topped $6,000 for the two teams.
Blue Star Staff
We could not have a successful fund raiser or play day without the help and generosity of the IronOaks golf professionals: Mark Thesing, Koby Welch, Jan Roberts, and Tim Wilkins, all of whom donated free lessons as prizes. The Hamilton play day morning is always a busy time and staff member, Barbara Solomonson, juggles two leagues and our special event seamlessly. Outside in the parking lot, super starter David Heath is on duty to make sure everything moves out smoothly. Thank you to general manager Jim Pulver who provided all the pizza and pop for the post play day lunch. The lady responsible for setting up and managing the pizza party, Kimberley Wilde, our director of catering and special events, made the event float along without a hitch. Kudos to the kitchen staff who did a great job on the pizza providing enough to feed the young Hamilton golfers and the Niners league members.
The 2026 play day showcased the Hamilton boys and girls golf teams. These youngsters demonstrated impressive golf skills, great on-the-course etiquette, and a real respect for the course and for the game of golf. Coaches Jackie Walker and Steve Kanner can be very proud of their young golfers.
The results of supporting the Hamilton High golf teams can be seen in the number of players who move on to colleges. One outstanding Hamilton high golfer, Mason Anderson, class of 2017, is currently a professional golfer.