Celebrities on Course to Help Charities

For some reason, movie star Jack Nicholson has a penchant for teeing off on Ventura County golf courses. Nicholson took a swing around Ventura County links in the summer of 1990 at the Ojai Valley Inn, while directing and starring in “The Two Jakes.”

Though the movie didn’t get very good reviews, on Monday Nicholson was in fine form at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, during the third annual Hard Rock Cafe Celebrity Charity Golf Tournament. The tournament is a benefit for pediatric kidney research and the Casey Lee Ball Foundation at UCLA Children’s Hospital.

This time around, his luck was much improved. His fine follow-through even earned him a sweatshirt, which was cause for him to bestow upon fellow celebrity golfers and onlookers one of his trademark “I’m back” smiles.

Vying with Nicholson in the sartorial splendor department on the scenic course was a bevy of rockers who also took part in the “pay to play” tournament.

Alice Cooper caused no small stir as a Pat Boone look-alike in his almost-white bucks with matching golf shirt, slacks and white cap, his dark ponytail peeking out.

The slightly wider Meat Loaf took his swings decked out in a smartly untucked black-and-white Hawaiian shirt, which nicely set off his hip-hugging black slacks.

Wearing muted green on the 16th green was Dweezil Zappa, appearing absolutely dressed down, especially when compared to the fashion-forward Vince Neil of Motley Crue, who was a veritable vision in black.

Neil’s faux-leopard golf bag might have been the envy of the other 17 teams of four, which included actors Bill Murray, Joe Pesci, Robert Loggia and Cheech Marin, plus the Doors’ Robbie Kreiger and former UCLA football coach Terry Donahue.

“By the end of [Monday], we will have raised over $364,000,” said Simi Singer, spokesman for UCLA Children’s Hospital.

The tournament’s director, Sterling Ball, who lives adjacent to the golf course, donated one of his kidneys three years ago to his son, Casey Lee, now 9 years old, at the hospital. Since then, the celebrity/charity tournaments have raised more than $600,000 for the pediatric kidney foundation.