Drive for investment in future underway

Bryce Alderton

Summer’s emergence means children are out of school and searching for

ways to stay active while taking advantage of the warm weather with

extended daylight.

A golf course is just one of many venues where children can flock

to quench their thirst for play, but the rise in temperatures has

also boosted Estancia High golf coach Art Perry and Costa Mesa City

Councilman Mike Scheafer’s drive to lure more Costa Mesa juniors out

to one of city’s most-frequented recreational venues -- Costa Mesa

Golf & Country Club.

Perry and Scheafer want to make golf more accessible for the

city’s youth and are advocating a monthly pass where junior golfers

can pay a fee and play unlimited rounds at certain times.

Perry said that players often hit range balls and then go home,

deterred by the cost to play golf. He said paying for a monthly pass

with unlimited rounds would increase the interest in golf among the

city’s youth and “keep kids off the streets.”

“They could pay a monthly fee of $25 or $30,” said Perry, who has

guided the Estancia boys golf team the past 19 years and is also the

girls golf coach at the school. “It’s great recreation for the kids

in the city. It would be a great advantage for kids to play Mesa

Linda [one of two courses at the club -- Los Lagos is the other] on a

daily basis Monday through Thursday.”

The monthly pass would be for Costa Mesa residents only, Perry

said.

Juniors, considered students who attend a Newport-Mesa Unified

District school, can pay $10 and play Mesa Linda after noon Monday

through Thursday under the current rate structure. Costa Mesa also

has the 18-hole Los Lagos course on its property.

Jana Ransom, the city’s recreation manager, questioned whether the

proposed pass would generate added interest, but remained open to

reviewing the specifics of the pass once they become available.

Perry and Scheafer are still developing a formal proposal.

Scheafer met with Ron and Danny Lane, managers of Mesa Verde

Partners, last month to present the idea of a pass.

“It was a positive meeting,” Scheafer said. “A pass would make it

a lot easier than lugging money around.”

Golfers have flocked to Costa Mesa, especially in the last five

years, mainly for its affordability -- the most expensive round on

either course is $39 (the walking rate) Saturday and Sunday on Los

Lagos -- and revered course conditions thanks to superintendent Jim

Fetterly and staff.

The club entices junior golfers, but their numbers are varied from

day to day, Danny Lane said.

On a given afternoon, the amount of junior golfers might fluctuate

from zero to 12, said Danny Lane, a devoted golfer and supporter of

junior golf who works at the course.

The numbers increase during the fall and spring seasons for girls

and boys golf, respectively, but even then, Danny Lane said the

number of players varies daily.

Some players, like Newport Harbor’s Natalie Draganza, spend many

days at the club.

Draganza said she either practices or plays at the club five times

a week.

“If they had [a pass] I would definitely get it,” said Draganza,

the two-time defending Sea View League individual girls golf

champion. “It can get pretty expensive out there if you are playing a

lot.”

Dedicated golfers, like Draganza, often play seven days a week and

that has been especially true in recent years.

“Over the last five or six years the increase in the number of

high school programs, the quality of those programs and the level of

play have been great,” Danny Lane said. “But we don’t get a ton of

junior play. Kids will come out with their dad or a foursome from a

high school golf team will come out, but we’re not getting 25, 30 or

40 kids playing.”

Danny Lane said junior golf isn’t a big revenue generator for the

club, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important.

“We are advocates of junior golf. We need to promote junior

golfers,” he said. “We have a discount, but if kids can’t afford

that, we are flexible. If [Perry] or some other coaches don’t have

clubs, shoes or balls, we find a way to get them taken care of.”

The club offered a monthly pass for juniors for eight years

preceding Mesa Verde Partners taking over ownership in 1992, but the

program folded because rounds played by juniors decreased, Perry

said.

The city sets fees each year for the club. If the City Council

decided to raise rates, Perry said, the monthly pass would be a

viable option.

“[A golf course] is the best baby sitter in the world,” Perry

said.

Ransom would like to see a formal proposal before meeting with

representatives from Mesa Verde Partners. If Perry and Scheafer

outlined enough interest for a junior pass, Ransom could make a

recommendation to amend the city’s contract.

“If the city would like to bump the price of a green fee up $2,

why not put in a junior pass instead,” Perry said. “Most juniors now

play once a week and pay $10. They could pay $25 or $30 and get more

kids to sign up to play.”

Sparking children’s interest in the game is the first step.