Andy Paisal, past Golf Rep for GT Golf and Bag Boy passed away last year. Andy was a recognized junior golfer in the Northern California and well known by Haggin Oaks staff.
His family wanted to remember him for what Andy did best, giving back to junior golf. When Andy was ever asked to support Junior golf, he never said, No. Every time he continued to give back and pay it forward.
Last Friday, October 4th was Andyâs birthday and that was the day his family chose to remember him in a charity golf tournament called âThe Andy Classicâ.
The proceeds were given to Morton Golf Foundation who will continue to pass it on to local youth, disabled and underserved throughout the year.
Thanks to Andy as he is still putting smiles on the faces as his good deeds continue.
Once a year the PGA Champions TOUR partners with the First Tee juniors from Chapters across the country.
This year, five juniors were selected from the First Tee – Greater Sacramento to play in this event. They were Sahil Nathoo, Abigail Lin, Gianna Singh, Ish Sodhi, Hannah Stouder.
On Saturday they play once again with their chosen PGA Pro hoping to make the cut so they can play again on Sunday.
Every junior player said the same thing when asked if they were having a good week at Pebble Beach, âThis is as close as I have been to playing on the PGA TOUR.â They are all living their golf dream.
The 10th Annual L5 Investments Capital Cup was held September 13-15, 2024
For the past 10 years 32 golfers from our Greater Sacramento have come together to play 3 days of golf to raise money for the charity of their choice.
Morton Golf Foundation is proud to have our President, Tom Morton playing for the Morton Golf Foundation. These players play 3 days straight in a Ryder Cup format with the winning team playing for an additional $100,000.00 split between the 16 team players.
This year Tom Morton along with the Morton Golf Foundation raised $137,439.00 going directly back to local youth, adaptive and underserved.
Since the inception this event has raised $18,105,209.00.
This year alone these 32 players have raised $2,626,522.00!
The 2025 goal is set at raising over $20million for the total 11 years.
Next year the date for the 11th Annual Capital Cup is set for September, 2025. Looking forward to growing our charity along with this event.
Nearly 500 athletes and their caregivers gathered at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex for a day of fun, and skill-building, and camaraderie at the Special Olympics Golf Regionals.
For the past fourteen years Morton Golf Foundation has been a key sponsor of Special Olympics Golf Regionals at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.
This year, nearly 500 Special Olympics Athletes & their caregivers showed up with a positive attitude knowing they were going to spend a fun morning at the golf course.
Several athletes arrived early to play golf on MacKenzie Golf Course along with a separate group playing a Shotgun scramble on Arcade Creek Golf Course. While they were playing on the course the remaining athletes went to the back of the range to showcase their golf skills. There were 5 different skills stations set up with over 30 Morton Golf Foundation volunteers guiding them through their contest.
The morning ended with the Haggin Oaks famous burger bar to enjoy while they cheered on each Athlete as they received their metal.
Several volunteers have already approached us to make sure they stay on our volunteer list for next year. The first time we ask them and from then on, the volunteers ask us to help.
This event is always our best event of the year as we all believe that the Special Olympics Athletes are the real winners. Thanks for everyoneâs support & we look forward to seeing you back next September.
Where are they now? We have an updated on a few of our past MGF Junior STARS!
Nikki Chindavong: MGF Scholarship winner 2023, MGF Jr Grant winner 2017 to 2023 (7 years). Sophomore at UNR, currently working at Jr camps for
NCIG, continues to volunteer for MGF.
Darla Dela Torre: MGF Scholarship winner 2024, MGF Jr Grant winner 2016 to 2024 ( 9 years, started at 9 years old). Committed to Sac State for 2024, will play
on the golf team. Qualified for 2024 USGA Junior Girls Championship.
Jack Fidler: MGF Scholarship winner 2022, MGF Jr Grant winner 2019 to 2022 (4 years). Currently works for Morton Golf LLC, active MGF volunteer, loves to
act in community theater.
Richie Gibbs: MGF Jr Grant winner 2015 to 2020 (6 years). Currently works for Morton Golf LLC, working on his PGM degree, while teaching lessons, running Junior camps and completing his degree online. Continues to be a MGF volunteer.
Emily Guan: MGF Grant winner, 2022 and 2024 (2 years), Age, 16. Current 2024 Sacramento City Junior Girls Champion. Also, a competitive Junior Skier.
Ashley Knepshield: MGF Scholarship Winner 2020, MGF Jr Grant winner 2015-2020 (6 years), continues to be a MGF volunteer. Graduated from UCLA 2024. Seeking employment in the film industry.
Taylor Morton: MGF College Scholarship Winner in 2018, Age 24. Graduated with an Engineering Degree from UNR and immediately got an Engineering position with PING Golf in Scottsdale, AZ. He has been the Lead Engineer on Blueprint S irons, Blueprint T irons & GLE3 Womenâs hybrid clubs.
Emily Zedek: MGF Scholarship winner 2022, MGF Jr grant winner 2021-2022 (2 years), Currently attending UNR, plays golf at club level, Works summers at Morton Golf LLC running junior camps.
Cameron Champ came to Morton Golf Foundation when he was a Junior in High School looking for funding. His thoughts were to play in International golf tournaments to increase his awareness for his future to play on the PGA TOUR. The rest is history. . .
Cameron, now 29 years old graduated from Texas A & M, is married & resides in Houston, TX.
He just finished his 2nd round in the Barracuda Championship with 2 days to go with a score of 20 as they play the Stableford method.
Sacramento, his hometown continues to cheer him and on & wish him well in his PGA TOUR future.
Muggy skies and 100 degree temperatures couldn’t stop this electric 2-day women’s golf competition.
As this womenâs tournament continues to grow each year, this year kicked off with a field of 61 players.Â
The final group was Kaylyn Noh, Sienna Lyford & Sneha Sharan.
Kaylyn Noh won the overall 1st Place with a 5-under at 139.
Kaylyn Noh was a Morton Golf Foundation College scholarship winner in 2021. Â She graduated from Rocklin High School & went on to Cal Poly to play golf her Freshman year. She then transferred on to CAL Berkeley for her Sophomore & Junior year. This fall, Kaylyn will enter her Senior year at CAL Berkeley & will graduate in 2025 with a degree in Law Studies.
Congratulations to Kaylyn and we wish her good luck in her golf & final year at CAL.
We look forward to seeing her back at this event next July to defend her 1st Place Title!
Big names, great people, and a good causeâwhat better two days could country music fans ask for?
Last week was the annual Golf & Guitars country music festival at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. For two days, country music stars and fans descended upon the course for one heckuva shindig and raise money for a good cause!
On Monday, VIP Golf & Guitars ticketholders were treated to dinner and an intimate evening with several country music songwriters. Before the musicians took the stage, the Morton Golf Foundation announced their 2024 scholarship winners. Once the presentation was over, it was finally time for the country music to begin.
Artists came out in groups of 4, each playing their own songs and assisting the other musicians on stage. Among those featured were Chris Roberts, Craig Wayne Boyd, Johnny & Heidi Bulford, Erin Enderlin, Mae Estes, Amanda Gray, Elena Jane, Austin Jenckes, Lauren Mascetti, Kevin Post, Kennedy Scott, and Scott Stepakoff.
Tuesday started at 9am with the annual Golf & Guitars charity golf tournament. After mingling with fans before the opening ceremony, the players all hit the links to raise money to benefit charities of their own choosing.
Like always, fans were welcome on the course during the tournament as spectators. There were groups set up on holes, ready to collect their favorite musician’s signatures as they played through. Many of the players took the time to stop and talk with their fans and thank them for coming out (or snap a selfie or two!). The mood was lively, welcoming, intimate, and above all elseâfun!
That mood carried well on through the day, all the way to the main event. At 5:30pm, bands took the stage to perform. For nearly 5 hours straight, live country music rocked from the stage. Nothing could stop this partyânot even a little unexpected rain!
Of course, Golf & Guitars is a charity event and the true winners were the charities benefitting from the event. During the main concert, Jason Michael Carroll and KNCI radio hosts Tom and Cody presented a special gift to members of PGA Hope, a non-profit organization that helps wounded veterans. Each PGA Hope member in attendance received a custom PING Hooferlite bag and roaring applause from the crowd. The Northern California PGA also received a $29,000 check for an adaptive cart that their program highly needed.
Next, it was time to announce the winners of the golf tournament. In 5th place was Mae Estes, winning $2,500 for Creativets. Tied for second place were Kennedy Scott, Erin Enderlin, and Eric Gunderson, winning $4,000 for Rahab House, Songwriting with Soldiers, and Augie’s Quest respectively. In first place was Chris Roberts, winning $6,000 to keep the Apollo Middle School Choir’s program.
With its sixteenth year behind it, Golf & Guitars has raised nearly $2 million dollars for charity since it’s inception. It is a wonderful event that both musicians and fans are proud to be a part of and this year was no different.
Make sure to follow Golf & Guitars on Facebook to learn when Golf & Guitars XVII will be!
On June 26th, 2024 âGolf Fore Healthâ finished their Spring Session in anticipation of the Fall Session starting back up in September.
The sun was out, the participants showed up in record numbers as everyone was ready to play 9-holes of golf.
Ken Hurdle, Lead Coach came up with a great idea of at the end of each session he ends it with a âHot Dog Scrambleâ. Each participant gets to bring one caregiver to help guide them through their round along with the volunteers. After golf everyone goes into the MacKenzie Sports Bar & Grille to enjoy a hot dog as a group. The laughter and friendship are truly the best part when you see everyone saying goodbye in hopes of seeing their golf partners soon.
The participants enjoy the program so much that in-between sessions Coach Ken Hurdle organizes âSummer Schoolâ. This is a way to practice your golf skills with volunteers and leaders every other Monday morning before the start of the next fall session.
This is a wonderful way to rehabilitate through the game of golf and not in a doctorâs office.
Please join in the fun, meet new friends, and improve your golf game.
Just contact the Northern CA Institute of Golf Desk inside the Haggin Oaks Golf Super Shop or call (916) 808-2531 to find out more.
