Eighty golfers played to show their support for LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero

ATASCADERO — Chalk Mountain Golf Course was filled with 80 golfers, who made 20 teams on Saturday, Oct. 12, for the 11th Annual Wayne Cooper Memorial Golf Tournament. The tournament benefits LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero and everything they do for the community while also honoring the memory of Wayne Cooper, who passed away in 2018.

“It was really good, and all the golfers had a great time,” said LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero member and tournament chair Ron Johansen.  

The golf teams each had four golfers on them, and the weather cooperated with a long day at the course. 

“The weather was absolutely perfect because there’s been times we’ve been out there, we’ve had drizzle, we’ve had heat,” Johansen said. “A week ago Saturday, we could have been just boiling out there, but the weather was really in our favor. Everybody just had a great time. Nothing but praise for the tournament.” 

Aside from the $50 registration fee to join the tournament, there are also raffles for gift baskets, a gift card grab where people pay $20 and get a donated gift card of $30 or more, and everyone’s favorite, the ball drop.

“We have 100 golf balls that we sell, and we had Sam’s Tree Service come out with one of their big trucks, with, I think they call it a snorkel, and they take the snorkel up with 100 balls that are all marked,” stated Johansen. “Everybody has a number of the ball that they bought, and they dump the balls, and whichever one goes closest to the hole that they designate wins $1,000. That’s always a lot of fun because everybody, all the golfers are standing there watching and hoping their ball goes in the hole. It’s a lot of fun.”

Like years before, the partnership between LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero and Chalk Mountain Golf Course was a well-oiled machine, and Johansen expressed nothing but thanks for everything they do for the tournament every year.

“Chalk Mountain really works with us well. At Chalk Mountain, the general manager, he’s really a pleasure to work with. Had a good time working with him. Pretty much anything we need, he opens the door for us,” added Johansen.

Final numbers for how much money was raised at the tournament have not been tallied yet, but all the money raised this year will go towards all things kid-related that LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero hosts or is involved in.

“Our community really supports LIGHTHOUSE really well. That’s what’s nice about it; it’s a community function that we all come together on,” added Johansen. “The golfers, you know, those are diehard golfers. Guys that like to golf, and theyknow they’re supporting a good event.”

The LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero and community efforts the money will go towards, include helping pay for the counselor at Paloma Creek High School alongside the county, putting on the All Comers Track Meet, and putting on the Reality Tour.

“All the things that we put on, we don’t make money at those, so this is a fundraiser to help pay for those,” said Johansen.

To find out more about LIGHTHOUSE Atascadero, go to lighthouseatascadero.org.

Featured Image: (From left) Valerie Kraskey, Lori Bagby, Donn Clickard, Ron Johansen, Joe Allen, and Jim Stecher are shown at the 11th Annual Wayne Cooper Memorial Golf Tournament. Photo by Rick Evans.