Fifty Years of Camaraderie

March 23, 2015

By Michelle Krasodomski

Camaraderie is defined as a mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.

“[Camaraderie] has kept me going all these years,” says SCGA member Jerry Mook. “Fifty years is a long time for anything.”

Mook has two 50-year accomplishments. First, his marriage, which has lasted 53 years. It has given him the joy of four children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Second, his time spent on the Hacienda GC SCGA Team Play squad, which he joined in 1965.

Born and raised in Southern California, Mook started playing golf at the age of 14. Just like many young golfers at the time, he found his love for the game by caddying at his local golf course, The Los Angeles CC, and later at Hillcrest CC, where he stayed for seven years.

“I remember Saturday mornings I would go out and caddie for my father,” says Mook. “So caddying at the club sort of just happened and it was a great time. I got to meet some really special people.”

Mook earned a full scholarship to play collegiately at Loyola University, where he spent four years on the men’s golf team, his final year as the first man and captain.

“I really enjoyed playing on a team,” says Mook. “We all made a commitment and at the end of the day we knew we tried our best.”

So it was a natural fit that when Mook decided to join Hacienda GC, he’d also join the club’s Team Play program.

“Of course I inquired about it, but they said it was impossible to join,” said Mook.

But it didn’t take long for him to receive an invitation.

“Luckily I received a phone call before the first match that the team needed a sub,” explained Mook. “I won that first match and didn’t lose another that whole year!”

This year marked Mook’s 50th of being a member of the Thursday Team Play team and is now considered an emeritus member of the team, the only one at the club.

“I really like to be with [the team],” he says. “We’ve won, we’ve lost and we were really close to winning the championship one year. It has been a real privilege to represent Hacienda over the years.”

SCGA Board Member Bob Fischer, on behalf of the SCGA Board of Directors and Staff, honored Mook at Hacienda’s last match of the season in February with a plaque and certificate of accomplishment.

The friendly competitions and sportsmanship between clubs are what makes Team Play so enjoyable for so many club members in Southern California. SCGA Team Play began in 1900 and is the one of the longest running and most popular programs at the SCGA. The program now includes more than 230 clubs and 8,000 participants each year. This year's finals will take place Sunday at Sandpiper GC in Goleta. The Thursday bracket will matchup The Los Angeles CC and Red Hill CC, while the Saturday finals will pit Rio Bravo against Industry Hills GC. To learn more about SCGA Team Play, click here.

If you know of other SCGA members with a similar achievement, please let us know at [email protected].



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