'TIS SEASON TO BE GOLFING - FOR CHARITY.

Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY

I've heard of dedicated golfers coming up with some pretty far-fetched excuses to sneak out of the house for a round of golf, but the one Brian McGarry and Scott Brewster came up with this year for the day after Christmas is pretty unique.

``They told us, honey, we have to go play golf for charity,'' Erin Brewster said, laughing. ``They didn't want to, they had to.''

Being a lot smarter than their husbands, Erin and Alison McGarry weren't about to buy that lame excuse - except they knew it was true.

For the last five years, their husbands and about 50 of their buddies from Notre Dame High School and college - home for the holidays - have gotten together on Dec. 26 to do what golfers all over the world proudly do when they get together with their buddies.

Lie, cheat and do a little betting.

But you can only do so much lying, cheating and betting on your pathetic golf game before it starts to get pretty decadent, so Brian and Scott decided it was time for the group to head to higher ground.

Mario Haug showed them the way. He runs the Salvation Army's Adopt- A-Family program in Los Angeles.

``Rather than reward prizes to the best team, who are typically shameless cheaters anyway, we had each player make a donation to the Adopt- A-Family program,'' McGarry said.

They figured they'd raise a few thousand bucks to help out three or four needy families this Christmas, but when their buddies heard about the new ground rules, everybody wanted in.

Cascades Golf Course in Sylmar, where they're playing, heard about the new ground rules and gave the guys a discount, plus a free foursome so more money could go to the families.

Target Stores in Van Nuys kicked in another discount, and provided the guys with shoppers who picked out the gifts and wrapped them for the families. They also threw in Christmas trees for each of the 23 families being adopted.

There's a grandmother caring for three grandchildren after their mother was killed in domestic violence, Haug said. There's a handicapped mother caring for two young children, and another set of grandparents caring for two grandkids while their mother is in drug rehab.

``There are plenty of more needy families these guys are helping with their generosity,'' Haug said.

``This year, because of the supermarket strike, a lot of the markets we put our kettles in front of have not been accessible to us,'' he said.

``We're estimating we're going to lose $600,000 in kettle donations in Los Angeles because of the strike,'' Haug said. ``That's a lot of money that would go into programs to help needy families, so it means a lot to us when people like Brian and Scott step forward to help.''

He's not telling this story for a pat on the back, McGarry points out. He doesn't need one. He grew up in a family where his parents always adopted a needy family every Christmas. He knows the feeling.

``I just want to let the community know that we were able to make a very little idea become something that has been able to help a lot of very needy families,'' McGarry said.

``If my little group of golfers could do it, anyone can,'' he said.

Dennis McCarthy, [phone]

dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com

HOW TO HELP

For more information on the Salvation Army's Adopt-A-Family program in the downtown Los Angeles area, call Haug at [phone]. For the San Fernando Valley program, call Carlos Souza at [phone].

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