KIDS GET FINANCIAL BOOST USGA GRANT PUTS PACOIMA GROUP IN THE SWING OF THINGS.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

The 10-station driving range at the Hansen Dam Recreation Center golf course sat tantalizingly close for the aspiring Pacoima Junior Golf students for too long.

``We couldn't use it,'' said John Laing, a Sylmar resident and one of the program's coordinators. ``We helped build that range, but we couldn't use it because one day last year a kid got hit by a ball that went off the toe of a club.''

< The organization, which had been run on a shoestring budget since its inception in 1980, could not afford to install dividers to ensure the students' safety. However, that all changed earlier this year, when the group received a $25,000 grant from the United States Golf Association.

The dividers were promptly built, and now, every other Saturday, up to 150 young golfers from kindergarten-age to high school can be seen hacking away at Hansen Dam.

The Pacoima Junior Golf Association was one of 10 organizations in California and 118 nationwide to receive support through the USGA's ``For the Good of the Game'' program.

``It's been great,'' Laing said. ``The kids love to go out and play in tournaments, but the basic problem is that most of the parents don't have $150 or $200 for their kids to play in a golf tournament, so we are able to help.

``Last year, we used as many range balls as we could beg, borrow or steal, and this year we were able to pay (the Hansen Dam course) a retainer for all the range balls we could hit.''

The Pacoima Golf group meets every Saturday morning and alternates between Hansen Dam and a nine-hole course in Mission Hills. The students learn the fundamentals of golf, with an emphasis on the short game from a variety of instructors, including Laing, Art Collins, who founded the program, and Art's brother Will.

``It's great fun for the kids,'' said Laing, whose 10-year-old daughter, J.R., participates every week. ``Boys are boys, they are competitive with their chipping and they get into it. The girls, a lot of them want to talk and have a good time.

``The boys want to go down there and hit drives, hit as hard as they can. But from an instruction standpoint, you don't put a driver in a novice's hands. You give them a 5-iron or a 7-iron.''

Laing secured the USGA grant on behalf of the organization, and also received some funding from Hamer Toyota. The USGA grant can be renewed for two more years.

``I saw the USGA commercial where they talk about helping junior golf and minority golf, so I called the 800 number,'' Laing said. ``After a couple attempts, they called me back and sent me out a grant application. So we got together and filled it out, and we're very grateful.''

Laing said the money is also being used to help defray costs for families that cannot afford the sport, including equipment costs and greens fees.

``We negotiated a deal with the course (in Mission Hills) and every week we write a check for $200 or $300 to help these families that can't afford for their kids to play,'' Laing said.

``We get some grumblings from people who say the club should only be for minorities, and Art is real strong on that. He says, 'No, diversity is diversity, and we invite all kids.'

``You know, we've got affluent Asian families from Northridge, and we've got dirt-poor people from Pacoima, and they all come together right there.''

The parents, who are invited to watch the two-hour sessions every Saturday, appreciate the efforts of Laing, Collins and all involved in the organization.

``That guy,'' said parent Randy Isenberg of Woodland Hills, gesturing toward Laing, ``is probably Mr. Junior Golf in this area, and he does it all very unselfishly.

``I mean, just look at the mix of kids they have here. Most of them wouldn't even be playing golf if it wasn't for a program like this. So in that regard, I really see John as a leader in junior golf.''

Laing, however, is quick to deflect the praise.

``There are a lot of good people out here,'' he said. ``And that's where the grant helps, too, because Art had some volunteers, people who kind of came and went, and now we're able to pay people to be here and run it.

``Art, he'd be here anyway, but now we have other people, instructors, who are always here. Instead of not having a sense of obligation, we can pay them and make sure we have a continuity of instruction.''

The highlight event for the Pacoima Junior Golf Association, Laing said, is Art Collins' annual ``educational tournament,'' in which each student is paired with an adult for a round of golf at Hansen Dam. This year, thanks to the USGA grant, there was plenty for all involved to celebrate.

``Most of the time,'' Laing said, ``the only course these kids get to see is the pitch and putt (in Mission Hills), so this is the one time a year when they get to go out on a big course and play with the grown-ups.

``That's a huge deal for them.''

CAPTION(S):

photo