Born and raised in the Southland, SCGA member Steve Stark has been golfing Southern California courses for more than 55 years. Last month, however, he earned himself that elusive first hole-in-one.
"It took me 56 years to get that first hole-in-one, but my friends say I can get another one sooner! I will keep trying!" Stark said recently.
Stark, who began golfing with a friend back in 1956, was the randomly selected winner of the SCGA's monthly hole-in-one drawing program. Everyone who submits a hole-in-one is automatically eligible to win.
Stark has had a great relationship with the game of golf since taking it up in the 1950s. Growing up, he and a friend would frequent Los Feliz Golf, a nine-hole course located near where they grew up in Atwater Village. While the course provided no more than a pitch-and-putt outing, at the time it definitely felt long enough to Stark and his friends. However, as they got better, they graduated to the 18-hole Wilson Course at Griffith Park. "That, [however], was a difficult place for two teenagers to play!" said Stark.
In the 1990s Stark became more serious about his game, joining Westlake Golf Course's Men's Club and signing up for a few lessons. Since then, he has gone on to play in a number of tournaments, even winning a partners event that sent him to compete in Hilton Head, SC.
Stark's love for the game goes far beyond the Southland, however. The SCGA member has been fortunate enough to attend the Masters twice, once in 2000 and once in 2001, and has played courses such as Pebble Beach and Spyglass up in Northern California.
Currently, Stark plays golf every Friday, rotating through a number of Ventura County courses. It was on a day like that when he knocked in the hole-in-one at Elkins Ranch.
If you would like to submit your hole-in-one and receive a certificate from the SCGA, click here.
