When one thinks of the traditional Italian pastimes, several things come to mind: Food. Wine. Art. Music. Talking. And…Golfing?
It may not be your traditional game of bocce ball, but members of the Italian American Golf Association of San Diego have been gathering since 1965 to “bring golfers of Italian heritage together for friendly competition and goodwill and to promote through [their] golf tournaments and social activities the proud heritage of all Italian Americans.”
The IAGA, fast approaching its semi-centennial, is an affiliate of the Southern California Golf Association and is open to anyone of Italian descent or is married to someone of Italian descent. Two different annual memberships are offered: An $85 Golf Membership, which allows interested golfers to participate in club tournaments as well as the social events throughout the year while a $15 Social Membership grants members access to all the social events hosted by the organization.
Anthony Contasti, club president since ’93, has been a member of the club for more than 30 years and says first and foremost, “we are an Italian-American social club…We play golf, but we’re not playing Tiger Woods golf; it’s a social thing: Get out once a month and enjoy our company.”
Members vary in both age and skill level. “We have skill levels from 7-handicappers to 35-handicappers; our medium is probably 20 to 21 handicaps (and) we have ages from 20s up to 80s.”
In addition to its monthly golf tournaments, leading up to its annual IAGA Club Championship in October, the organization hosts several social events for its members. These events include Padres games at Petco Park, a day at the races at Del Mar and monthly dinner meetings. The club also hosts an annual Christmas party and holds a toy drive for Toys for Tots in association with the U.S. Marine Corps.
A weekend golfing trip in Palm Springs is usually scheduled around September, an event Contasti says several of the members always look forward to. While he was unable to pinpoint a single favorite course in San Diego, he said that his club enjoys playing local courses such as Riverwalk, The Vineyard, Eastlake and Twin Oaks.
The organization just held their first tournament of the year on Jan. 18 at the Eastlake Country Club in Chula Vista with the second tournament scheduled for Feb. 9 at the Twin Oaks Golf Course in San Marcos. Its major tournaments of the year, however, are the Columbus Day tournament and the IAGA Club Championship. In order to qualify for the championship, a member must have participated in four tournaments throughout the year as well as the Columbus Day tournament. The 2013 defending IAGA club champion is Tournament Chairman Aldo Della Ragione.
The next social event for IAGA is their upcoming monthly meeting, held at Filippi’s Pizza Restaurant & Bar in Kearny Mesa. It will take place on Jan. 27 at 6 p.m.
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