SAN ANTONIO — Dozens of San Antonio area children were gifted with free golf equipment from a local nonprofit this past Saturday
Flamingo Club held a ceremony on Dec. 14 at the Rockin G' Grill at the Mission del Lago Golf Course, where over 30 children, between the ages of 6 and 12, were awarded custom golf clubs, accessories, branded apparel and a membership to help strengthen their skills.
Founder Ray Garza thanked his parents, wife and family for their support of the outreach program. He also thanked the staff at the Rockin G' Grill and On Par Golf who helped keep him focused despite his "crazy ideas."
Garza was very passionate about bringing this idea to fruition earlier this year. Flamingo Club derived from his mission to alleviate the financial burden of playing golf from young players. He previously told KENS 5 about his own struggles of trying to find golf equipment growing up and wanted to stop that from happening to area kids.
Guest speakers included District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, the CEO of the South Texas Business Partnership Rebecca Viagran and President of the Alamo City Golf Trail Andrew Peterson.
Several of the speakers congratulated the junior golfers and thanked the parents for encouraging their little ones to develop a love for golf and hone their life-long skills.
As the kids' names were called, each one of them walked to the presentation area donning a blue Flamingo Club polo that complimented their big smiles as Garza handed them their new clubs.
Garza later ended the ceremony by pulling out a small golf club. He explained it was his first club given to him by his own father.
"God kept this club in my hands and now I know why," Garza said, referring to his goal of helping others grow and prosper in the sport.
Afterwards the kids were divided into two groups, one heading to the putting area and the others to the driving range. The kids then got to practice with their new clubs.
Flamingo Club plans to continue the tradition of gifting children from the greater San Antonio area with much-needed golf equipment. Their first official ceremony was held in June.
