Hollister
– Ridgemark resident Marshall Crisman spends almost every
evening walking around the golf course, looking for stray
balls.
Hollister – Ridgemark resident Marshall Crisman spends almost every evening walking around the golf course, looking for stray balls.
Crisman has accumulated thousands of golf balls, and they aren’t as useless as one might think. Crisman dropped off more than 2,000 at the Ridgemark clubhouse on Wednesday, and they will eventually be shipped for U.S. troops to play with in Iraq.
There are more coming, Crisman said. After he finishes cleaning out his garage, and as he continues collecting, Crisman estimates that he’ll contribute 4,000 to 5,000 balls to the cause.
Ridgemark general manager Eric Dietz said Crisman may have more than most, but it’s normal for Ridgemark residents to keep plenty of the golf balls accidentally knocked on to their property.
“It seems like everyone had golf balls in their garage,” Dietz said.
And now they’re going to have the chance to drag those balls out of their garages and closets, Dietz said, because he hopes to send 50,000 balls to Iraq by July 4.
Ridgemark resident Judy Pulling said she first thought about sending balls overseas while listening to the weekly radio show “Hooked on Golf.” When she heard that soldiers in Iraq have been hitting golf balls to relieve their stress – and aren’t able to venture into mine fields or enemy-controlled territory to retrieve them – Pulling saw a great way to help out.
“The response has been fantastic,” Pulling said.
Dietz pointed out that these efforts could benefit the club as well – after all, it never hurts to spread a love of golf.
“Their sand game is going to be really good,” he said.
Residents have dropped off around 10,000 golf balls at the clubhouse, Dietz said. In fact, Pulling said ball donations have been so plentiful that what they really need is money for postage. Dietz and Pulling are hoping to mail 174 packages – at Army Post Office rates, it’s going to cost $35 a box, so the total shipping cost will be $6,090.
“We have more balls than money,” Pulling said.
She added that people’s feelings about the war shouldn’t stop them from contributing.
“You’re helping other human beings who have seen hard things and done hard things,” she said.
Crisman said he’s delighted that the balls he’s collected will be put to good use, and he hopes other parts of the United States follow suit. But that wasn’t why he started collecting.
“It’s like being a kid again,” Crisman said. “You’re on an Easter egg hunt.”
Besides, he said, when you retire, you’ve got to find a way to keep busy and maybe earn a little cash on the side.
“It’s either selling golf balls or selling bait,” Crisman said.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or ah*@fr***********.com.
