December 23, 2024 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Tee off for a good cause at Heroes Golf Course on VA Campus

Heroes Golf Course will host a Youth Golf Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 28, for children ages 5-14.
Heroes Golf Course will host a Youth Golf Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 28, for children ages 5-14.

Situated on the West Los Angeles VA campus is a multi-functional golf course that seeks to uphold its foundation of serving the local veteran population.

Currently managed by the Bandini Foundation, the par-3, nine-hole Heroes Golf Course is committed to providing wellness programs and veteran employment, according to executive director Bruce Rosen.

“The lease is centered around serving veterans,” executive director Bruce Rosen said. “The Bandini Foundation was created in 2008 for the sole purpose of managing Heroes Golf Course. The VA was looking for a non-profit organization to manage the course.”

Although the Bandini Foundation itself is relatively new, the Bandini family history can be traced back to the very beginnings of the VA campus. Arcadia Bandini, a great-aunt of founder Ricardo Bandini, was partially responsible for designating the grounds as a home for soldiers back in the 1880s.

“The Bandini family has stayed involved through all these years and continues to work to make that donation of land as valuable to our veterans as possible,” Rosen said.

As Rosen put it, “the property has changed over the years” from the establishment of the golf course in 1946. Originally intended to serve the veterans returning home from World War II, the golf course now operates for a variety of a reasons.

According to Rosen, the golf course is “used for a series of wellness and therapy programs” through the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

“We see everyone from the impaired mobility patients to the cardiac patients to the PTSD patients,” Rosen explained. “Doctors found that golf was a tremendous way to improve general fitness and health. It helps them stand up for longer periods and golf a little. Bending, squatting, and walking on uneven terrain are all part of the game. Swinging the golf club itself also involves weight shifts.

“Also, by letting the patients golf together, they grow better at socializing and open up more about certain issues,” Rosen continued.

Rosen mentioned that the Heroes Golf Course possesses a more relaxed setting than the typical golf range. With less emphasis on the competitive aspects, playing on the course “allows the veterans to bond and cooperate with each other.”

As for employment opportunities, a vital component of the Bandini Foundation’s mission is to help veterans obtain jobs.

“The golf course creates job opportunities for veterans,” Rosen explained. “We hire veterans to do the golf course maintenance and some of the management work: they run most of the jobs on the golf course. We help with transitional employment and offer a vocational program in order to help them find and be successful in competitive employment in the community. We have resume and writing workshops, and we provide job coaches as well.”

From increasing physical exercise to enhancing socialization skills to providing veteran employment opportunities, the golf course uses the sport as a means of assisting the seniors in a number of ways.

The Heroes Golf Course is open to the public 365 days a week from sunrise to sunset.

The course will be hosting a Youth Golf Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 28 for children ages 5-14. The entry fee is $40 and includes green fees, refreshments, lunch, raffle, and an awards ceremony. All proceeds go to benefit the golf course and local veterans.

Heroes Golf Course is located at 11301 Wilshire Blvd. in West Los Angeles.

For more information, call 310.473.0710 or visit heroesgolfcourse.com.

Tags: , in Sports
Related Posts

Super Bowl Pre-Game Show to Be Broadcast From Santa Monica Pier

February 10, 2022

February 10, 2022

The Santa Monica Pier will be the location for the Super Bowl Pre-Game show broadcast. Learn more in this video...

Bruins Headed to SDCCU Holiday Bowl

December 6, 2021

December 6, 2021

UCLA has accepted an invitation to play in The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl against No. 18 North...

Century City Gearing Up for LA Marathon Finish Line Celebration

October 13, 2021

October 13, 2021

Live music, food specials, beer gardens, pop-up experiences and more on November 7 By Staff Writer Century City will transform...

Local Hoopers Rejoice As Venice Basketball League Returns

September 6, 2021

September 6, 2021

The Venice Basketball League is officially back on the courts after nearly 2 years of closure. Nick Ansom joins us...

Westside Olympic Swimmer Shares Her Journey To The Games

August 30, 2021

August 30, 2021

Two time Olympian, Westside Local, and Medical Student Andi Murez has returned from the Tokyo games, hear about her journey...

Local Little League All-Star Team Wins More Than Just Championships

August 10, 2021

August 10, 2021

The Venice Baseball Academy’s little league team, the Tide, recently won the SoCal State Championships but it’s more than winning...

UCLA Remembers Legendary Football Coach Terry Donahue

July 6, 2021

July 6, 2021

From UCLA Athletics Terry Donahue, the winningest coach in Pacific-12 Conference and UCLA football history, passed away on Sunday evening,...

LA Marathon Date Set

March 9, 2021

March 9, 2021

More than 27,000 runners to take part in race November 7 By TJ Montemer Organizers for the LA Marathon have...

LA Marathon With Century City Finish Moved Back Again

February 4, 2021

February 4, 2021

Race organizers push the race that runs through Brentwood to the fall By Chad Winthrop The Los Angeles marathon, which...

LA Marathon With Century City Finish Line Pushed Back

November 30, 2020

November 30, 2020

Race organizers move event back to May 23 By Sam Catanzaro The Los Angeles Marathon, set to finish for the...

UCLA, USC Football Set to Return

October 6, 2020

October 6, 2020

Both schools to begin season November 7 By Toi Creel UCLA and USC football is set to kick off its...

No UCLA Sports This Fall

August 12, 2020

August 12, 2020

Pac-12 postpones fall sports By Sam Catanzaro There will be no sports at UCLA this fall as the Pac-12 has...

UCLA Football Players Test Positive for COVID-19

August 6, 2020

August 6, 2020

LA County Dept. of Public Health confirms positive tests  By Sam Catanzaro  Los Angeles County health officials have announced members...

Century City New LA Marathon Finish Line

July 24, 2020

July 24, 2020

Race organizers cite bigger finish line footprint in decision By Sam Catanzaro Century City is the new home for the...