Mike Rubino is dedicated to keeping the Live Oak golf program
going even if it means donated his stipend back to the school
district. Both boys and girls golf have both been thrown around on
the chopping block with the budget cutbacks, but they may go on a
little longer now.
Mike Rubino is dedicated to keeping the Live Oak golf program going even if it means donated his stipend back to the school district.
Both boys and girls golf have both been thrown around on the chopping block with the budget cutbacks, but they may go on a little longer now.
Rubino has seen the program and the league grow during his five years of coaching and doesn’t want his efforts to be waisted.
“I felt bad because there were a couple seniors that could be eligible for a scholarship but wouldn’t if they cant play even play,” Rubino said. “I plan to keep coaching as long as they will let me. We will probably have to do our own fundraising or get some sponsors.”
Rubino has seen the league go from five teams to ten teams and has seen women’s golf in general start to pick up with the emergence of some of the teenage female players who have made a name for themselves in the recent years.
The two seniors on the Live Oak golf team are Stephanie Chak and Maggie Taylor. Both had little or no go experience when they started as freshmen. But Rubino has molded them through many hours of hard practice into the leaders on the team. And he wants the clay to keep being made even if it may not stick together to well at first.
There are currently five girls on the team, and Rubino would like to have a couple more out. Even freshmen with no experience are welcome to come out.
Rubino hopes to have at least eight girls before the first match on Sept. 9. Six can play at one time. All the regular season tournaments are played on nine holes, while the championships are played on 18.
Other golfers on the team are sophomore Nikki Bellinger and juniors Alexi Gonzales-Sparr and Anne Trull.
“I started from scratch with all of these girls,” Rubino said. “Not one had much experience before coming out. I am trying to keep the team kind of young so we can build on it.”
Chak, who recently received custom made golf clubs from Golf Etc., is one of those players who started from scratch. She has worked as a caddie at CordeValle Golf Course.
Taylor did take a few lessons before starting, but didn’t really play until she started with Live Oak. Her parents drove her down from Murphy regularly for practice.
“They both hold good grade point averages, so I think they are good candidates for scholarships,” Rubino said. “There were something like 450 golf scholarships not claimed last year because of not putting out teams. Girls golf has taken a big jump recently with the young players.”
Live Oak plays its home matches at the Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed CordeValle Golf Course, which county commissioners are investigating for not allowing sufficient public access.
When Rubino became the Live Oak coach in 1998, he immediately formed a working relationship with CordeValle General Manager Rick Reiss to allow the Live Oak girls team to use the facility for free.
This included use of the facilities for practice and for the three tournaments a year that Live Oak hosts. It also included free range balls.
Live Oak begin playing out there while the course was still being built. There was only a trailer at that time instead of a clubhouse.
The only requirement that CordeValle had was that players adhere to the strict dress code to keep up the club’s image and that they not bother any of the other golfers like Julie Inkster or Jerry Rice, who are known to frequent the club.
“They are really fussy about how you look and dress,” Rubino said. “But that is OK. They wanted them to be good examples of what the course is about. It really is pretty nice to have everyone dressed up.”
Live Oak players can wear shorts with an inseam no less than six inches or pants on a colder day. Their collared shirts must be tucked in.
Even parents have to observe the code. One spectator at one of the Acorns matches was asked to leave because he had jeans on.
Any of the few elite with connections or a little extra cash who have actually played the course know what a tough course it can be with its many hazards.
Live Oak begin its practice this year by walking the course and mapping the greens to get a feel for how it was laid out.
The Acorns had the chance to play the course last week for the first time this year. During that session Trull shot a 49 – a score many male and female adult golfers would be proud to have.
Without CordeValle’s generosity, the Live Oak golf program would not be able to exist, Rubino said
“We’ve been really fortunate,” Rubino said. “It’s been tremendous. They have been really great for us.”
Rubino has also been able to negotiate use for the boys team, which was coached last year by Tony Goble. That means the team will no longer have to pay to use the facilities at Coyote Creek for practice and tournaments.
Last year Live Oak had to pay $15 for each person competing in a tournament – not just its own players but also for all the players it hosted as well. Although it may seem like a small some, that amount adds up quickly when combined.
Anyone interested in playing should call Mike Rubino at 219-4137.
