MESA, Ariz. – The dozens and dozens of golfers that set out on the beautiful 18-hole layout at Mesa Country Club Monday afternoon all had their own reasons for taking part in the 11th annual Perfect Game Swings for Autism charitable event.
For most it was nothing more than a good excuse to take a Monday off from work and enjoy a few precious hours in the Arizona sunshine while knowing all the while their “sacrifice” was benefitting a great cause. Money raised by the event – formerly known as “Sutton’s Strokes for Little Folks” after event organizer Daron Sutton – benefits the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SAARC) which works to raise the awareness of autism in the Valley region.
Among those on the course Monday was Lou Ponesse of Chandler, who was playing in a foursome that ended up winning the four-person scramble format event. Ponesse had a very personal reason for being in attendance and it went beyond skipping out on a day of work. His 15-year-old son, Tommy, is autistic, and Tommy was set to join his father later in the day and serve as the master of ceremonies at the awards ceremony.
“It’s huge that people want to donate their money and come out here and spend their time to raise money for autism awareness; it’s huge for people to do that,” Ponesse said during a slight break in the action while his foursome moved from green to tee-box on the layout’s back-nine. “To take time off on a Monday and not go to work and spend some time out here, it’s fantastic.
“These people come out and they know what (SARRC) is all about and they know the (number) of kids that are impacted by it,” he said. “It’s just huge that they take the time to do it.”
This is the first year Perfect Game served as the title sponsor of the event, and Sutton still oversees the entire operation. PG President Jerry Ford is committed to help make it even bigger and better in the coming years with the goal of promoting autism awareness and providing services to the autistic.
“Jerry has always been very, very supportive of philanthropic causes in general, and specifically with this cause that started with Daron Sutton becoming our national spokesperson,” PG Vice President of Business Development Brad Clement said from MCC Monday. “This year, between Daron and Jerry, they’ve really stepped it up and Perfect Game has become the branded partner of the event, as well.”
In his own word, Sutton said he was “thrilled” with the event: “A day like today is awesome … and thanks to Perfect Game and thanks to this great community in Arizona, this event is stronger than ever,” he said Monday. “You put in a lot of work in the beginning so the expectation is that you survive, and all the personal relationships that you have haven’t disintegrated by the time you get to the event.
“Beyond that, the expectation is to raise funds, raise awareness, and to make sure people go spread the word about how they can help out.”
There was evidence in every corner of the course Monday afternoon that people were, first and foremost, having a whole heck of a lot of fun while also not losing sight of the cause.
Erik Averill from nearby Tempe enjoyed a three-year career at Arizona State (2003-05) – he was on a couple of Sun Devils teams that also included big-leaguers Andre Ethier and Dustin Pedroia – and played parts of three seasons in the minor leagues.
Averill is now with Athlete Wealth Management Group which was heavily involved with PG Swings for Autism. He and his group have also conducted educational seminars at the Perfect Game All-American Classic in San Diego for the past five years.
“We have a great relationship with Perfect Game … and we just want to support SARRC,” he said when asked what brought him out to MCC Monday afternoon. “Autism is something that is close to my family and to the community that I’m around, so it’s a good cause and a good reason to be out here.”
Averill and his partners in the group are all former players both collegiately and professionally, and they’ve come to realize that there is a huge education gap with the high-school age players on what to expect as they prepare for the MLB Amateur Draft and the entry into professional baseball.
That is what Averill does for a living, and he’s very good at it, but on this day under the beautiful southeast Valley sunshine at one of the area’s premier private golf clubs, it was all about having fun and making sure everyone else is on the same page.
“That’s the exciting thing,” he said. “You get to come out here and golf with a lot of friends, and for us it’s a huge break because on the financial side of things it’s the tax season. So to get out on a Monday during tax season and to be able to enjoy it, it’s just great.”
The tee-box at the par-3 11th hole was once again occupied by SARRC volunteers handing out informational literature and accepting donations, along with former LPGA Tour pro and current instructor and coach Pam Wright.
“Anything that SARRC is doing that is golf-related if I’m available and it’s helpful, I’m there,” she said while noting that she has become somewhat of a fixture at the outing. “This is such a great organization and this a great event and it’s a great match; for me, it’s a no-brainer. If I’m available – and I always hope that I am – I’m going to be here.”
Wright greets the foursomes as they arrive at the 11th tee, allows them to hit their shots towards the cup about 160 yards away, and then tries to better their shots. It usually provides outstanding theater.
“We’re all here for a common cause from a passion point of view with (SARRC) and a passion for golf, so for me, it’s a lot of fun,” Wright said. “As you can see, there’s a lot of banter. For those of us that have been here for a few years now in this position and a lot of the same groups have been here, so you start to get to know each other and there’s even more banter. It’s really just a lot of fun.
“It’s on all of us to find out more about this and share it and get more people involved; the more people the better,” she continued. “It’s a fun day and everybody comes through with a smile on their face which is what it’s all about.”
Both Clement and Sutton spoke on Monday about organizing similar events in cities like Atlanta, Fort Myers, Fla., and even Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Perfect Game enjoys a profound presence. Sutton believes in the viability of Perfect Game Swings for Autism so strongly that he is already envisioning events in Arizona, Georgia and Florida as early as 2017.
“Any of us that are able to stand up each morning and pay our bills with some sort of regularity owe it to put this kind of effort forward,” he said. “I’m thrilled because of all the folks that decided to support it, with the local sports organizations like the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks that stepped right up and got right behind this, along with a national company like Perfect Game.”
Clement concurred: “(PG’s) mission is to run the highest quality amateur events possible and that will always be at our core,” Clement said. “But for any good and growing organization, it’s much bigger than that. Pediatric cancer continues to be our overall largest cause that we do at the All-American Classic … and It’s just great that we can reach out and help people that are less fortunate than most of the players that come to our events.”
Lou Ponesse works for the Arizona Supreme Court technical support team, but on this particular day his thoughts were a long way from the office. He spoke with PG before he knew he was going to be part of the winning foursome, but he was already excited about Tommy being given the opportunity to MC the awards presentation. Mostly, he was just excited about the day in general.
“The more people that are out there (that become) more aware that autism exists and how kids fall into different spectrums where they’re high function or lower function, it’s just more about the awareness because of how many families it impacts,” Ponesse said, before repeating himself. “It’s just fantastic.”