Par-fect response to Carmel golf's SOS

When Carmel High athletic director Andy Bitto needed a varsity girls golf coach ASAP, he knew who to contact.

"I got a phone call the day before tryouts started last week," said Liz White.

It isn't White's first go-around at Carmel, as she served as a lower-level coach in volleyball a few years ago. But this is her first try as a varsity golf coach.

White and her family are from Waukegan, but they are definitely well known at the Mundelein school, starting with her numerous brothers (Waukegan's large May family) who attended Carmel and were successful on the athletic fields.

White's daughter, Kate, was an all-state golfer at Carmel, and she's currently a scholarship golfer at the University of Nebraska.

Her son, Garrett, is golfing at the College of Lake County, and her youngest son, Billy, is a sophomore at Carmel which won the Warren Invitational last weekend with the Corsairs' boys team after firing an even-par 72.

White and her husband, Joe, are also accomplished golfers who have captured numerous amateur crowns in the area.

"I guess you would say we are a golfing family now," said White.

It didn't start out that way for White, who was a three-sport athlete in high school and later in her first year at CLC.

She later went on to play volleyball and tennis at Northern Illinois University.

"In my family, you had to be active in sports to survive," she joked.

Now, she stays active in golf just about full-time, whether coaching, playing or watching her children on the links.

"I really should be teaching, but (coaching) is fun," she said.

White taught elementary school several years ago, but hasn't been in the classroom for some time.

"I always talk about going back, but now I have an excuse being out here (coaching)," she said.

White takes over a Carmel girls golf program which had enjoyed some success under former coach Brian Smithe (51-17 in dual meets over the past five years), but doesn't have many top golfers returning.

Junior Shannon Howell posted a 13th-place 93 at the Lake County tournament on Monday at Sunset Valley, but the Corsairs could only manage an 11th-place team finish.

"This group is going to take some time to jell," said White. "But the big thing is, it's a great group of girls who like to have fun.

"It should be a fun season and I'm looking forward to it."

Patriot Golf Day celebrated in area

Several Lake County golf courses will be participating in Patriot Golf Day this holiday weekend.

The inaugural Patriot Golf Day on Sept. 1 of last year was inspired by Major Dan Rooney, a PGA professional and USGA member from Broken Arrow, Okla.

The one-day fund-raiser resulted in donations of more than $1.1 million from more than 3,200 golfers nationwide to support the families of veterans who have been injured or perished in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Major Rooney once again is leading the Patriot Golf Day mission before he reports in the fall for his third tour of duty in Iraq as an F-16 fighter pilot in the 125th Fighter Squadron of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.

On Patriot Golf Day, public facilities will request an additional $1 for each green-fee processed, while private facilities will ask patrons to make voluntary donations.

"I am an ordinary guy that has been blessed with the extraordinary opportunity to be part of Patriot Golf Day," said Major Rooney. "I simply planted a small seed that has been cultivated by PGA professionals and golfers around this great country."

For more information on courses in the area and their Patriot Golf Day activities, go to www.patriotgolfday.com.

Patriot Golf Day

Some of area courses and sites who are participating in Patriot Golf Day this weekend:

• Antioch Golf Club, Antioch

• Bittersweet Golf Club, Gurnee

• Conway Farms, Lake Forest

• Lake Bluff, Lake Bluff

• Kemper Lakes, Hawthorn Woods

• Twin Orchard, Long Grove

• Steeple Chase, Mundelein

• Pine Meadow, Mundelein

• Core Golf, Libertyville

• GolfTech, Highland Park

• Vernon Hills, Vernon Hills

• Willow Glen, Great Lakes