SHORT GAME
Photos courtesy Joyce Morones
The Home Course • DuPont
Photo by Rob Perry / robperry.com
Rick Morones and Isaac Johnston
Enter To Win A South-End Two-Pack
W
ant to win some free golf, but don’t have time to drive all the way across the state? No problem. For golfers who like to stay closer to home, we’re giving away 36 holes at two of Pierce County’s finest public tracks — Eagles Pride and The Home Course! Start your day among the towering pines of Eagles Pride, then head a few minutes west for another 18 at 2010 U.S. Amateur co-host The Home Course. Somebody reading this magazine will win, so throw your name in the hat at CascadeGolfer.com!
In the “Sun Belt”
At The Golf Course
Voted #1
in Washington for Best Value by GolfAdvisor.com Featuring some of the best and most well maintained greens in the area! Located in the Sunbelt of Western Washington
We receive less rain during the wet season and less heat during the summer
Offering Discount Punch Cards No Expiration
Remember, we’re only 15 minutes from I-5 exit #212, in the “Sun Belt” on Camano Island.
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(360) 387-3084
camalochgolf.com 10
JUNE 2019
Lakewood’s Isaac Johnston Wins $1,000 Duke’s Junior Golf Scholarship
T
he smile on his face says it all. From the moment that Isaac Johnston was first gifted a set of golf clubs from his grandfather, Rick Morones, he’s had an unbridled passion for the game. One year later, at the age of five, his maturity and understanding allowed him to receive early admission to the junior golf program at Oakbrook Golf Club, where he continued to flourish. In the decade-plus since, Isaac has won numerous junior tournaments at Oakbrook, competed four years for the Lakes High School golf team, and teamed with his grandfather to win several grandfather/grandson tournaments as well. Through golf, the two have forged a bond that will never be broken. Isaac also works hard on his studies, with a 3.5 gradepoint average and test scores that have earned him admission to every college to which he has applied. And, as his grandmother, Joyce Morones, points out, he has dedicated himself to volunteer work in the community, “so much so that he forgets to even account for it as community service required to graduate.” Isaac has filled emergency backpacks for at-need families, tutored younger students at a local elementary school, and traveled with his youth group to serve at-risk communities across the globe. In the last year alone, Isaac has helped renovate a clinic in Uganda and provided assistance to low-income families in Appalachia, seeing firsthand the impact of his service on communities at need. This past summer, he took his first official golf course job, working at The Home Course. As the weather turned cool and most seasonal hires were released, Isaac’s supervisors asked him to stay on, impressed with his work ethic and abilities. Ultimately, he chose to focus on his studies, but looks forward to returning to The Home Course when summer comes around again. And, when he does, perhaps they’ll throw him a little party. That’s because Isaac has been chosen as the Summer 2019 recipient of the Duke’s Junior Golf Scholarship, awarded quarterly by Duke’s Chowder House and announced in each issue of Cascade Golfer. Intended to
offset the rising costs of golf and education, the Duke’s Junior Golf Scholarship has awarded nearly $15,000 to young golfers throughout Western Washington since its inception in 2015. “A grant like this one is often awarded to the type of person I am trying to be, so receiving it is incredibly gratifying, and I am very thankful to Duke’s for their interest and trust in me,” Johnston says. “I plan for these funds to be put towards an athletic training major at Washington State University this fall.” Duke’s COO John Moscrip, who was inspired to fund the scholarship after experiencing his own struggles to make ends meet as he pursued both his golfing and academic goals following an outstanding junior career of his own, says that it was Isaac’s dedication to the game, and his family, that made his nomination stand out. “Isaac has a real love for golf that shone through the words on the page,” says Moscrip, who, along with his father, Duke’s founder Duke Moscrip, personally review the nominations to select each recipient. “We were also very impressed with the amount of work he’s done in his community, and are happy to be able to help him pursue both his golfing and academic goals as he enters this next exciting phase of his life.” To nominate a deserving individual — perhaps a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, neighbor, student or golf course employee — send an email to editor@cascadegolfer.com with the subject line “Duke’s Junior Golf Scholarship.” Applicants need only to be of high-school age or younger — past recipients have ranged from age 10 to 18 — and have a demonstrated commitment to the game of golf, plus strong track records of academics and community service. Be sure to include any information you feel would bolster your nomination. You could make a difference in the life of a deserving young person with just one simple email! Sometime this spring, Isaac and Rick will compete together for the last time, as Isaac heads off to college. It’s not the end, however — merely, the end of the beginning. cascadegolfer.com