PORT HUENEME : Lions Club Told to Pay for Golfer’s Trip

A judge ruled Tuesday that Channel Islands Lions Club must pay for the travel expenses of a golfer who won a free trip after shooting a hole in one during the club’s charity tournament.

Superior Court Judge Edwin M. Osborne decided the club must come up with $2,450, the approximate amount spent for the winning golfer’s trip for two to Germany.

The ruling concludes almost a year of wrangling between the club and the Travel Mart of Port Hueneme, the company that sponsored the hole where the golfer made the winning shot.

“I’m just glad it’s over,” said Margaret Bird, owner of the Travel Mart. “But I have not seen the money yet.”

The Lions Club, which includes only 15 members, does not have the money, according the club’s attorney and member, Richard Hanawalt.

“All our money goes for cataract operations,” Hanawalt said of the charity the club supports. Raising the money “isn’t going to be easy,” he said, and may call for members to “pass the hat.” The tournament was held last June at Mountain View Golf Course in Santa Paula. The hole in one was shot by Charles Scholler, a North Hollywood retiree.

The club had bought insurance coverage against any lucky shots. The coverage, from Sports Guarantees Unlimited in Cathedral City, was arranged by Coast General Insurance Brokers of Oxnard. Bird helped pay for the premium.

Problems arose when Sports Guarantees refused to cover the win because the club had allowed 126 players to participate in the tournament when the coverage called for no more than 120. The company later couldn’t be located.

Meanwhile, Scholler had declined the prize for the hole in one--a trip for two to Mexico--and opted instead for the trip to Germany. Bird advanced Scholler the $2,365 for the ticket, believing Sports Guarantees would reimburse her.

When that didn’t happen, Bird sued the club and the club filed a cross-claim against Coast Insurance Brokers of Oxnard. The judge determined the club alone was responsible for the expenses. But he rejected Bird’s claim that the prize was worth $7,500, the amount of coverage purchased.