Miniature Golf Course at School Is a Hit With Pupils

Six-year-old Ricky Vasquez jumped up and down and cheered when he hit a golf ball into a box of chicken nuggets.

He was rewarded for chipping balls into food, animals and faux buildings Tuesday in a temporary miniature golf course set up at Vena Avenue Elementary School.

Children from the L.A.’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) program designed the miniature golf course, with some help from local businesses, as an after-school activity.

“It’s fun playing golf,” said Ricky, a kindergartner. “I think I’m getting good at it.”

About 200 Vena Avenue Elementary pupils have worked on the golf project since late April, said Deanna Galarza, coordinator of the L.A.’s BEST program at the school.

“It is so cool to see the kids do such good work,” Galarza said. “I didn’t expect it to turn out so wonderful.”

Students created the miniature golf course out of boxes donated by Sherway Messenger Co.

They also solicited help from McDonald’s, Baskin-Robbins, Target and other local businesses. Parents donated golf clubs and balls.

The idea came from fifth-grader Eric Briones, who enjoys playing miniature golf with his family and friends.

“We were doing some fun stuff with L.A.’s BEST, but I decided it would be a cool activity to make a miniature golf course,” Eric said. “I’m glad to see everyone is having a good time today, and I like how it all turned out.”

The children putted the golf balls on the school’s blacktop and into holes fashioned into giant pizzas, French fries, a rocket and a banana split, all made of cardboard. The students also made replicas of the Los Angeles Police and Fire departments, complete with a squad car and a fire engine.

“We want to build the kids’ interest around the community,” Galarza said. “We want them to know how much the community really gives back to us.”

Each golfer had only one chance to hit a ball into the small cut-out holes.

“We all helped paint and put it together,” said fourth-grader Julie Prado, 10. “We thought it would be boring at first, but it turned out to be pretty cool.”

L.A.’s BEST is a free after-school enrichment program created in 1988 as a partnership between the city, the Los Angeles Unified School District and private businesses to provide activities to children in low-income neighborhoods. Vena Avenue Elementary joined the program in February.

“We need a program like this in Pacoima,” Galarza said. “There’s so many gang members here, and we want to keep the children away from that.”