Savoring Tee Time

Although being a devoted wife and mother takes first priority in her life, Palisadian Colette Rosenberg still makes time every week for her number one hobby. In between driving her three boys to and from school, cooking dinner and cleaning house, she sneaks in a round or two of golf at Riviera Country Club and that devotion has taken her places she’s never been before. Rosenberg recently qualified for the United States Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships, which begin tomorrow at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. For a few days, she can take a break from being a mom and test her strokes against 129 other players from across the country at one of the most beautiful courses in America—and she embraces every opportunity. ‘This is the 10th time I’ve made it,’ says Rosenberg, who shot a 79 at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club to finish fourth in Southern California, one stroke behind the first-place trio. ‘I’m not real happy with my score’I should shoot a 74 on that course’but I’ll take it.’ Only the top 16 golfers from Southern California make the national cut and Rosenberg will be joined in Tennessee by two fellow members from Riviera, where she and her husband Joey have been members for 23 years. In fact, she has won the club championship there eight times. ‘I love Riviera and it definitely gets me prepared for other events,’ says Rosenberg, whose personal-best on her home course is a 1-under par 70. ‘I don’t mind the narrow fairways and deep bunkers because I know if I can play consistently well there, I can shoot a low score anywhere.’ Even at 43, Rosenberg routinely competes against and beats players 15 to 20 years younger than her. Part of the reason for her success is experience. Rosenberg has learned a lot since first picking up a club at the age of 14. Growing up in Aiea, a village near Pearl Harbor on Oahu, she quickly grew to love the game and eventually made the team at the University of Hawaii. ‘I have played on a lot of different courses and they set up some pretty nice ones for the amateur championships,’ says Rosenberg, a zero handicapper who cites putting as the strongest aspect of her game. ‘But Riviera is where I play the most and it’s definitely my favorite.’ Riviera is Rosenberg’s first choice not only because of its hallowed greens and close proximity to her home near Bienvenida, but also for a sentimental reason: it’s where she and Joey first met. ‘I was working in the pro shop at the time and he used to come by to play all the time,’ she recalls. ‘We still try to play together once a week, but with our busy schedules we play on our own a lot more.’ The Mid-Amateur field starts at 130 players and only the top 64 advance to Sunday’s match play format, in which the player with the lowest score faces the player with the highest score head-to-head. The farthest Rosenberg has ever advanced is the round of 16 at Tacoma Country Club in Washington seven years ago. ‘I actually prefer match play much more,’ Rosenberg admits. ‘In stroke play, every shot counts, but in match play you only have to worry about one person. And if you have a bad hole, you only lose one point no matter what.’ Rosenberg has only hit one hole in one in her life, but she remembers the time and place vividly. It happened on September 26, 1999, at Riviera’s famous fourth hole (236 yards), considered by many experts, including golfing legend Ben Hogan, to be the most difficult par 3 in America. ‘It was my oldest son Dustin’s 10th birthday and he, my husband and I all played a round,’ Rosenberg says, laughing. ‘I used my driver from the white tee and I hit it straight down the fairway but I didn’t see it go in. When I approached the hole I still couldn’t see it so I asked Dustin where my ball was and he said it was in the cup. I thought I had hit it over the green!’ There was even more significance to that particular family outing. ‘Joey’s drive landed on the green and he made birdie and Dustin laid up, chipped onto the green and made his putt. So we scored 1-2-3 on that hole.’ Now 14, Dustin played PPBA and AYSO in the Palisades and is now starting at quarterback and safety on Loyola High’s freshman football team. Rosenberg’s other two kids, Darren (12) and Dawson (9) both attend Calvary Christian School. Darren has made the Pali Rec League’s all-star basketball team while Dawson, a third-grader, made the PPBA Pinto Division all-star travel team. Joey was the quarterback at Granada Hills High under John Newman (who later coached John Elway) and played catcher at UCLA. Rosenberg flew to Knoxville Tuesday with longtime friend Sandra Nakagaki, who shot an 83 and finished tied for seventh in SoCal. ‘We grew up together,’ Rosenberg says of Nakagaki, who lives in Culver City. ‘She works in the pro shop at Riviera and I’ve known her for 28 years. We were even teammates at Hawaii.’ The defending Riviera Club champion, Akemi Khaiatt of Huntington Beach, tied for first at the SoCal regional tournament, one stroke ahead of Rosenberg. ‘I think it says a lot for our club that three players qualified for the championships. Hopefully, one of us can bring home the winner’s trophy this year.’ No prize money is involved in amateur golf tournaments, but competing nevertheless allows Rosenberg to travel all over the country and play some of the nation’s most beautiful courses. So far, her hobby has brought her to Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Georgia and now Tennessee. She has also played amateur events on various courses throughout the Southland, including San Diego, Newport Beach, Rancho Park and Mission Hills. ‘Golf is a sport you can play and enjoy your whole life,’ Rosenberg says. ‘I savor every chance I get to play these events. It’s fun to challenge yourself and keep trying to get better.’