Women in Film Malibu Celebrity Golf Classic
Richard Karn, from television’s “Home Improvement,” will also serve as honorary chair of the annual tournament that raises funds for Women in Film.
By Oscar Antonino
Special to The Malibu Times
On July 9, the Malibu Country Club will be hosting the 14th Annual Women in Film Celebrity Golf Classic. This event has become a staple of summertime in Malibu, attracting such high-profile talent as Louis Gossett, Jr., Edward James Olmos, Martin Sheen, Carl Weathers, Betty Thomas, Jane Seymour and Shari Belafonte.
This year’s celebrity guest list includes Honorary Chair and local musician Shwayze, actors Gary Sinise, Samuel L. Jackson, and Richard Karn from television’s “Home Improvement,” who will also serve as honorary chair of the tournament.
Every summer this event, which serves as a fundraiser for Women in Film (WIF), has delivered a relaxing and informal day of golf, allowing WIF members and guests a chance to network with other members and industry professionals. Golfers of all skill levels are welcome, as the day of friendly competition will be filled with clinics and contests for prizes, followed by cocktails, a reception dinner and an auction.
WIF is a nonprofit organization that helps women within the entertainment, communications and media industries achieve their highest potential within those industries.
Shwayze, who has finished recording his highly anticipated third album, “Island in the Sun,” which will be released in August, has participated in the event every year since it began in 1998.
He is the grandson of Candace Bowen, a member of WIF since 1989, who has served on the organization’s board of directors, as vice president of membership and now as senior consultant of membership. Bowen founded the Celebrity Golf Classic, and the WIF Networking Breakfasts that take place in Malibu.
“I’m going out there to try to win this thing,” Shwayze said laughing.
His chances of winning are no joke, however. He has been golfing since he was 13, played for the Malibu High School golf team and claims to be a “serious golfer” with a handicap of seven.
“I’m really honored to have been chosen as an honorary chair for this tournament,” Shwayze said. “I’m just going to try to go out there and show my appreciation for that honor.”
To do this, Shwayze agreed to perform a DJ set later in the evening, and promises there will be surprises up his sleeve for the attendees.
As a Malibu local, the community has always rallied behind one of their own to help propel Shwayze, aka Aaron Smith, to international stardom. Now at age 25, and a first-time father of a seven-month-old boy, Hendrix Smith, whom he named after one of his favorite musicians, Jimi Hendrix, Shwayze said his new album is a more mature and in-depth return to the roots behind his first album, which produced such hits as “Buzzin’ and “Corona and Lime.”
The new album, “Island in the Sun,” featuring another Malibu local, Cisco Adler, was recorded in Malibu in a matter of weeks at Adler’s home studio.
“It definitely will have that laid-back summertime on the beach feel that our fans have come to expect from us,” Shwayze said. “But we are true artists, that evolve, and we want to show that we can do different things, while still giving our fans what they want.”
That laid-back summertime on the beach feel is exactly what the Women in Film golf tournament hopes to maintain, as it has always done. What started as a golf game among members in 1998 has become a well-established industry event, where players and sponsors contribute thousands of dollars to the nonprofit organization’s ever-growing slate of programs, workshops, scholarships and grants.
The cost to play in the tournament for non-members is $175, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly toward funding Women in Film and its programs.
More information on the event, tickets, or to explore sponsorship opportunities or contribute to the auction, can be obtained by contacting Malibu Golf Classic Chair Candace Bowen at candace@malibuonline.com or by calling 310.457.8664.