Inaugural Masters in the Pines golf tourney to raise funds for city’s nonprofit
A first-of-its kind fundraiser is coming to town that aims to raise big bucks for Pembroke Pines improvements, one birdie at a time.
The inaugural Masters in the Pines Golf Tournament — presented by Mayor Angelo Castillo — takes over the Pembroke Lakes Golf Course on Friday, March 13, to benefit the city’s community nonprofit, We Love Pembroke Pines.
Golfers can put their game to the test with a putting contest and “Skill and Hole” contests, city officials say, before enjoying awards, raffles and a lunch and dinner buffet.
Before you hit the course, here’s a refresher on the city’s nonprofit and what the golf tournament’s proceeds could go toward.
What is We Love Pembroke Pines?
The motion to create We Love Pembroke Pines — designated a city-sponsored 501(C) 3 — was unanimously passed during a Nov. 6, 2024, commission meeting and sponsored by Castillo, who noted the community benefits he’d observed from neighboring cities’ nonprofits as inspiring the idea.
“There are folks in this city who are crying out for participation and voluntary efforts that they need either for school or because their soul is asking for it. ... Making the attempt is so very important,” Castillo told commissioners during the meeting.
To do this, the nonprofit mobilizes high school students and other volunteers to help with community service initiatives such as neighborhood clean-ups, assisting city police, fire and parks departments, or through government internships.
These efforts are directed and supervised by We Love Pembroke Pines’ board of directors, made up of the city’s five-person commission.
Funds raised by the nonprofit also go toward Pembroke Pines’ “Strategic Plan,” a city improvement blueprint that was proposed at the Nov. 6, 2024, commission meeting and formally adopted less than a month later.
The blueprint was created using feedback from residents, businesses and community organizations, according to the city’s website, and focuses on four areas: transportation, economic development, parks and recreation and public art.
Some of the plans’ suggestions:
- roadway projects to reduce traffic congestion;
- improving drainage systems in neighborhoods that flood;
- creating more affordable housing;
- revamping rundown police facilities;
- reinstating a recycling program;
- adding in new parks and street art installations.
Despite the blueprint’s largely popular and noble goals, funding it hasn’t always been easy.
A March 11, 2025, special election saw a $230 million general obligation bond — which would’ve improved public safety and recreation facilities, accquired land for new spaces and financed roadway improvements — get rejected by 65% of voters.
According to Commissioner Tom Good, who represents District 1, the bond’s mistake was forcing residents to “choose none or all” instead of allowing them to pick what items they’d like to support.
“I think it was just too much,” he told the Sun Sentinel in February. “The city is doing the right thing. We’re engaging the public. We’re asking them what they want. And people do want a new police station. ... We are still moving forward with refining the design and getting a more detailed current cost — which is difficult because time adds to the cost.”
For more information about participating in the Masters in the Pines tournament, which starts at 10:30 a.m. on March 13, contact the golf course’s assistant director Carol Campisi at ccampisi@ppines.com.
