The 5 million dollar man

Monday, Hammer will produce his 20th annual Have A Ball cancer fundraiser golf tournament at Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville, the first of two sold-out days. And that modest $2,500 goal in 2005? Well, he has since raised almost 2000 times that amount. By the time September’s final morning-afternoon rounds are finished, Hammer and the Have A Ball Foundation will have raised nearly $5 million for the fight against cancer, with nearly 10,000 golfers participating.

“I’m proud and honored to do this for 20 years. This is something I never imagined when I started this over in San Carlos,” Hammer said. “When I started [this fund-raising tournament], it wasn’t the intention to go this far.”

Hammer, a Belmont native who graduated Carlmont High School in 1986 and lived in San Carlos for decades before moving to Danville, is a two-time testicular cancer survivor. Just before he was scheduled for surgery to remove his last remaining testicle (the first one was removed during his first bout with cancer), Dr. Nichols told him to reconsider. Hammer went on to beat it, which allowed him to naturally conceive son Josh.

Josh Hammer recently turned 21 years old.

“I’m still fired up every day. The engine is still running great. I’m already locked in for next year,” Hammer said. “The connections (my wife) Kim and I have made over the years … is special and that’s what has kept it going.”

Part of the reasoning to still be doing this 20 years later is the obligation Hammer feels in the fight against cancer — the obligation of the cured. But there is another reason — Hammer is good at it. So good, in fact, that he now serves as a consultant for five other fundraisers.

And a third reason is that those who benefit are local Peninsula and Bay Area charities.

“The bulk of our funds now benefit local charities,” Hammer said, who has become one of the largest private donors to cancer charities. The tournament has funded 19, $12,500 oncology nursing scholarships at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City.

And it is those local connections that keep Hammer and Have A Ball still raising funds 20 years on. Peninsula Building Materials has been a title sponsor for all 20 years of the tournament. San Mateo’s Equinix has been a title sponsor for 16 years, Klaviyo, a 15-year title sponsor.

“The fact we’ve kept title sponsors for 15, 20 years, that’s a testament to the success of the event,” Hammer said.

But Hammer is hardly on cruise control. While the title sponsors are lined up for the 2025 edition of Have A Ball, Hammer said he loses up to 20% of support every year, which means the Hammer family and their friends who volunteer to help out, begin lining up new sponsors about a year ahead of the next tournament.

“Typically, there is turnover,” hammer said. “You’ll lose 20% of sponsors, so you have recoup that 20%.”

While it’s not as easy as it sounds, it’s certainly easier to find new sponsors when you’re as well known as Hammer’s Have A Ball.

“I was just on the phone with a guy from the Golf Tournament Association of America. He runs nonprofit golf tournaments,” Hammer said. “He said he heard about an event in California. He said, ‘This is definitely the biggest event I’ve ever heard of.’”

And despite all the work and preparation that goes in to producing four rounds of golf — morning and afternoon rounds over two days — it is still mostly a family affair for the Hammers and their friends. Hammer and his wife Kim have been intimately involved since the beginning, while the Hammers’ two adult children, 24-year-old Shayna and 21-year-old Josh, have taken on more and more responsibility. Shayna has been helping since she was 4. Josh has been involved his whole life.

“That’s one of the cool aspects,” Hammer said of his children now being heavily involved. “Shayna has taken over the auction and Josh has taken over the day-of, on-course management.”

None of this happens, however, if not for the product on the course. If it’s not fun, people wouldn’t come back. But I’ve played in this fundraiser several times and it’s been the most fun I’ve had on a golf course. There are sponsors on every hole with plenty of free swag for everyone. Hammer has brought in local media celebrities to help out, as well — from former radio DJ Steven Seaweed, to KPIX sports anchor Vern Glen, as well as 95.7 The Game’s Dan Dibley.

And then there is Howard Cosell from Heaven, providing commentary on one of the holes.

To be honest, it’s actually a party with a round of golf in the middle of it.

And this year, Hammer is adding another party. In September, Hammer will host a benefit concert. It’s a relatively new avenue Hammer has gotten involved in. This will be his fifth benefit concert that he will produce — the first four came while working the Crayon Initiative, which works with children in hospitals. Hammer doesn’t know if this will be a yearly thing, however. Right now, the concert is to celebrate 20 years of Have A Ball.

But you never know what the future holds.

“I’m getting pretty good at the benefit concert racket, as well,” Hammer said. “I would consider myself an average golfer, at best. I can play golf decently, but I can run a helluva golf tournament.”

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.