But there's a group of golfers who will be playing for a buddy on Oct. 29 at the Spring Valley Golf Course in Milpitas. And as far as they're concerned, they couldn't be playing for a nicer guy.

Steve Mayo, a lifelong resident of Los Gatos, has been suffering from a rare condition called von Hipples-Lindau syndrome, and his friends are hoping that the golf tournament will raise funds to help with his tremendous medical costs.

"Steve lost sight in his right eye some time ago and has had a number of surgeries to remove tumors," said friend and tournament organizer Dave Burt of Los Gatos. "He currently needs surgery and prosthesis to correct a painful eye condition and his insurance only covers a portion of it."

"To speak to him, he would never let you know it, though," added Burt. "I only found out when I asked him how he was doing while visiting his store a few months ago. He's lost a lot of weight and is in constant and varying degrees of pain."

Mayo, the former assistant pro at the Almaden Country Club, has worked for the past 20 years at Geared for Golf on Bascom Avenue, where he has made many friends among area golfers.

"Few people have the kind of genuine quality that Steve possesses," said Burt. "He is an individual people meet once and remember forever."

The golf tournament entry fee of $180 covers green fees, a cart, range balls, lunch, dinner, on-course beverages and wine with dinner. There will be hole-in-one prizes on all par-threes, including a 2005 Buick Rainier. There will also be contests for putting, longest drive and closest-to-the-pin. A sit-down dinner, raffle and auction will follow the tourney.

"Friends of Steve Mayo appreciate his perpetual friendly, outgoing nature despite his constant struggle with this disease," added Burt. "His unselfish dedication to family, golf and helping others improve their game has inspired us all to help him in his time of need."

Mayo and his wife, Jill, live in Los Gatos, and their 10-year-old son, Greg, plays in the Los Gatos Little League. Through baseball, the family has developed even more friendships in the community.

Because of that association, a baseball clinic will follow a day after the golf tournament, again with all proceeds going to the Steve Mayo Medical Fund.

Former Los Gatos High School and UC Berkeley baseball star Todd Mayo (no relation to Steve) will hold a baseball clinic for Little League age players

"Todd heard what we were doing and wanted to help," said Burt. "He offered to hold a baseball clinic for Little Leaguers, donating his time and forwarding all receipts to Steve."

The Mayo Baseball Clinic will be held on Oct. 30, 9 a.m.­noon for players ages 7­9 and 1­4 p.m. for players ages 10­12, at the Los Gatos High School baseball field. The cost is $40 per player for the clinic that features three hours of personal, one-on-one training focusing on hitting, fielding, pitching mechanics and the catching position. Parents are welcome to stay for the clinic to listen to the instruction.

Todd Mayo played three years of professional baseball in the Montreal Expos organization, as well as four years each at Cal and Los Gatos. Los Gatos head baseball coach Brad Sanfilippo will also be an instructor at the clinic. Sanfilippo played four years at both UC­Davis and Los Gatos High. Both are products of the Los Gatos Little League.

Players from the Los Gatos High School baseball team will also help out at the clinic. For more information on the clinic, visit www.lgll.org.

To sponsor a tee, provide a raffle or auction item, become a tournament volunteer or simply donate to the Mayo fund, contact Dave Burt at 408.375.7252 or dburt@moorevalue.com, or call one of the other tournament directors: Steve Perez at 408.988.3636, Bruce Moore at 408.393.2534 or Dave Bunt at 408.356.1631. Tournament forms are available at Geared for Golf, 2280 S. Bascom Ave. in Campbell, or at Moore Buick Pontiac GMC, 15500 Los Gatos Blvd. in Los Gatos.