Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 16

-J I ARIZONA Thursday, June 24, 1993 The Arizona Republic D7 AGA has tournaments running like clockwork GOLF Notes I Charles KrejcsiThe Arizona Republic The 1 7th hole at the Pointe Hilton Golf Club on South Mountain, once the black hole of the course, is 1 00 percent better after a redesign. This view of the green is from the tee box. You also are able to see the green on your second shot. Pointe on South Mtn. tends a beautiful layout Adventures of New York, Tom Kite, John Daly, Davis Love III and Peter Jacobsen will be among the 50 professional players offering their time and tips in the World's First Fantasy Golf Camp, Nov.

19-24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. "Only" 144 camper slots are available, at $25,000 apiece, but the lavish amenities include round-trip airfare, deluxe accommodations, four days of instruction and golf, gourmet dining, limousine service, golf clubs and bags. "This is truly the golf fanatic's time on the tour," said Kite, who like the other pros will team up with a new foursome each day. "What makes this unique is the personal instruction each camper will receive, plus we will have a lot of fun." Well, I should hope so. Anyway, if you're interested, here's the phone number: 212-980-GOLF.

Touring How about Lauri Merten, the former Alhambra High and Arizona State star? Her recent runner-up finish in the LPGA Championship was her biggest payday ever $93,093 and boosted her total winnings to $175,247, which eclipses her best-ever year of 1984 when she won $108,920. If the United States were to name its current top 10 players for the Ryder Cup, scheduled for Sept. 24-26 at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England, they would be, in order: Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Paul Azinger, John Cook, Payne Stewart, Lee Janzen, Davis Love III, Corey Pavin, Mark O'Meara and Chip Beck. Scottsdale's Tom Lehman is No. 11.

Big-time greens fees From Blackie Sherrod of The Dallas Morning News: "Lee Trevino once warned his fellow tourists they didn't know what real pressure was unless they had played a $10 Nassau with only $5 in their pocket." But how about Fred Couples? "Some back-fence busybody figured out that Couples must finish fourth in at least one $1 million tournament each month just to pay his $52,000 monthly alimony to Miz Deborah." And, finally When is a birdie also a hole in one? Impossible, you say? OK, here's how: Unfortunately, Lawrence Bicker's tee shot killed a horned lark recently on the par-3, 133-yard sixth hole at the Hayes Center Golf Club in Nebraska. Kyle Gartrcll, who was helping to tend the pin at the time, said the bird was on the green and took flight just as Bieker's shot approached, striking the bird before flying into the hole. The ball that is. The Arizona Golf Association has been staging its own version of the old game show Beat the Clock. At tournaments around the state, the AGA has employed the Hoel (pronounced Clock to keep golfers on pace.

The clocks that are located at every other tee starting at No. 1, tell the golfer, through TIMEPAR, whether he is keeping a good pace. The term TIMEPAR refers to a rating system that takes into account factors such as yardage, course rating, slope, the number of players in each group, average handicap level of the tournament and the format. Thus, after the information is fed into a computer, pace is determined. "Once players find out how the clocks work, and the thinking behind them, they seem to like the concept," said Barry Palm, assistant director of the AGA who handles tournament play.

"It's certainly better than officials confronting them on slow play." The Hoel Clock is the brainchild of Ken Hoel of Phoenix, an AGA volunteer. The idea came about when Hoel was discussing the problem of slow play while serving on a committee at his club, Desert Forest in Carefree. "One of the guys said there's no use discussing it, that it's a problem that never will be resolved," said Hoel, who works with computers for a living. "I took it as a challenge." Hoel finally decided that the problem of slow play existed because there was no way effectively to monitor 200 people playing golf at once. That's when he came up with the Hoel Clock, and more recently another version, the Pace Pro.

"The Hoel Clock is a simple device with numbers on the face that sits on the tee and tells you if you're on pace according to your time slot," Hoel said. "The Pace Pro is a small, round clock that attaches to the steering wheel of the cart. It gives you a picture of the course in circular fashion that tells you hole-by-hole where you should be." According to Hoel, the clocks can be set for whatever desired time officials feel the round should be played in. "You can set them for a four-hour pace, or say, four hours and 12 minutes," he said. At the moment, Troon North is using the Pace Pro on its carts, and the Hoel Clocks can be found on the tees at Red Mountain Ranch in Mesa and at all AGA events.

My only question is, why aren't more courses using them? The one and only thing that ever bothers me when I'm golfing is slow play. "Well, surprisingly, some people don't like to be told how fast they or small lake. The hole then bends left for the green, which is bordered by big boulders on the edge of the water. Superb. No.

5, a 137-yard par 3 Once again the tee is elevated, and you have to climb steps up the side of a small cliff, where you come down to a big green with a huge shelf dividing the front half and back. Cute hole. No. 7, a 379-yard par 4 The course shifts here into a more traditional concept. The green has a small swale running through it.

"We call (the green) Sheriff Ben's Badge because it's shaped like a badge and the swale looks like a dent from a bullet. It's a legend that's not true, but it sounds good back in Philadelphia," Richardson said. No. 13, a 449-yard par 5 Short for a par 5, the second shot involves negotiating a large cliff that is well-trapped. Challenging.

No. 18, a 187-yard par 3 The most panoramic view in the Valley. Where else can you see the Superstition Mountains, Camelback and downtown from a tee box? All in all, I'd disagree with anyone who said the Pointe Hilton Golf Club on South Mountain hasn't been a huge asset for the area. When you consider that Phoenix got 34 acres of essentially pristine mountains, and gave up 28 acres of low-lying scrub, the whole thing worked out for the best of everyone. BILL HUFFMAN The Arizona Republic ft fs Mm 5 4 V' b-tf--M--i The Hoel Clock (top) and the Pace Pro are being used by the Arizona Golf Association to prevent slow play during tournaments.

Each instrument lets golfers know if they are playing at an adequate speed. should play," Hoel said. "Through research, we've found out that 80 percent of the golfers don't like slow play, that 10 percent don't care one way or another, and that another 10 percent the most vocal become irritated when someone is checking their pace of play. "The bottom line is, it takes a long time to change the face of golf. But if we're patient, maybe five years from now people might be a little more accustomed to the idea." Let's hope so.

Pure fantasy! I'm not sure I'll be able to work this fantasy camp into my vacation plans, but if you have an extra $25,000, maybe it's for you. According to Fantasy Golf Mm II 1 3y 4 I- IF YOU PLAY Pointe Hilton Golf Club on South Mountain WHERE 7777 S. Pointe Parkway, near Baseline and Interstate 10. PARYARDAGE 70; Championship: 6,003 yards; Regular: Red: 4,288. GREENS FEE $29 Monday-Thursday, $34 Friday-Sunday.

TEE TIMES: 43 1-6480. The back side is not quite as good, although the 18th hole is spectacular and the 17th, once the black hole of the course, is 100 percent better after the latest redesign. The greens, which are Richardson's trademark, are perfect throughout. "(Architectdesigner) Jack Snyder deserves a lot of credit for helping me with the greens," Richardson said. "The reason they turned out so nice is because Jack's theory is to build them without using organic materials.

"Greens need to be able to drain easily, and when you put a lot of organic material in them, sometimes they get mucky and you end up losing them. The thing is, you can always add organic material, but you can never get it out." Considering the problems some other courses in the Valley are having this time of year, Richardson and Snyder definitely have hit on something here. Besides the greens, the other things I enjoy about South Mountain are the fairways, which flow smoothly and are extremely lush for the amount of heat they're having to withstand. Like I said, the front nine is great almost to the point of being idyllic. I mean, how's this for a starter: The No.

1 hole, a 352-yard par 4, begins with a tee box sitting on the edge of a small lake with black swans swimming gracefully before you. Other holes of intrigue include: No. 4, a 359-yard par 4 This hole takes off from an elevated tee box that allows you to drive directly for a The Karsten Course at Arizona State will be conducting junior golf instructional camps every week through Aug. 26. Cost of the three-day camp is $50.

Call 921-8070. The Penny Pulz golf camps for junior girls and women are set for Sunday through July 3, July 11-16 and Aug. 29-Sept. 3 at Wilderness Ranch in Pinetop. Cost of the camps are $400 and include lodging and meals as well as four hours of instruction a day and greens fees at local courses.

Call 451-7533. Holes in one Don Caley of Scottsdale at Dobson Ranch, 149-yard No. 7, 7-iron. Wes Bolyard of Mesa at Apache Wells, 169-yard No. 17, 7-iron.

Kathy Putz of Scottsdale at Continental, 102-yard No. 12, 3-iron. Christian Charbonneau of Phoenix at Rolling Hills South, 153-yard No. 7, 2-iron. Chris Petroff of Phoenix at Palo Verde, 133-yard No.

2, 5-iron. Bob Perich of Phoenix at Encanto, 185-yard No. 5, 3-iron. Wally Joslin of Phoenix at Prescott CC, 155-yard No. 3 with 6-iron.

Items for the "Chip Shots" column can tie phoned In to Bill Huffman at 271-8269, or mailed to "Chip Shots," The Arizona Republic Sports PO Box 1950, Phoenix 85001. NOTE: Holes In one must be called In by courses and include a.11 information. (fe1fflDuSu By Bill Huffman The Arizona Republic Of all the golf courses in the Valley, probably none turned out so different from the original design than the Pointe Hilton Golf Club on South Mountain. "What you're looking at here today is probably four or five courses (design-wise)," creator Forrest Richardson of Phoenix said. "Because of the mountains preserve, the land swap with the city, the squabbles that broke out with environmentalists, the startups, the shutdowns, the drilling, the dynamiting, the whole thing it just turned out a lot differently than was originally planned.

"The back nine alone must have been redesigned a dozen times trying to make people happy. It was just one tough project to complete." Work on the course began in 1985, and it finally was completed three years later. Originally set to come in at about $2.5 million to $3 million, the delays and redesigns ended up almost doubling the cost of the project, Richardson said. "It was the longest golf construction on record," Richardson said in jest. "But for the most part, it turned out pretty good." That's true.

Especially after the Hilton people went back in last summer and added some acreage to the landing areas onhole Nos. 11, 15 and 17. Even though those holes still are fairly tight, it's better than before. "They're still layup holes, but at least now you've got more landing area for your tee shots, and you can see the green on your second shot at No. 17," said Richardson, who has worked on several other courses in the Valley and now is heading up the Desert Ranch project in Scottsdale, which is scheduled to open in 1994.

Maybe it's because I drive past the South Mountain course each day on my way to work, or maybe it's because the course always looks in such great shape, but whatever the reason, this is a beautiful layout. With the exception of the No. 3 hole, which seems to be without a left side, and No. 6, which has a blind second shot as well as a huge bank to overcome, I like the front nine a lot. Tournaments The Chicago Sports Bar benefit ment is July 10 at McCormick Ranch.

The event, which benefits the Scotts-5 dale Boys and Girls Clubs, has an entry fee of $60 and includes a hole-in-one contest for a new car courtesy of Linda Brock Auto Mall. Call 947-9707. The Order of the Police's Dan Ma-; jerleHonda tournament is Aug. 27-28 at the Arizona Biltmore. The tourna-' ment, which has a $300 entry fee or $1,000 per team, benefits the Arizona I Children's Burn Camp.

Call 263-0202. The Golden Golf Legends Tournament is Sept 27 at The Wigwam Gold Course. The tournament, which benefits Cystic Fibrosis research, has an entry fee of $1 50 per player or special sponsor prices. Call 224-0068. Clinics Adobe Dam Family Golf Center will be i conducting group golf lessons for juniors during July.

The lessons, which last one hour, are $30 for five sessions. Call 581-280. Shuts ri-r Uul 1 mmm mmm mmm plus $4.50 per book handling. I I of order to: StateZip I Reserve your copy of Tough Enough," The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette's full-color book on the Phoenix Suns' quest for the 199 NBA championship. This 120-page high-quality, soft-cover book offers exclusive, action-packed photos and in-depth coverage.

Copies are $15 each, and supplies are limited Here's how to order your copy: 1 IN-PCRSON Stop by any Circle store and pre-pay 1 5 per copy. Present your receipt two-to-three weeks after the final game to receive your book. Receipts must be redeemed at the same Circle location where you pre-paid. 2. BY MAIL Send i copies of "Tough Enough" at 1 5 each.

for postage ami My check or money order, made payable to The RrpublicThe Gazette, is 1 i p) i i 1 1 il 1 enclosed tor a total Send my Name. Address City Day phone. I Booh will be published two-to-four wttks after the championship series. Allow an additional Jour weeks for deUvrrj. Complete and mail with payment to: i nc ivepuouc 1 ne uazriic ouiis lkxir.

P.O. Box 266 1 4 Tempe, AZ 85285 3. BY PHONE Call after 10 Monday through Friday, and charge to your Visa, MasterCard or American Express. In the greater metro Phoenix area, call 514-8325. II vfw.

Outside, call toll free 1-800-821-7151 and press 1. The Arizona RepublicThe Riocnix Gazette I 1.