Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 21

The Arizona Republic ff IP 'n i Tl 1URSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2003 C7 What's new Bargain tip of the week Just in time for the spring season, the Golf Channel has created the first show devoted to college golf. College Central, which debuted last week, is a 30-minute show, hosted by Jennifer Mills and Steve Burkowskl, that takes a look at highlights, recaps and statistics of major events. Weekly segments include player features, campus tours and "Coaches Corner," a question-and-answer session with a coach from a major program. Check local listings for days and times. Valley golfers can find some good deals at more than 20 courses by going to teetimespecials.com, with discounts typically between 20 and 40 percent and as much as 70 percent.

Users can search by course, area, date or price and also can sign up to receive e-mail notifications of new offerings. Users must register, which is free, and must pay for the tee times with a credit card. la first tea Name this hole Log on to pgatour.com and click on TourCast. There is a free trial, uui ii win lusi iui yivu. TsrJindoa: PGA TourCast Following leaders is as easy as ti Jl AV wimiMhi him Choose a golfer or hole that you want to monitor.

You'll get an overhead and accurate distances. Deirdre HamillThe Arizona Republic Correctly identify this hole on one of the Valley's signature courses, listing the course name and hole number and e-mailing us at holeoftheweek azcentral.com. If you are randomly selected from the correct entries, you will receive a small but fabulous prize. Last week, 57 people correctly identified No. 1 on Encanto 18.

The winner was Tony Fiore. 19th hole OK, it isn't a "19th hole" as golfers traditionally use the term, but a true 19th hole on a new course being built in Rocky Valley designers Forrest Richardson and Jack Snyder are creating the first course for the popular Mexico destination and had so many choices for golf holes on the links-style course that they added a "bonus" hole. The extra hole will be used for fun, practice or to settle bets. By John Davis The Arizona Republic It's not quite the same as being on the golf course, but if you're into details, a new PGA Tour computer program might be even better. TourCast, which received its final test during the Phoenix Open, is now available to the public and allows users to see how every golfer played every shot on every hole, in real time or after the round is completed.

If a user wants to see how Tiger Woods birdied a hole in today's first round of the Buick Invitational, they can do so with three mouse clicks. "It's accurate, it's realistic and it's real-time," PGA Tour general manager Craig Gibson said. "You will be able to see how many yards a player has to the hole on his next shot before the player knows. The technology is pretty amazing." To see the action, go to pgatour.com and click on TourCast. Users must register and can use the site free for two weeks.

After that, they can sign up for $9.95 per month or $59.95 for the year. RealPlayer is the only software required to run the program. Once there, users can choose to follow one particular player or view one particular hole. No, you won't see the actual golfer, but a simulated golfer hitting shots from an overhead view with enhanced graphics and sound effects, which make it more realistic. The length of each shot is displayed, along with the distance remaining to the hole.

Once the ball reaches the green, the length of the putt is shown in feet and inches. It works much like the programs used for professional football and baseball games, but with one big difference. "With a baseball or football game, you only need one person sitting in a stadium to record the information," Gibson said. "On a golf course, we will have about 120 people recording and laser-ing the information." Once a player completes his round, the user can replay that entire round, or any previous round, in about three minutes. During real time, updates pop up showing significant developments on other holes.

The statistics package also is extensive. "There is probably more information there than anyone wants to know," Gibson said. "Players are taking advantage of new technology with their equipment, and now fans who are really into golf have a chance to take advantage of our technology." 1 if 1-5 Words to golf by 7z Stories about bad golf rounds rarely start with "I ripped one down the middle." Getting equipped You can follow along live, but once a player finishes, you can replay the round in three minutes. Pole Kat, the company that pioneered and first marketed a long putter back in 1985, is re-introducing the Original putter in three styles. The putter is designed with a three-point center of gravity, which the company says provides a larger sweet spot for straighter putts, and has three parallel lines for easy alignment.

Suggested retail is $120 for the long model, $100 for the belly model and $80 for the standard ho'JRC'T putter. Information: polekatgolf.com or (239) 936-7977. Golfing on the Internet The best sites to follow the sport: www.pgatour.com, official site of the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. www.pga.com, official site of the PGA of America. www.lpga.com, official site of the LPGA Tour.

www.golfchannel.com, comprehensive and fast-moving site. www.golfdigest.com, full of helpful information and forums. Life is good Ernie Els has won four of his five tournaments to start the year (he finished second in the other), received a new Mercedes identical to one he had bought a month earlier and signed multimillion-dollar deals with SAP and Titleist. For good measure, "The Big Easy" has started bottling his own brand of South African wine. The first batch of Ernie Els 2000 Stellenbosch is selling briskly.

Wine connoisseurs might want to wait for the 2003 vintage, because it is starting to look like a very good year. CCiirSfi SpofglTi Estrella Mountain Ranch The last word This (playing in a PGA Tour event) is my decision. This is me testing myself against the best in the world in tough conditions. That's what this is all about. I would like to take my game to a different level.

This is a true test for me personally. It has V. Golf magazines; top 10 in Arizona by The Best of Arizona Business and the Business Journal. AMENITIES: Driving range, putting green, bunkers and other practice facilities; clubhouse offers a full-service dining room and banquet facility for up to 150 people. Individual, group instruction available.

CURRENT GREEN FEES: $109 Monday-Thursday and $129 Friday-Sunday ($55 and $65 with Troon Twosome card). TEE TIMESINFORMATION: estrellamtnranch.com or (623) 386-2600. WHERE: 11800 S. Golf Club Drive. COURSE DESIGNER: Jack Nicklaus II.

VITAL STATISTICS: Par-72 course has five sets of tees, ranging from 5,124 to 7,102 yards. Rated at 73.8 with a slope of 138 from the back tees, 68.2 and 115 from the ladies tees. SIGNATURE HOLE: No. 17, at 194 yards, is one of the Valley's most stunning par-3 holes. It sits between a small hillside and a vegetative wash, with deep bunkers guarding the left and front and the Estrella Mountains as a backdrop.

HONORS: Ranked among country's top 10 public courses by Golfweek and noining io ao wun ine urvaM. Annlka Sorenstam mm Estrella Mountain Ranch On tour In Arizona of the wed From Tim Mahoney, golf instructor. Reach him at (480) 850-8633. Ba9 position Posture Distance February Today-Sunday: PGA Tour Nissan Open, Los Angeles, USA Network (today-Friday), Ch. 15 (Saturday-Sunday).

Friday-Sunday: Champions Tour Verizon Classic, Lutz, the Golf Channel (Friday), CNBC (Saturday-Sunday). March 13-16: LPGA Tour Welch'sFry's Championship, Tucson. February Today-Friday: UA men at John Burns Invitational, Honolulu. Saturday-Sunday: AGA at East Valley Short Course, at Augusta Ranch, Mesa. Sunday: AWGA Weekend Classic at Estrella Mountain Ranch, Goodyear.

Monday-Wednesday: ASU, UA and NAU women at Wildcat Invitational, Tucson. 27-March 2: Chrysler Classic of Tucson. If there was a race among your hands, hips and clubhead to the ball, your hips should win the race by a wide margin. Your hands should finish second and your clubhead a distant third. If your clubhead passes your hands prior to impact, there is a sudden loss in clubhead speed.

Guidelines for positioning the golf ball in your stance: For good lies, the back of the ball is 2 inches inside your left heel. As the clubs get shorter, your width of stance decreases, causing the illusion that the ball position moves back. For bad lies, position the ball farther back in your stance to guarantee ball and ground contact. To assist you in making a correct pivot motion during your swing, lower the right side of your torso. Your right hip, shoulder and knee should be positioned slightly lower than the left.

This adjustment is the result of your right hand being lower on the grip. With the right side lower, your body can turn freely on the backswing. CASING Midi 1 Per Room Per Night Call $79 Omooo 480-89S-1159 iROMOOd 480-895-0614 1.800.237.4238 18 Hole Championship Golf Course 3 Casinos within minutes of the Resort Centrally located for Spring Training games $, 49 Before 44 Ikfore ptn FranciscoGrande One of Arizona's Finest Courses Monday Thursday Friday Sunday Dine in our desert "Palo Verde Room $25 www.FranciscoGrande.coml relax in our loungei After 3m pm 26000 Gila Bend HighwnyCana Grnnria, AZ 836 6444 $22 After 2HM)ii Includes Cart Thru Feb. 28, 2003 Includes Cart Thru Feb. 28, 2003 EARLY BIRD BREAKFAST Golf 18 holtt with rt ktfort Sam ti hreakfait i 4 a i I I rl I 111 1 ri SW PGA Pass Rate SW PGA Pass Rate $36 Includes Cart $40 Includes Cart $15.00 A6PA $19.00 Non AGPA MIDDAY SPECIAL Self It kolet Willi I oirt trim 8AM 2PM ni lunch ($155 Regular Rate Arizona Driver' License Required) $19.00 AGPA $25.00 Non AGPA Twn putt sprr.ut Stlf II kiln will I rl fr.m 2PM tint, 2 inn, wUn ir fliUndn $15.00 AGPA $19.00 Non AGPA Golf Resort PrmK)VeekmdTbitesAia3ciik RjtcsareFlusTax Cod FJlot No Blue Jcam or Dcnini ShocsOnly Offer good thru February 28, 2003 nt ftr tonr.im.iti Uitui EL CARO GOLF CLUB 153: Sill! Lakes 7 Day Manced Tee Times Available pifl After 10 AM 2222 Royal Palm Rdv (602) 995-2117 liii.