Steve Kresal

On some rare farmland in the middle of Westminster, the future of practice ranges is taking root. Or at least Tom Utman, president of USA Golf Centers, hopes so. Utman's company recently opened a driving range and practice area on 17 acres off Hoover Street. The practice center is lined on both sides by a strawberry farm. Nothing about the facility, which took five months to build, is average, according to Utman.

When John Altobelli took over the Orange Coast baseball program last summer, he figured to make some changes. The first was in the look of the field. Thanks to a fund-raising campaign at Planet Hollywood restaurant, OCC's field now sports a $35,000 scoreboard behind the right-center field fence. Construction on an equipment building behind home plate started Monday. While these changes have been impressive, the biggest gain OCC has made this season is in the Orange Empire Conference standings.

Much has been made about Saddleback's dominating defense and explosive offense this season. But one thing overlooked amid all the accolades is Coach Ken Swearingen's climb toward the top of the all-time national community college victory list. The Gauchos are 10-0, giving Swearingen 240 victories. He is only one behind all-time leader Hal Sherbeck, who retired last season after 31 years at Fullerton.

Had Marcellus Chrishon of Saddleback College gone to any other Orange County community college, he would already be close to being the school's all-time rusher. Unfortunately for Chrishon, Saddleback was the home of Toby Whipple, Orange County's most prolific rusher. He gained 3,088 yards for the Gauchos in the 1969 and 1970 seasons. Despite Chrishon's great speed and determination, Whipple's numbers seem almost out of sight with three regular-season games left.

As the first ring came over the public-address system, most of the audience at the Los Coyotes County Club was unsure of what was going on. But after a few more rings of the bell, word circulated around the room about the meaning. For special guest Pat Bradley, there was never a question about what the sound meant. Each ring brought her closer to tears. By the end, she was wiping her eyes. The 30 rings at Los Coyotes were a tribute to the bell her mother sounds back home in Westford, Mass.

The honors continue to roll in for Orange County's three hottest junior golfers: Alicia Allison of Santa Ana, Kellee Booth of Coto de Caza and Tiger Woods of Cypress. The three, based on their successes this summer in national tournaments, have been selected to play in the third Canon Cup, a junior competition at Bloody Point Golf Club on Daufuskie Island, S.C., from Thursday through Sunday.

There are few sensations in golf as memorable as standing on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach. Sea otters and other marine life are playing in Carmel Bay, one of the most spectacular backdrops in golf. There also is the par-five finishing hole with the ocean along the entire left side; even the best players quake a bit on the tee. Not everybody has the time to travel north to play Pebble Beach, or spend the $200 for a round. But take heart.

While some adults sneer at children running around when a golf course conducts a junior program, in reality, the future of the game is being ensured. Junior programs are offered at almost every course and driving range in Orange County. They teach the rules, etiquette and nuances of the game, so kids don't go out and tear up courses the way adults who don't know any better often do. Children learn the simple things, such as replacing divots and fixing ball marks.

For 12 years, Bill Cunerty has looked at the hillside below Saddleback College's campus football field with a glint in his eye. The Gauchos' golf coach had said all along that someday there would be a driving range there. The plans were drawn long ago, but Cunerty's dream had to wait for the finances to be realized. About a year ago, funding was allocated, and last fall the earthmovers started rumbling. They quickly reduced the hillside to a long, flat landing area for golf balls.