26 ~~ Sunday, July 13, 1997 — North Shorea News

i

| belt te

t
: i
bei bert tes !

= Perfect pitch

Ambleside Par 3 a good test
for honing short-game skills

By lan Noble
News Reporter
san@nsnewscom
MOST golfers are only
too happy to belly up to
the driving range and
blast away with their
new titanium drivers
and irons,

But when it comes practis-
ing the short game -— pitching,
chipping and putting -~ that

Golfers!

-| Sailors Hagar's

19th Hole
Golf Club
,@ Free Prizes
'@Free Food
'@Free Fur
235 West 1st Streat
Drop By And
: Join Today!

(Must be 19 years or older)

enthusiasm wanes,

After all, crushing a long
drive or iron, whether on the
course or at the range, provides
an instant rush, Why waste a
driving range ball practising a
50-yard chip? No one’s
impressed by that.

However, many pros say
that a high- or mid-handicap-
per can shave at least as many
strokes by practising the short
game as the long game.

It was under that theory
that IT ambled over to the
Ambleside Par 3 in West
Vancouver,

But what I discovered was
more than a great way to prac-
re but a great game in its own
right. It’s fast, ¢ and fun.

Even Turnberry, which is
heme to a storied golf course
on the British Open circuit, has
its own pitch and putt.

When you pay your $7.75
at Ambleside, you get access to
18 holes measuring a scant 45
yards to 114 yards, You also get
a plain white score card with
the bold warning you are golf-
ing at your own risk, Take the
waming scriously. Tee off areas
are quite close. A pitcher catch-
ing one a bit thin can end your

“putting days.

Greens are tiny, placing a
premium on accuracy. Trees,

WL JEFFERSPORTS.
» | RQUIPMENT):

No CHARGE For FITTING on E
Tor Quauty Paop

- 983-9898

opal
flees

lity CUSTOM ie

ae ecekeieteeienetiea |

a.

em

t

es Gn a ae Ee ee es es ee ="

_. Daytime DRAMA |

925-0102

pe Royal South * 9am to 9pm © 7 days a week

shrubs, a stream, and even a
few bunkers provide hazards,

Not surprisingly, the holes
that are the most fun are also
the longest.

The seventh, which mea-
sures 1t4 yards from the
mandatory mat tee, allows
most golfers to air out a sand or
pitching wedge.

A bunker and stream to the
left makes the 92-yard 17th
one of the more challenging

My favorite is the fourth, a
65-yard test that yielded my
only birdie,

Because the greens are so
small, golfers steel themselves
for : short chip after their initial

itch.
" Greens, which had grown a
tad long, held approach shots
well, That’s not. surprising,
considering the amount of rain
we've been blessed with,

On the back nine, one of
the great advantages of pitch
and putt over a regular-length
golf course was revealed.

On the 12th or 13th hole,
the rains came. But because we
were a short sprint from the
pro shop, we kept playing.
Twenty minutes later, we were
finished. A little soggy, but
converts to the game, ;

On the course, three
teenagers continued playing
through the deluge.

__ Ambleside’s number is 922-
3818. Murdo Frazer, a 628-
yard, nine-hole pitch and purt,
can be reached at 984-8410,

al

Aye avast Mt rath Ay Nl

TREES, bushes and soggy ground. added to the challenges facing. reporter
Robert Gaister during his earty-evening round at Ambleside Par 3. _ o

golf lessons.
tee to green with B.C.'s
Starting dates: July 14, 15, 16, 17.

Line up your
_ START JULY 14; REGISTER NOW! ¢
QO Learnall about golf from :
fost experienced instructors,
Four one-hour lessons (one a week),
Create your own group of 5 or more
and receive a 10% discount!

Junior Drop-In Clinic 10 a.m. Saturdays.... $10

r —_
BUY ONE... GET ONE FREE!

‘ | Buy one driving range soken and get one free.
L. Offer valid with this ad until July 31/97.
a

Buckets of Golf Balls:

Seymour Creek Golf Centre
315 Seymour Boulevard, North Vancouver :

Qust east of Highway #1, enter off Mt. Seymour Parkway)
987-8630 for information & appointments.