CHARGER NOTES : Tee Time Turns Out to Be Snap for Tolliver, Too

The fairways of Torrey Pines Golf Course are only a long drive away from the Charger training camp, but quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver has mapped out his own course right on the UC San Diego campus.

See that tree 125 yards away. That’s a potential hole. See that park bench 200 yards in the distance, another likely target. And see that light pole behind that dormitory, that, too, could become a bull’s-eye. Hazard and all.

It’s all part of an informal game of pitch and putt that Tolliver and fellow quarterback David Archer have developed to break up training camp boredom--and keep that hard-earned off-season handicap from ballooning once the demands of the football season intensify.

“It helps keep things loose,” Tollvier said. “We call it the ‘Training Camp Open.’ ”

Archer and Tolliver make up the golf course as they go. Whoever has honors on the tee chooses the target for the next hole.

Sometimes the challenge of the hole gets them in trouble.

“We’ve hit a few buildings,” Tolliver said. “But no broken windows. That’s the way the game is, you make a bad shot you might have to bounce it off a building.

“You might even have to play through a classroom. If those students come back in September and find a divot in the floor. . . . “

Actually, Tolliver takes his game seriously. He has a custom golf bag with his name on it and claims a four-handicap, “closer to a 3.8,” he said. But then, Tolliver is from Texas; he has been known to tell a tall tale.

Tolliver has come to camp well-equipped for the challenge--both on the field and on the tee.

For golf, he has use of one of the team’s electric carts and a full set of clubs. Though next year, he said, he would like to add more customized transportation.

“I’m going to have one of those carts shapped like a big Chargers helmet,” Tolliver said.

On the field, Tolliver said he is ready for the challenge of leading the Charger offense in only his second season.

“I didn’t come in here and plan on sitting around,” Tolliver said. “I’m not a guy who believes you have to sit a guy four years before he can play. The only way you can get any experience is on the field.”

Tolliver was 2-3 as a starter last season, and the team won its final two games with Tolliver as the starter after he replaced Jim McMahon with four games left.

McMahon is gone, having been released in April and signed by Philadelphia two weeks ago. Behind Tolliver are Archer, Mark Vlasic and rookie John Friesz, none of whom are being set up to contend for the starting job. That is reserved for Tolliver.

The responsibility is not one he shuns or fears.

“I came here to play,” Tolliver said. “So why get nervous about it? You don’t get nervous about the things that you do. You get nervous about the things you’re not comfortable with. If had to shoot free throws in front of 40,000 people, then I would probably be nervous. But throwing passes in front of 40,000 people is something I do.”

Offensive tackle Leo Goeas, a third-round draft choice from Hawaii, is out for the season with a foot injury, Coach Dan Henning said.

X-rays taken Monday determined that Goeas sustained a broken left foot and a torn tendon in practice Sunday, Henning said. No decision will be made about possible surgery until the results are known from tests that were to be taken Monday night.

Henning had been impressed with Goeas since a strong showing in mini-camp in early May and had planned to work him at left tackle. The Chargers are thin there because starter Joel Patten is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery about seven weeks ago and is not expected to be ready to practice when the veterans report Friday.

Henning said the injury provided an opportunity for second-year veteran Joey Howard, who made two starts last season, and Eric Floyd, who spent much of last season on the developmental squad, to step forward. But he said the team will be on the lookout to acquire another tackle.

“They’re not out there on aisle 6 next to the ScotTowels and toiletries,” Henning said. “We’re short now, so we’ve got to be looking.”

Charger General Manager Bobby Beathard said the team has inquired around the league about the availability of offensive linemen but has found none.

Charger Notes

Tight end Arthur Cox will be given a few days off after bruising his heal in the Monday morning workout, Coach Dan Henning said. . . . Henning said that Donald Frank, a rookie free agent cornerback from Winston-Salem State, continues to impress him as he has since mini-camp.

Billy Joe Tolliver