There Is One Game of Golf Where Breaking 200 Is Good

Bored with golf?

Then why not try ice golfing.

It’s played on two nine-hole courses on an ice-covered, 234-acre lake in suburban Chicago. The roughs are two-foot snowdrifts.

There are also icy fairways and greens of artificial turf, both trimmed with old Christmas trees.

“Keep the ball low, straight and bounce it off everything,” advises Brian Turner, champion of the 1987 Chili Open, which is played at this course. “This is really nothing like real golf. If you have the right strategy, you don’t need a lot of ability.”

Most scores are more than 200 for nine holes.

The golfers come in costume. Once a groom played in a tuxedo with his bride and their wedding party standing by. Other costumes include people dressed as rabbits, clowns and men in women’s dresses.

Time to quit?The Minnesota Compulsive Gambling Hotline is prepared for an onslaught of calls today because thousands of compulsive gamblers woke up broke after losing bets on the Super Bowl.

“We hear that it’s the biggest game of the year to bet on. We hear from people, ‘You’d better be ready after the Super Bowl,’ ” said Roger Svendsen, director of the hotline.

Some estimates are that up to $4 billion is wagered--mostly illegally--on the Super Bowl.

“Super Bowl Sunday is to the compulsive gambler what New Year’s Eve is to the alcoholic,” said Arnold Wexler, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.

Trivia time: What was Marv Levy’s record while he was head coach at California from 1960-63?

Father figure: Although Guy Lafleur spent most of his career with the Montreal Canadiens, it doesn’t mean much to his 7-year-old son.

“He just started playing organized hockey and all he wants is San Jose Sharks equipment,” Lafleur said. “They don’t have any in Quebec. It’s all sold out.”

Too young to drink: Takahanada, a teen-age sumo wrestler, was forbidden to drink a traditional victory toast at a recent tournament in Tokoyo.

Takahanada, 19, became the youngest man to win a major championship, but he’s not old enough to drink. In Japan, no one under 20 is allowed to drink or smoke.

“We have asked the Japan Sumo Assn. to be prudent and not to let Takahanada sip sake from the cup,” a police agency spokesman said. “He is still a minor, and there is a law against drinking by minors.”

The Japan Sumo Assn. substituted a soft drink.

Name change: An Associated Press report on last week’s Stanford-USC basketball game said that Stanford guard David Dukes scored 14 points.

No, presidential candidate David Duke hasn’t enrolled at Stanford. The AP simply misidentified Cardinal guard Peter Dukes.

Answer: His record was 8-29-3.

Quotebook: Charles Barkley after becoming the 76ers’ career rebounding leader: “Any knucklehead can score. All you have to do is shoot a lot. If you shoot 20 times a game, and make half, you’re going to average 20 points a game. Anybody can do that. Rebounding sets you apart. Rebounding is special. Rebounding is desire. Some guys are born to rebound.”