GOLF / RICH TOSCHES : Choking Smog Fails to Stifle Avid Golfers at Valley Courses

Let’s see. Temperature busting past the 100-degree mark throughout the Valley. Invisible, lung-damaging ozone levels creeping well into the unhealthful zone and nudging that magical very unhealthful barrier.

Levels of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, both lethal poisons, also heading toward the danger zone, as well as the nasty PM10 rating that measures airborne micron particulates, the little buggers that invade deep into the lungs and prevent you from seeing your dog in your own back yard.

Yup. A perfect day to throw a 45-pound bag of golf clubs onto your back and stumble around under the searing sun, playing a game in which they talk about strokes and sudden death.

Despite the eye-itching, mountain-obscuring smog and the stifling heat of the past days, few area golf courses report a decline in play. Tee times, as usual, are booked days and even a week in advance. And unlike Dodger Stadium, no-shows are rare.

“Fewer players because of the smog? Heck, no. This is golf,” said Nancy Cunningham, the starter at the public Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills. “There’s been no decline at all. Geez, even during the rain we had in the winter, during thunder and lightning storms, they still kept playing. Nothing stops them.”

Rich people, however, tend not to plow their way through the air for a round of golf. At the Woodland Hills Country Club, midafternoon play has slumped significantly, according to pro Kerry Hopps, with the members opting for an early morning or late afternoon whack at the ball.

“Especially later in the afternoon when the breeze begins,” Hopps said. “That seems to be the most attractive time during days like this. The members are able to do that here.”

For some, there’s another option. A large contingent from the golf club’s Women’s Club set out for cleaner pastures this week, heading up the coast to virtually smog-free Santa Barbara and the public Sandpiper Country Club against the ocean.

At the public Woodley Golf Course in Van Nuys, pro Larry Atlas said there is a slight decline in play on the very worst days of heat and smog.

“We notice a bit of a drop-off on the most severe days,” he said. “But most people will play through anything. Me? I’ll play any day. I’ll play on days like these, and last week I played out near Banning and it was raining. It rained all 36 holes, as a matter of fact, and near the end of the round it was 105 degrees and we kept playing.

“I like golf.”

Others do too.

Peter Tomas of San Fernando played at Woodley on Tuesday, teeing off at 1:35 p.m. in conditions that would send a scorpion scurrying for cover. When he sank a short putt on the 18th hole and walked toward the snack bar, Tomas did not look much different from a man emerging from three days of being lost in the Mojave Desert.

“I’m sure this can’t be good for me,” he said, “but I drink a couple gallons of water during the day and really don’t feel too bad. You can feel it though. I started feeling lousy on 16 and really don’t feel too good right now. I’m not sure if it’s the heat or the air.”

The experts say it’s both.

At the Encino Golf Course, Alan Meehan of Sherman Oaks completed his almost-daily round of golf Monday at 11 a.m., having stumbled from his bed at 5:30 a.m. for a 6:35 a.m. tee time.

“This is the only way to do it,” Meehan said. “Get in and out of here before noon. After that, it’s just too much for me.”

The retired Meehan takes a large cup of lemonade at the snack bar, grabs his golf bag that he had carried for 18 holes and heads off for the parking lot.

Alan Meehan, you’ve just shot a 90-something (so you say)! What are you going to do now?

“This afternoon I’ll mow the lawn and work around the yard,” he said.

Hey, no one goes to Disneyland on a day like this.

Seniors: The 1993 GTE West Classic, the only local stop for the PGA Senior Tour, will be held March 5-7 at the Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club, it was announced this week. The 1992 tournament was won by Bruce Crampton, who earned $67,500 with the victory, overhauling Chi Chi Rodriguez in the final round of the 54-hole event.

Qualifying: The Valencia Country Club has been selected by the U.S. Golf Assn. as one of 13 clubs that will play host to final qualifying rounds for the 1993 U.S. Open. Valencia was the site of local qualifying for this year’s U.S. Open. Last year, the final qualifying rounds were held at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.

The 1993 U.S. Open will be held at the Baltusrol Country Club in Springfield, N.J.