Nicklaus Group Part of Service That Books Advance Tee Times

Golfers who have their lives enough in order to plan ahead--way ahead--soon will be able to make tee times as much as a year in advance.

A venture announced Wednesday by Golden Bear Golf Inc.--an arm of the Jack Nicklaus empire--and Ticketmaster Group Inc. will target 7,500 privately owned courses open to the public.

The service, which will charge between 10% and 15% percent of the greens fee, will enable players to arrange tee times by telephone or through the Internet. A golf course with a $40 greens fee would require a service charge of from $4 to $6.

The joint venture, called Ticketmaster Golf, will use Ticketmaster’s computerized distribution system to enable golfers to make tee times virtually anywhere in the country for as much as a year in advance, beginning in June or July.

Courses that join the service will get the equipment free from Ticketmaster and will receive a percentage of the fee charged for reservations.

A national 800 phone number will be established for the service, and the initial target will be a resort area--such as Orlando--and a major urban area, officials of the joint venture said.