Brown Greens Give Mile Square the Blues

Under normal circumstances, getting a prime tee time at Mile Square Golf Course can be as tough as rolling in a 30-foot putt for par.

But these days, getting on the Fountain Valley course is easier than ever, because 10 greens were killed in mid-August when a grass-killing chemical was applied.

It was either an accident or sabotage, course officials believe. Suspicion of sabotage was strong enough that Orange County Sheriff’s deputies were called in to investigate in early September, but officers so far haven’t determined whether a crime was committed.

There’s no doubt, however, that the course has suffered.

“They’re 30-year-old greens and they need special care in the summer,” said Jan George, Mile Square’s general manager. “Often times we have problems in the summer related to the heat and the humidity but we’ve never had anything this severe.”

The 10 temporary greens--mowed out of fairways in front of the browned greens--have scared many people off. Play is down more than 50%, course officials say, and the more than $100,000 in lost greens-fee revenue has resulted in reduced hours for nearly everyone on the course’s 85-person staff.

The good news for golfers is that you can walk on almost any time and quickly get out on one of the county’s nicer public courses. And slow play is not an issue at Mile Square these days.

Because of the temporary greens, the greens fees have been reduced from $30 to $20 on weekends and from $24 to $15 during the week.

The better news is that the damaged greens are nearly in playable shape again. The greens were overseeded and growth has been quick and strong and the course expects to fully reopen by Nov. 1 at the latest, General Manager Jan George said.

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Adding on: The damaged greens haven’t slowed progress on Mile Square’s 18-hole expansion, which is expected to break ground next February or March.

The course owners have an agreement with the county to build on about 110 acres of parkland north of the existing course, but still must get final approval for the plan, which also calls for an expansion and face lift to the clubhouse.

Once the new course is completed--in the spring or summer of 2000--the existing course will be renovated. That course--with new greens, tee boxes, bunkers and two entirely new holes--is expected to reopen a year later.

David Rainville, whose Tustin-based company Rainville and Bye is designing the new course and who is one of the original general partners who built the course in 1962, says the new course’s layout will be more exciting.

However, bucking the recent trend in Orange County course openings, it won’t cost a mint to play.

“The new course will be in the range of $5 more than the old course,” Rainville said. “It’s not going to be outrageous. We are not going to an $85 greens fee.”

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Budget-minded golfers will get another place to play next July when El Toro Marine Corps Air Station closes and the county takes control. Play on El Toro Marine Memorial Golf Course, 6,750 yards from the tips, is currently limited to military personnel and their guests.

The county will seek bids from management companies to operate the course and eventually build a new 18-hole course on the site, said county official Gary Simon. “The rate structure for the county golf course at El Toro will be similar to the county course at Mile Square Park,” Simon said. “Affordable golf is something that we take seriously.”

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Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters winner and one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour, has been hired as a design consultant on the 18-hole course that will be built by Talega Associates in northeastern San Clemente.

Couples will work with the firm of Schmidt-Curley Golf Course Architecture/Planning.

The course will be on 202 acres and be part of the 3,510-acre development. No other information about the course, including green fees or an opening date, have been announced.

Couples is the second PGA player to consult on a course in Orange County. Payne Stewart was an advisor at Coyote Hills in Fullerton.

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The Nike Tour is stopping in the Southland this week for the Inland Empire Open. The tournament, Thursday through Sunday at Moreno Valley Ranch, completes the Nike Tour’s regular season. It’s the final event before the Nike Tour Championship at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Oct. 22-25 in Semmes, Ala.

The players are jockeying to stay among the top 15, and therefore win an exemption on the 1999 PGA Tour. Casey Martin, who won a court battle with the PGA to use a cart during tournaments, is 26th after last week’s Oregon Classic.

Dennis Paulson, a Costa Mesa High graduate who now lives in Vista, has all but assured himself a third shot at the PGA Tour. Paulson, who had his tour card in 1994 and ‘95, was third on the money list at $135,473 after the Oregon Classic.

Bill Hulbert, head professional at Yorba Linda Country Club, qualified last week to play in the tournament.

For ticket information, call (909) 784-4653.

Notes

Eunice Choi of Dove Canyon will attempt to qualify for the 1999 LPGA Tour Tuesday through Friday at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. Choi, who played at Laguna Hills High and UCLA, is one of 128 players competing for their LPGA Tour cards. Jenny Lee, who played at Sunny Hills High and played on the LPGA Tour this year, is also entered. . . . Chris Berry, the Esperanza graduate who plays for defending national champion Nevada Las Vegas, was ranked 12th in the nation in the preseason MasterCard Collegiate Rankings. UNLV was ranked first.

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Beck and Kresal can be reached with comments or suggestions at (714) 966-5904, fax 966-5663 or e-mail Martin.Beck@latimes.com or Steve.Kresal@latimes.com.