Swing Shifts

The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim may dominate the vista east of the Orange (57) Freeway, but don’t be fooled: There’s life beyond the Pond. Exit the freeway and you’ll find all manner of sports activities and food--notably badminton and golf, and Thai and German cuisine--in Anaheim and Orange.

AFTERNOON 1 2

Sports Illustrated Magazine rated Islands Golf Center the nation’s third best urban driving range. It certainly counts as one of Southern California’s unique ranges, an aqua range, in which greens of Styrofoam and Astroturf float in a 10-acre lake that also serves as a basin for the county’s reservoir system.

Several times a day, a boat scoops up bobbing golf balls whose cores have been injected with air. Get a bucket of balls and swing away. A medium bucket (72 balls) costs $5, five medium buckets $21; a large bucket (108 balls) goes for $7 (half that on weekdays, $4 on weekends from 7 to 9 a.m.), or five large buckets for $30.

The range boasts night-lighted practice stalls, practice putting greens and golf lessons. A 15-minute swing and ball-flight analysis is $20. A Roger Dunn Pro Shop on the premises sells “experienced” golf balls for 99 cents ($9.99 per dozen) and golf books including “A Good Walk Spoiled.” Lunch items at the Island Sports Grill range from hamburgers ($2.35) to Korean barbecued ribs ($4.99). The lunch bucket ($6) includes a sandwich, drink and small bucket of balls.

For a sit-down lunch option, consider Bebe’s Cafe, a Thai restaurant under the same roof as the Orange County Badminton Club. There you’ll find a spicy papaya salad ($5.95), shredded green papaya mixed with ground peanuts, tomatoes, green beans, fresh chili, lime juice and dried mini-shrimp. Lunch specials such as a barbecue chicken and satay combination run $6.50 to $7.50.

The badminton club is the largest such facility in the United States, with 18 air-conditioned courts, 32-foot-high ceilings, a pro shop, banquet space, players’ lounge and locker room.

“Sorry,” a sign warns, “no outside shuttlecocks permitted.” Shuttlecocks, the lightweight conical objects players thwack across the net, must be bought at the pro shop; they start at $1.50; $13.50 a dozen. Racket or shoe rental is $2 a day. Members (call for rates) have unlimited use of the facility. Otherwise courts rent for $12 to $20 an hour, depending on a player’s age and time of day.

DINNER 3

Tritt ein, hier bist Du unter Freunden--”Enter, here you are among friends”--serves as the motto for the Phoenix Club Entertainment Center, a.k.a. the German American Entertainment Center. Make that lots of friends: The club, founded almost 40 years ago, has 3,000 members.

Outdoor facilities include a park-like beer garden, air-rifle range, Ferris wheel, Climb N Dangle wall, Tilt-A-Whirl carnival ride and soccer field. The center provides a venue for public activities such as a Harvest Wine Festival (Sept. 20 at 11 a.m., $5 admission) and an Oktoberfest (Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m. during October, $5) featuring the Krefelder Happy Sound Band and Schwalmtal German Band.

You also don’t need to be a member to enjoy the pub-like Bierstube (open 11 a.m.-midnight daily) or Loreley Restaurant. German specialties on Loreley’s menu include Hausegemachte Sulze mit Bratkartoffeln (homemade headcheese and fried potatoes, $6.95) and Schnitzel a la Holstein (breaded veal cutlet with fried egg, capers and anchovies, $16.95).

Phoenix Club members ($60 a year) can participate in 17 hobby and sport activities such as folk dancing, chess, table tennis and German lessons. Most activities take place in the evening.

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1) Islands Golf Center

14893 E. Ball Road, Anaheim (714) 630-7888, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

2) Orange County Badminton Club

1432 N. Main St., Orange, (714) 639-6222, noon-10 p.m. daily.

3) Loreley Restaurant

Phoenix Club, 1340 S. Sanderson Ave., Anaheim, (714) 563-4164.

Lunch served 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Dinner served 5-9 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday, 5-10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Breakfast served 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday.

Parking: There is free parking in lots at each location.

Buses: OCTA bus No. 46 (Orange-Hawaiian Gardens) runs along Ball Road with stops at Phoenix Club Drive and Main Street. OCTA bus No. 50 (Orange-Long Beach) runs along Katella Avenue with a stop at Main Street.