Golf: Newport’s newest private golf club is also the smallest

Richard Dunn

For an easy $5 a year, yes, you too can own a private golf

membership in Newport Beach.

It’s only nine holes, mind you, and it’s putting only -- sort of like

The Greens at Park Place in Irvine, about three miles up Jamboree Road --

but it’s good fun and perfect for a date, corporate outing or family

function.

And, plus, you’ll be a full-fledged club member alongside Arnold

Palmer and Clint Eastwood.

That’s right. The King and Dirty Harry himself are honorary members at

the Royal & Ancient Ambassadors Golf Club in Newport Beach.

The facility, which opened earlier this month, is the sister course to

Pebble Beach, with tongue in cheek, of course. Palmer and Eastwood are

involved with Pebble Beach ownership, along with the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games chairman and former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth.

Ueberroth and his brother, John, built the new 72-yard putting green

for their employees, guests and clients. The flag on the green’s ninth

hole was the same one used at this year’s AT&T; National Pro-Am at Pebble

Beach on No. 18.

Ueberroth, a Big Canyon Country Club member, came home with the Pebble

Beach flag to represent the finishing hole at the Royal & Ancient

Ambassadors Golf Club, established 2001, which, of course, “isn’t very

ancient,” Ambassadors International executive Jerry McGee said Wednesday.

Ueberroth opened the unique, well-undulated putting green mainly for

employees of his company, Ambassadors International, but the “club” isn’t

exactly serious about business.

Simply reading over the membership application form is a laugh a

second. One of the questions includes: “How many bag tags do you have on

your golf bag?”

Yet, anybody interested in becoming a member needs only five bucks,

after clearing the application screening process.

“It’s Newport Beach’s smallest private golf course,” said Lindsey

Ueberroth, Peter’s niece, who handles public relations and promotions.

“It’s not meant to be a moneymaker,” she added. “It’s something for

our employees (at Ambassadors International) and clients that come in.

It’s really more for entertaining, yet it’s somewhat of a serious idea

that they came up with, as part of our office and company, (for

employees) to belong to a private club and do some unique events out

here. It’s more for marketing, more of an entertainment type thing, but

we’ve had some fun with it.”

On the Ambassadors Golf Club scorecard, set up for 18 holes as you

repeat the nine holes (with different flags), there’s a list of rules.

Here are some excerpts:

“Proper golfing attire required at all times. T-shirts and cutoff

shorts are prohibited for men only.”

“Play will be monitored for speed of play. If you are unable to play

well, at least play fast and loose.”

“Rabbit excrement is to be considered a (possibly the ultimate)

natural hazard and is a movable obstruction.”

Every hole is a par-2, but trying to break the 18-hole course record

(19) is difficult with the subtle turtlebacks around the holes and

various sloping features.

According to one rule, “All yardages are confidential.”

McGee said members can keep their putter on display in the Hall of

Fame room with Palmer’s and Eastwood’s.

“When (Palmer and Eastwood) are tired of playing Pebble Beach, they

can come down here,” McGee quipped.

On a more serious note, Newport Beach Country Club will once again

host a U.S. Open local qualifying round. It will be 18 holes on May 16,

the Southern California Golf Association announced. Newport Beach is one

of seven Southland courses to be used during qualifying week (May 14-21)

by the SCGA.

The seventh annual Tommy Bahama Newport Beach Open for amateurs,

professionals and corporate foursomes is April 23 at Newport Beach. The

event benefits the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce.

The tournament crowns an amateur Newport Beach city champion, although

the field is open to anyone with an SCGA handicap of 12 or lower.

There will be a shotgun start at 9 a.m. for pros and amateurs.

Corporate foursomes and other amateurs will tee off at 2 p.m. in a

shotgun start.

The annual Casino Night and Putting Contest is April 22 at Sterling

BMW in Newport Beach.

The grand prize in the putting contest is $10,000. Details: (949)

729-4400.

The USC Trojan Football Alumni Club annual golf tournament is Friday

at Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena. Tom Kelly and Craig Fertig are

heading the program. Registration is 9:30 a.m.

Among this year’s tournament honorees are Fertig, the former USC

quarterback, and Marlin McKeever, a member of the Daily Pilot Sports Hall

of Fame. Details: (310) 543-0025.

Richard Dunn’s golf column appears every Thursday.