Golf: The next best thing to a full driving range

Richard Dunn

Pretty soon they’re going to start calling this place the Orange

Coast College Golf Academy.

While most of the golf practice facility has been in place near LeBard

Stadium, the recently completed, state-of-the-art version is rivaled only

by Saddleback College among Orange County community colleges.

While Saddleback has a full driving range, Orange Coast has the next

best thing: 10 tee mats in a large cage, a filming background board,

video equipment, mirror, practice putting green and sand bunker to fit an

entire team, plus four.

“And, we can go right into the classroom, which is 50 feet away, and

watch the video of your swing, and go right back out and work on it again

... it’s like instantaneous learning, instant feedback,” OCC men’s and

women’s golf coach Barry Wallace said.

With the facility complete, Orange Coast should not only be able to

field a women’s golf team next season -- it missed the 2001 campaign

because of not enough players -- but expect the Pirates to become

contenders.

Golf at a community college has typically attracted adult students,

some with loads of experience, others just trying to hone their skills.

“I was over at Santa Ana Country Club (Tuesday) talking to four (lady)

members there, and they were pretty excited about coming over and taking

some classes at Orange Coast at the same time,” Wallace said. “It’s

easier for me now to say, ‘Look, we hit balls on campus and we can film

you.’ We’re going to better serve the community. That’s why we’re a

community college. Age is no factor. We’re here to help all who want

help.”

Anyone can register for golf classes at OCC, but to play on the golf

team, a student is required to be enrolled in at least 12 units, which is

about three classes (plus two units for the team).

One of the golf classes popular with adult students is an eight-week

class that meets on Tuesday and Thursday nights (before daylight savings

ends).

“It’s a class for 24 students, and this semester I had 24 there, and

20 more wanted to petition the class,” Wallace said. “I’d say 80% of the

students are just learning how to play golf, to be able to play and

socialize with family members or work (colleagues).”

Another eight-week evening class offered at OCC is the Mental Side of

Golf, taught by Wallace one night a week. “We don’t touch a golf club in

that class,” Wallace said. “And, now, with the cages, we can take (golf

instruction) to the next level, along with getting into the mental side

of it. We’re really moving forward.”

The golf facility on campus also has bleachers and an equipment shed

adjacent to the sand bunker, which can have up to 10 people hitting at

once.

“We finally completed it two or three weeks ago. It’s a nice setup,”

Wallace said. “It was designed for our golf classes, as well as our

teams.”

While OCC’s men’s golf team has always been strong, it seems Wallace

now has the ideal recruiting tool to get the women’s program on equal

ground.

“Yeah, we’re trying to bolster (the programs), make it bigger and

better,” Wallace said. “We’re trying to meet the needs of the community.

We’re without a full driving range, but we’re the next best thing. I

think we have a complete package to teach and promote the game. We’re

really in good shape right now.”

Jake Paine, the 3-year-old South County boy who made a hole-in-one

last summer and is touted as “the nation’s youngest celebrity golfer,”

completed his first 18-hole round in a charity tournament at Newport

Beach Country Club.

“Jake looked a little beat at the end of the day. He was sleeping in

his dad’s arms during dinner,” said Justin Miller of the Nova Community

Foundation, which hosted the inaugural Friends of Novaland Golf Classic

Oct. 29 at Newport Beach.

Since shooting an ace on the 66-yard hole No. 6 at the Lake Forest

Golf and Practice Center, Paine has appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning

America” and “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” but had never played 18

holes on a real golf course until last week.

Nova Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Newport

Beach, works with urban youth after school through the Novaland Learning

Centers and aims at helping students succeed in school, seek higher

education, build confidence and excel in life. The golf tournament raised

about $40,000, Miller said.

Richard Dunn’s golf column appears every Thursday.