Senioritis creeping up on tour?

The former Senior PGA Tour, now the PGA Champions Tour, is getting

tougher on its players this year. They are now “encouraged” to walk

during official tournament events, instead of riding a golf cart.

Oh, sure, players can still cruise along in cushy carts if they

desire, but the tour is clearly trying to rid itself of “senior”

connotations. Even the 60-and-over Georgia-Pacific Super Seniors has

changed its name to the Grand Champions. What’s next? Changing the

names of the tournament? After all, it’s still the Toshiba Senior

Classic. And many other tour events have the name “senior” in its

title.

The new cart rules are particularly interesting and will no doubt

cause some confusion along the way. Caddies are no longer permitted

to ride in a cart at any time during an official round, and bags are

also banned. Golf cart weather covers and heaters have also been

axed.

The 2003 Champions Tour Golf Cart Rules and Guidelines stipulates

“a consistent no-cart provision in Champions Tour Major Championships

and the Champions Tour Championship. Players and caddies, however,

are allowed to ride in carts during pro-am and practice rounds.

Other “modifications” that will affect the Toshiba Senior Classic

and every other tour event include a lottery for fans to become

honorary observers inside the ropes, and also a “Caddie of the Day”

promotion, in which a few lucky fans are selected to serve as caddies

in the pro-am. (I’d love to see a fan caddie for Don January if he

still played.)

Last year, the tour tried to become more fan-friendly with a

variety of experiments, including dropping the ropes behind the last

group of players so fans could follow. Players were also miked up

during rounds and gave interviews during rounds. There were on-site

question and answer sessions between fans and players after rounds,

an idea that worked well for the Toshiba Senior Classic last year

with Fuzzy Zoeller and Chi Chi Rodriguez. Zoeller and Chi Chi had the

fans buzzing.

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The Toshiba Senior Classic has been selected as one of 12 stops

for the Grand Champions, an easy choice considering what happened

last year. The Senior PGA Tour hoodwinked the Toshiba Senior Classic

last year and dropped the “super seniors” competition without telling

anybody in the Toshiba camp, forcing tournament officials to scramble

to fill pro-am spots, but all was forgiven and forgotten after

another stellar event, in which Hale Irwin electrified Newport Beach

Country Club with a tournament scoring record and the managing

operator raised $1 million-plus for charity for the third straight

year.

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Another noteworthy change on the tour this year is the increase

from 78 players to 81. There’s an additional sponsor’s exemption (now

totaling five) and two players will be added through the PGA Tour

Career Victory Category.

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The newly remodeled, 4,200-square foot clubhouse at Mesa Verde

Country Club is expected to open to its members by the first week of

February. Club general manager Kim Porter said the clubhouse might be

in operation for staffers by the middle of next week.

When everybody’s in the clubhouse and two locker rooms, Mesa Verde

will begin watching its new landscaping grow, while reconstructing

the driving range and making it one level. The driving range was two

levels. Temporary bungalows have occupied the driving range area

since the $7-million clubhouse reconstruction project began last

year. A large chipping area will also be added to the new driving

range.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Porter said of the clubhouse

project completion.