Golf column: Silver bells ringing in June

The first thing a visitor sees upon entering Newport Beach from the

Irvine Avenue exit off the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road is the Newport

Beach Golf Course.

And, in back-to-back work days, the executive course will be busier than

ever, hosting the 11th annual Runnin’ Gunnin’ Golf Tournament Friday to

celebrate Irrelevant Week and the George Yardley Golf Tournament, a.k.a.

Yardley VII, on Monday.

The lush, green fairways and sparkling water hazard on No. 15 give

out-of-towners a quick glimpse of Newport’s beauty as they turn off and

empty out onto Bristol Street.

The front nine at Newport Beach Golf Course is owned by the city of

Newport Beach, but the back nine on the west side of Irvine Avenue is

unincorporated county property and scheduled to be demolished if the John

Wayne Airport expansion ever reaches fruition, according to the

Environmental Impact Report.

But, for now, all the stars and stripes and red, white and blue bells and

whistles will be aimed at the famous lighted links which have been around

as long as Irrelevant Week.

Twenty-five years for anything constitutes a tradition in Newport Beach.

This year’s Irrelevant Week golf tournament, which starts at 9 a.m.

Friday, is different than in past years, when heckling was encouraged and

golfers were doused with squirt guns on the greens, among other gags.

“One of the reasons we changed the format is because we had people

complain in the past. They didn’t like the (old) format, and I was one of

those,” said volunteer tournament chairman Ken Purcell, whose company,

First American Title, is producing the golf tournament.

“One year, I got squirted in the face by some kid on the green. I

thought, ‘This is not fun.’ We also had a lot of drinking going on in the

past, and that was a problem with the golf course, too ... golfers enjoy

golfing.”

The entry fee is $100 per player, but participants receive a sand wedge

as part of their tee-prize package, so with that, Purcell said, “100

bucks is a pretty nominal charge for a good time for a couple of hours.”

Speaking of a good time, many of the holes, as in past Runnin’ Gunnin’

golf tournaments at Newport Beach Golf Course, will be highlighted by

special features, including hole No. 8, which will have a Kiwanis

Club-sponsored masseuse near the tee box. Can’t wait to get in line.

There will also be closest-to-the-pin prizes on some of the par-3s,

including use of a condo at Mammoth Mountain and a $100 savings deposit

certificate by a local bank. The UCI Athletic Department is giving away

two men’s basketball season tickets on hole No. 14.

A putting contest and lunch after golf will also be provided. Details:

(949) 263-0727.

Yardley VII, the fun-filled Newport Harbor High event and one of the most

successful fund-raisers in the Newport-Mesa School District, starts at 2

p.m. Golfers can register online at www.yardley2000.com.

George Yardley, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and Newport Harbor

alumnus (circa 1946), is once again the event chairman and celebrity

headliner.

Last year, Yardley VI launched an essay contest for students, won by

Princeton-bound John Swigart, and began a community outreach with Olive

Crest Home and Services for Abused Children.

Some of the local golf pros expected to play this year include Big Canyon

Country Club head pro Kelly Manos, Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club head

pro Brad Booth, Santa Ana Country Club Director of Golf Mike Reehl and

Pelican Hill Golf Club PGA pro and Director of Instruction Glenn Deck.

The event raised over $40,000 last year for the Newport Harbor golf

programs. Details: (949) 856-2200.

Scott Kuhns captured the men’s club championship Sunday at Costa Mesa

Golf & Country Club. Results are forthcoming next week.

The 101st Southern California Golf Association Amateur Championship is

Friday through Sunday at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club will feature four

players with local ties:

John Wardrup of San Diego, a Corona del Mar High product and former

Newport Beach Country Club junior champion; Newport Beach resident Mike

Walker; former CdM High standout Chad Towersey; and Costa Mesa’s Farrell

Hinkle of Mesa Verde Country Club.

Registration material is out for the 12th annual Steve Van Horn Memorial

Golf Tournament Scramble Aug. 28 at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club.

Van Horn, a former Estancia High basketball star, was killed in an

accident while on vacation in Mexico in March 1982. The event provides

scholarships for students. Details: (406) 995-2234, the Van Horn

household in Montana.

The 2000 Southern California PGA Junior Tour Championship will come to

Newport Beach Golf Course Aug. 17.

Richard Dunn’s golf column appears every Thursday.