BOOT CAMP CAN SHARPEN SHORT GAME.

Byline: JILL PAINTER Golf

We've all been guilty of it.

Who doesn't want to want to walk up to the first tee with the confidence of a John Daly and rip a drive that lands safely, 200-something yards straight onto the fairway?

It's awfully tempting to work with your driver rather than your short game.

We drool over Daly's drives, which average 306.8 yards. Or the flawless swing of Tiger Woods, who averages 296.4 yards. The PGA Tour has 62 players who average at least 280 yards per drive.

On the LPGA Tour, Australian Wendy Doolan has an average driving distance of 267.6.

But for the weekend golfer, time undoubtedly would be better spent on and around the putting green. At least if you want to shave a few strokes off your game.

``The short game comprises about 65 percent of all strokes in golf,'' said Bob Cisco, who conducts a short-game golf boot camp at Ocean Trails Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes. ``We're talking about 70 yards and in. The short game is the most neglected part of the game. It's the part of the game that the pros work on. The average golfer concentrates on hitting the ball long as opposed to trying to trim their score with their short game.''

Annika Sorenstam, the world's best woman golfer, is a good driver. She ranks No. 11 in distance on the LPGA Tour at 260.3 and is first on tour in driving accuracy. Yet she didn't win 34 career tournaments or score a record 59 without a solid short game to complement effective driving.

``When you're pitching up onto the green, you should try to keep the ball below the hole,'' Cisco said. ``If you run the ball past the hole and it gets above the hole, you have a downhill putt and that makes it more difficult.''

Instead of using a pitching wedge about 20 feet around the green, Cisco recommends using a 7-, 8- or 9-iron - depending on how far out the ball lies - to chip. With a short iron, you won't get as much loft on the ball, meaning there's less chance for error (for example that embarrassing chip over onto the other side of the green).

The pitching wedge provides the most loft. With an iron, if hit correctly, the ball's flight won't be as high. The object is to have the ball hit the green at a lower angle and then benefit from a roll up to the hole.

Cisco's boot camp is devoted to working on the short game all day. It's enough to give a golfer sore arms because most spend little time with their putter.

Many people spend time standing over their putt looking at their ball. It's a good way to lose rhythm and sight of the hole. Cisco recommends that you practice rehearsal strokes while looking at the hole and get a feel for the line to the hole.

The putter should be moved as if it were a pendulum.

And it's not all about mechanics, either. A positive attitude - believing you'll make the putt before you hit it - can go a long way, as Cisco discusses in his book ``Ultimate Putting.''

``Confidence is the key ingredient needed to putt and chip your best,'' he writes. ``You putt your best when you putt with decisiveness and feel. My advice is to commit to the feel of the stroke and make a smooth, rhythmic stroke on the intended line to the hole.

``You'll control and make more of your short putts this way and get the longer ones closer when you do this. Your scores will lower as a result. Confidence has to do with trusting your stroke and stroking the putt in the hole.''

More information on Cisco's short-game boot camp: [phone].

--Teeing it up: The Dodgers Inaugural Charity Golf Invitational is at Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley today. Dodgers manager Jim Tracy and players Paul Lo Duca and Mark Grudzielanek, are scheduled to play on their off day. Dodgers alumni Steve Garvey and Ron Cey also are expected to play.

The tournament benefits the Dodgers Dream Foundation and the Dream Fields initiative, which was created to provide educational, athletic and recreational opportunities for Los Angeles youth.

ON THE GREEN

PGA TOUR

Kemper Insurance Open

at Potomac, Md.

Course: TPC at Avenel (7,005 yards, par 71)

Schedule: Today through Sunday

Purse: $3.6 million, $648,000 to winner

TV: The Golf Channel (Today: 1-3:30 p.m., 5-7:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Friday: 1-3:30 p.m., 5-7:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-2 a.m.); Fox Sports Net (Today-Friday: 1-3:30 p.m.; CBS (Saturday-Sunday: 12-3 p.m.)

SENIOR PGA TOUR

NFL Golf Classic 

at Clifton, N.J.

Course: Upper Montclair Country Club (6,186 yards, par 72)

Schedule: Friday through Sunday

Purse: $1.3 million, $195,000 to winner

TV: PAX (Friday: 10 a.m.-Noon); CNBC (Saturday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.)

LPGA TOUR

Kellogg-Keebler Classic

at Aurora, Ill.

Course: Stonebridge Country Club (6,327 yards, par 72)

Schedule: Friday through Sunday

Purse: $1.2 million, $180,000 to winner

TV: ESPN (Friday: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Saturday: Noon-2 p.m.); ESPN2 (Sunday: 2-4 p.m.)

MONEY LEADERS

PGA 

1 Tiger Woods $3,055,100

2 Phil Mickelson $2,322,833

3 David Toms $1,813,027

4 Jose Maria Olazabal $1,722,273

SENIOR PGA

1 Hale Iwrin $1,193,100

2 John Jacobs $977,210

3 Dana Quigley $898,228

4 Doug Tewell $861,916

LPGA

1 Annika Sorenstam $759,659

2 Laura Diaz $459,699

3 Juli Inkster $338,875

4 Cristie Kerr $320,382

SPOTLIGHT: LAURA DIAZ

Diaz became a two-time LPGA champion with a win in the Corning Classic last week. She won her first tour title in March and has four top-10 finishes this year. Diaz, 27, had a breakthrough year in 2001 with 12 top-10 finishes. She's second on the this year's money list behind Annika Sorenstam.

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ON THE GREEN (see text)