CATALINA'S HIDDEN JOYS SIDESTEP THE SIGHTSEERS FOR A GAME OF GOLF, A GUIDED WALK, A MOVIE AT THE AVALON THEATRE.

Byline: Story and photos by Eric Noland Travel Editor

AVALON - So, Tiger Woods once stood on this very spot, lining up a shot down the No. 1 fairway at the Catalina Island Golf Course. I wonder if his tee shot was as far left as I just put mine with a 5-wood.

Of course, Tiger was only 4 years old at the time, so there's a good chance of it.

This fun little course dates to 1892, when it was a three-hole layout with sand ``greens'' - it purports to be the oldest golf course in the western United States. And duffers who try their hand here must be mindful of some peculiar hazards. According to the course rules listed on the scorecard, players are permitted ``relief from boar diggings.''

Many island visitors discover this gem too late. At the passenger boat docks in Long Beach and San Pedro are glossy come-ons for Discovery Tours' extensive sightseeing options: Skyline Drive, glass-bottom boat, Seal Rocks Cruise, Avalon Scenic Tour. It's easy to get locked into a busy day of these organized excursions and miss out on the island's more subtle offerings.

With a little advance planning, however, you can readily experience a weekend on the island as a resident does - playing a round of golf, taking a naturalist-guided walk with the Catalina Island Conservancy, seeing a movie in the incomparable Avalon Theatre or delving into the island's multilayered history at the Catalina Island Museum.

This is a simpler sampler of Catalina activities, but certainly no less rewarding.

On the links

The rains of late winter have put a little extra sparkle into the nine-hole course that reaches like tendrils into Avalon Canyon. Water is a critical issue on this perpetually parched island, and the fortunes of this course have improved in recent years thanks to the liberal deployment of a well on the grounds.

``It was a goat pasture,'' said Mike Mellinger, manager of the pro shop. ``Fifteen years ago, if you hit the ball it would just keep going. It (the grass) wasn't thin, it was dirt. We had to take little mats out there to hit off of.''

The novelty of finding a golf course of any kind out on this island takes your mind off the fact that there isn't much to it. It's only 2,104 yards, with four par-3 holes and five par-4s (two of which are under 300 yards). But there's still a little challenge to the course, which doubles back and forth on itself amid eucalyptus and palm trees in the narrow canyon. It's fairly tight, most of the greens are guarded by bunkers and the kikuyu grass prevents a lot of roll.

Not wanting to haul clubs over on the boat, I opted for a package targeted for tourists. For $52 on a weekday, you can get nine holes of golf, a bag of rental clubs (including tees and five balls) and a cart.

The most fun of all is provided by the very first hole. You tee off from atop a steep hill, and must drive your ball over busy Avalon Canyon Road and down the wide, 325-yard fairway. Because of the proximity of a school below, the course maintains a one-ball rule here: If you're errant with your first shot, you must head to a safer tee at the bottom of the hill.

There are other singular hazards. The Catalina Stables lie alongside the golf course, and one of the trail rides switchbacks into the hills between the ninth tee and the first green. Every island golfer is keen to that bit of etiquette: You let the horses play through.

Learning experience

Shiny white shards littered the trail in Cottonwood Canyon, deep in the island's interior. We were surprised to learn that these were the remnants of sea shells.

``This is a midden site, where the early people dumped their trash,'' said Amy Busch, the Catalina Island Conservancy naturalist who was leading our group of 10 hikers. Museum director Stacey Otte, who had tagged along, added, ``When you think about it, archaeology is in many ways the study of garbage - what people left behind.''

In the 1970s, the Catalina Island Conservancy was established and given 88 percent of the island by the Wrigley family - of chewing gum fame - which had owned the island since 1919. The nonprofit organization was entrusted with protection of the island ecology, and it goes to great lengths to share its work and discoveries with the general public.

These educational hikes, conducted on the first Saturday of every month, are one such offering.

The focus of our walk was the island's first inhabitants - their food, homes, crafts, spiritual life. They called the island Pimu and referred to themselves as Pimugnan, but their imprint on the island ended abruptly in the 1820s when the Spanish relocated them to Mission San Gabriel - and henceforth referred to them as Gabrielinos.

After boarding a van at the conservancy's Avalon office, we were soon bouncing along the scenic mountain-spine road to Catalina's Airport-in- the-Sky.

After a visit to a soapstone quarry, where native people carved bowls from the soft rock, we were driven down the dirt road toward Little Harbor and dropped off at El Rancho Escondido, Philip K. Wrigley's former spread at the entrance to Cottonwood Canyon.

The day's undertaking proved to be more of a short, gentle stroll than a challenging hike, with frequent stops for interpretive discussions and a long break for lunch, but it was rewarding.

At one point, Busch passed around stone implements from the museum collection and let us guess as to their uses: bowls, weights for digging sticks, mortar and pestle, churt arrowheads. At lunch, Otte identified native food sources that sprouted near us, among them prickly pear cactus, red Toyon berries, lemondeberry.

The walk concluded at a spectacular overlook of Little Harbor and Shark Harbor, the site of a former native settlement. Nice taste in real estate - we marveled at the turquoise water of the protected coves, with gentle surf ruffling shiny kelp beds. Sea breezes wafted up the bluff to cool us.

The island's early inhabitants chose this spot because of the abundant food sources: abalone, scallops, sea snails, otters, sea gull eggs. But this settlement was of modest size, we were told. Most of the island's population was concentrated at what is now Avalon and Two Harbors - just as it is today.

Among the upcoming topics for the Saturday hikes are scenic viewpoints above Catalina Harbor (June), the remote west end of the island (August), the windward side (October) and birding (December).

Picture show

The movie is entirely the point at your neighborhood cineplex, such that you often make your way through a warehouse of a lobby to a nondescript, boxy auditorium to see your film.

But in the early days of motion pictures, the art form was considered the height of glamour, and grand palaces were built to showcase the works. Although many of the old movie houses are gone or have been converted to other uses, a real treasure survives on Catalina. It is the Avalon Theatre, which opened in the basement of the Casino building 75 years ago this month.

No matter what's showing, a night at the movies here can be a memorable experience. (Even though I was stuck with an absurd piece of tripe like ``Hidalgo,'' which sent me to the exit within an hour, I didn't feel cheated). Arrive early to fully appreciate this place.

Elaborate murals adorn the walls. Light sparkles from star-shaped openings in the domed ceiling. The screen is crowned with an elaborate proscenium arch. The lobby is paneled with rich black walnut. And even the restrooms have accents of Catalina tile.

On weekends, John Tusak settles in at the four keyboards of the Page organ and entertains early arrivals with standards. This organ was designed to accompany silent films, so be sure to listen for any of the sound effects at his disposal - Chinese gong, bird whistle, pistol shot, police siren, plus drums, cymbal and tambourine.

Talkies were in their infancy in 1929, but the builders of this theater gambled on their staying power, and as a result the acoustics in this massive domed space are impeccable.

The theater was exhaustively renovated in 1994, work that included reupholstering the 1,164 seats and restoring the John Gabriel Beckman murals along the walls.

The murals depict ``kind of a fantastical look at California history,'' said Otte of the Catalina Island Museum, conducting a brief tour. ``I don't believe Native Americans were leaping around the island on horses. And I can't understand why they put monkeys in.''

Windows on the past

The novelty of a 76-square-mile island sitting just offshore from a major population center has contributed to a varied history. The stories are well-chronicled in the small but comprehensive Catalina Island Museum, housed in the Casino building.

After the Native Americans were removed, ranching was popular here - because the ocean formed a natural barrier, precluding the need for expensive fencing. The tourism legacy, meanwhile, reaches back to the 1880s.

Museum exhibits explore the fledgling days of this industry, as visitors came to the island by steamship and later seaplane (a special exhibit devoted to the seaplane era will run through August).

William Wrigley Jr. was the most enthusiastic proponent of tourism here, and attempted to invigorate it by bringing his Chicago Cubs baseball team to the island for spring training from 1921-51. The ball field stood where the No. 1 and No. 9 golf fairways are today.

Wrigley also built the magnificent Casino, using ramps instead of staircases to make it more expedient for people to get in and out - a concept he borrowed from his Wrigley Field baseball stadium in Chicago. Weekend revelers would stream into the massive ballroom in the 1930s and dance to big-band music until the wee hours.

Other exhibits examine the pottery of Catalina Clay Products, an industry that flourished on the island in the '20s and '30s; sportfishing, which attracted author Zane Grey and comic actor Stan Laurel, among others; and movie-making, which saw filmmakers moor clipper ships in Catalina's picturesque coves and build sets of Tripoli forts onshore.

A wealth of archival photos is the museum's strength, and some have been reproduced to poster size and mounted on boards. Visitors may flip through them as if turning the pages of a book.

Why, here's a shot of the legendary Bobby Jones trying his hand at the Catalina golf course.

Wonder if any of his tee shots were ever this far left on No. 1.

Eric Noland, [phone]

eric.noland(at)dailynews.com

Grab yourself an isle seat

The movie industry has always been a central part of life on Catalina Island, from the screening of silent films at the Avalon Theatre to the liberal use of the island as a movie location - whether it was passed off as the South Pacific, Rome or Tripoli.

And to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Casino, in which the Avalon Theatre is housed, the Catalina Island Museum will present ``Hollywood Tribute'' on June 26.

The program will include a screening of the silent classic ``The Iron Mask,'' starring Douglas Fairbanks, in the theater, with award-winning organist Robert D. Salisbury providing accompaniment to the on-screen action. The film was shown at the theater on May 29, 1929, to celebrate the Casino's opening.

Also, legendary actor Mickey Rooney will screen one of his films shot on the island and provide his insights into the filming. In the evening, Rooney will join wife Jan Rooney for a presentation of his stage show, ``One Man, One Wife,'' an overview of his film career.

``Hollywood Tribute'' will benefit the Catalina Island Museum. Tickets for ``The Iron Mask,'' which will screen at 1:30 p.m., are $15. Rooney's movie program (10 a.m.) also costs $15. ``One Man, One Wife'' (7:30 p.m.) costs $45.

Information and tickets: [phone].

- Great Escapes staff

Getting to Catalina

The Catalina-Marina del Rey Flyer, operated by Sea Planes Inc., recently began regular ferry boat service from Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey to Avalon, giving travelers an alternative to the ferries that run from San Pedro and Long Beach.

Round-trip fare is $52 for adults on the Flyer's high-speed catamaran. From Marina del Rey, the trip to the island is 37 miles, which requires a 90-minute ride on the boat.

Rival Catalina Express makes the shorter run from Long Beach in about an hour, while the trip from San Pedro requires 75 minutes. Catalina Express' adult fare for the round trip from either port is $44.50.

Through this month, the Flyer will depart Marina del Rey for Catalina at 8 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, at 10:05 a.m. on Wednesday, and at 9:35 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It will also offer a 5:35 p.m. boat on Friday.

Most of the return service from Avalon is scheduled for late afternoon or early evening, although there is an 11:45 a.m. departure from Avalon on Friday.

The spring schedule, which is subject to change, could be expanded come summer.

Round-trip fares for children (ages 2 to 11) are $40, for seniors (age 55 and up) $48. Fisherman's Village is at 13737 Fiji Way. Parking is $6 per day. Information and reservations: [phone]; www.catalinaferries.com.

- Great Escapes staff

IF YOU GO

AVALON THEATRE: Movies are screened nightly at 7, with a second show Friday and Saturday at 9:30. [phone]. The theater is included in the 50-minute Casino Tour, which is one of Discovery Tours' best offerings: [phone].

CONSERVANCY: Guided hikes are conducted on the first Saturday of every month. The excursions begin at 8 a.m. at the conservancy office, 125 Claressa Ave., and last until midafternoon. The $25 cost is a bargain, as that includes transportation, lunch and the company of a learned guide throughout. It's a good idea to make a reservation well in advance, though, since the hikes are limited to a dozen guests. Contact the Conservancy Education Office: [phone]. For a list of upcoming hike topics, visit the conservancy Web site at www. catalinaconservancy.org. Participants are urged to dress in layers and bring their own water in a day pack.

GOLF COURSE: Through Nov. 9, weekend green fees for nine holes are $32 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, $27 on weekdays. Lower fees for juniors and seniors. Fees lower during the winter. A package geared to visitors includes nine holes of golf, a bag of rental clubs (including balls and tees) and a cart for $59 on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, $52 on weekdays. [phone]; www.scico.com/cirs/maingolf.html.

MUSEUM: Housed in the Casino, the museum is an often-overlooked island gem. It currently is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but will stay open until 5 p.m. during the summer. Admission is $2.50 for adults, $2 for seniors, $1 for kids age 6 to 15. The museum has begun offering historical walking tours, which cost $10, last an hour and cover significant stops along Crescent Avenue. The tour cost includes a one-day admission to the museum. [phone]; www.catalina.com/museum.html.

INFORMATION: The island's chamber of commerce maintains a comprehensive Web site at www. catalina.com, providing information on boat transportation, lodging, activities, tours and special events. The chamber can be reached at [phone].

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, 3 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) Catalina Island's lesser-know offerings include a guided hike with the Catalina Island Conservancy, top, where the excursion might conclude at an overlook of Little and Shark harbors; a game of golf on the island's picturesque nine-hole course, left; and a movie at the 1929 Avalon Theatre, where elaborate murals adorn the walls.

(4 -- 6) Sights off the beaten path on Catalina Island include a soapstone quarry, top, pointed out by naturalist Amy Busch on a monthly hike; the island's museum, above left, which features reminders of the era of steamship travel; and a golf course with some unusual playing conditions, above right.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor

Box:

(1) Grab yourself an isle seat (see text)

(2) Getting to Catalina (see text)

(3) IF YOU GO (see text)