COLLEGE HOST TO LATEST IN GOLF SERVICES; IMPROVED INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITIES BENEFIT STUDENTS, OPEN TO PUBLIC.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Daily News Staff Writer

Golf aficionados can keep on swinging even after the sun goes down thanks to a new floodlit complex at Moorpark College that is gearing up for full operations.

The $2 million public golf center includes artificial turf and grass tees, putting greens, pitching and chipping areas, and a snack bar, said Paul Amann, president of Simi Valley-based Golden Tee Inc.

``It's much more than a driving range, so it'll accommodate all facets of your golf. And we're heavily targeting the women and children's market,'' he said.

Instructors trained to Professional Golf Association standards will be available at the facility, and women and children are much more likely than men to seek coaching from them, Amann said.

``Men don't need help,'' Amann said, with a laugh.

The Moorpark College complex is one of three properties owned by the Ventura County Community College District that Golden Tee has won the right to develop for golf. Groundbreaking was in February.

The other two properties, at Oxnard College and on district-owned land near the Camarillo Airport, are still in the design stage, said Gary Ault, director of golf operations for Golden Tee.

``We're real close, but we're not quite ready,'' Ault said.

The Moorpark facility is on 17 acres, some of them steeply sloped, just north of the college's sports stadium. Designing the course to fit the parcel was challenging because of the steep slope, Amann said.

``It makes for a beautiful facility though,'' Amann said. ``It's very unique.''

The new complex replaces the driving range that was used by students taking golf classes, said Ruth Hemming, vice president for college services.

``The benefit to the college includes improved instructional facilities for students; a revenue stream, which will benefit students and the college; and the potential for a partnership, which will enhance inter-collegiate golf for students,'' Hemming said.

Several hundred Moorpark College students take the golf class each year and the college is considering resurrecting its golf team, which lapsed several years ago, Hemming said.

The 30-year lease for the property with Golden Tee guarantees the college $23,000 a year plus a share of revenue, Hemming said. The college has spent no money on redeveloping the property.

Currently, there are 30 tees operating at the facility. When completed on Aug. 1, it will have 30 more, plus a set of permanent floodlights, Amann said.

When fully operational, the facility will have a staff of 12 to 15, including instructors, ball pickers and food servers, and will accommodate between 80 and 100 players simultaneously, Amann said.

Introductory prices to play are $5 for a large bucket of about 100 balls and $3 for a small bucket of about 50 balls; students get a 10 percent discount, Ault said.

Today, Golden Tee will hold a drawing for a titanium driver valued at $250 for those who have played at the facility up to that day, officials said.

The facility is open 3 to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends and holidays; and those hours will soon be extended, Amann said.