EASY TO FIND RIGHT LIE GOLF COURSES ABOUND FOR DUFFERS AND EXPERIENCED PLAYERS, TOO.

Byline: - Dave Shelburne

Golf enthusiasts in the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas have no shortage of courses to play, from par-3 layouts suitable for beginners to a variety of moderately priced municipal courses to upscale facilities that give their clientele the opportunity to rent a country club atmosphere for a day.

Los Angeles city courses at Hansen Dam and in the Sepulveda Basin - Woodley Lakes, Balboa and Encino - and at Griffith Park, where Wilson and Harding combine old-style tradition, towering trees and some rich history, can be played, walking, for less than $25 during the week.

History? The Wilson and Harding courses were used for the 1937, '38 and '39 Los Angeles Opens, which were won, respectively, by Lighthorse Harry Cooper, Jimmy Thompson and Jimmy Demaret and included eventual Hall of Famers Sam Snead and Ben Hogan.

Longtime Griffith Park head pro Jerry Barber added to the Griffith Park lore, perfecting the putting stroke that helped him win the 1961 PGA Championship in a playoff after sinking 40-foot, then 50-foot putts on his final two holes of regulation.

Green fees are similarly reasonable on the area's Los Angeles County courses. Knollwood, located in Granada Hills, offers a winding round through tree-lined fairways that sometimes roll gently. El Cariso, a par-62 course in Sylmar, treats its customers to greens that are consistently among the best in the area.

Par-62 El Cariso, like par-60 School Canyon in Glendale and par-61 Vista Valencia in Valencia, is an executive course, so called because of the shorter yardage that made for shorter rounds and helped make golf possible for busy executives when executive courses became popular in the 1950s.

Rustic Canyon in Moorpark, Robinson Ranch in Santa Clarita and Angeles National in Sunland are among the newest daily fee courses offering an upscale golf experience for green fees in excess of $50. But rates on those and other upscale courses go lower for twilight play and sometimes a resident rate is available to help make a round even more affordable.

Area public golf courses Agoura Hills: Lake Lindero, [phone] Burbank: De Bell, [phone] California City: Tierra Del Sol, [phone] Camarillo: Camarillo Springs, [phone] Encino: Sepulveda Balboa, [phone] Encino: Sepulveda Encino, [phone] Glendale: Scholl Canyon, [phone] Granada Hills: Knollwood, [phone] Griffith Park: Harding, [phone] Griffith Park: Wilson, [phone] Lake Balboa: Woodley Lakes, [phone] Lake Elizabeth: Lake Elizabeth, [phone] Lancaster: Rancho Sierra, [phone] Malibu: Malibu, [phone] Mojave: Camelot, [phone] Moorpark: Rustic Canyon, [phone] Moorpark: Tierra Rejada, [phone] Pacoima: Hansen Dam, [phone] Palmdale: Desert Aire, [phone] Palmdale: Rancho Vista, [phone] Santa Clarita: Robinson Ranch Mountain, [phone] Santa Clarita: Robinson Ranch Valley, [phone] Simi Valley: Lost Canyon Shadow, [phone] Simi Valley: Lost Canyon Sky, [phone] Simi Valley: Simi Hills, [phone] Sylmar: Cascades, [phone] Sylmar: El Cariso, [phone] Thousand Oaks: Los Robles, [phone] Valencia: TPC of Valencia [phone] Valencia: Vista Valencia, [phone] Van Nuys: Van Nuys, [phone] Westlake Village: [phone]

AREA PAR-3 COURSES Burbank: De Bell Par-3, [phone] Mission Hills: M.H. Little League, [phone] Simi Valley: Sinaloa, [phone] Studio City: S.C. Golf and Tennis, [phone] Tujunga: Verdugo Hills, [phone] Valencia: Chica, [phone].

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) A golfer follows through on his swing at the Wilson/Harding Golf Center driving range in Griffith Park in this file photo from August 2000.

John Kennedy

(2 -- color) The Wilson course in Griffith Park combines old-style tradition, towering trees and some rich history and can be played, walking, for $25 during the week.

Daily News

Box:

Area public golf courses (see text)

- Dave Shelburne