EXCURSION: AN INDUSTRIAL-SIZED TREAT FOR LOCAL GOLFERS.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

CITY OF INDUSTRY - One of the best public golf facilities in Los Angeles County is offering its lowest rate in years as part of its silver anniversary.

But don't rule out playing at the 25-year-old Industry Hills Babe Zaharias or Eisenhower courses if you phone too late (the 16th of each month) to get the $25 rate available on both courses the 25th of each month for the remainder of 2005.

Those phone lines will be predictably busy starting at 7 a.m. each silver anniversary reservation day for the rest of the year. Industry Hills, however, is well worth the upscale regulation rate, which ranges from $52 for seniors (Monday-Thursday) to $96 for non-seniors on weekends and holidays.

Both courses are exceptional - the longer and wider Ike course playing host to several major tournaments in recent years, including the centennial Southern California Golf Association Amateur Championship won by John Pate in 1999.

If you prefer tight-course shotmaking, look no further than the Babe course, which stretches to just 6,821 yards (compared to the 7,181-yard Ike), but is consistently challenging with narrow fairways, strategically placed bunkers, water and trees.

Choose the set of tees to match your ability - something abundantly clear to anyone standing on the back tees of the first hole at the Babe. The view from there is over a canyon to a tight, right-doglegging fairway flanked by large eucalyptus trees on both sides.

The look from the No. 2 tee box is similar and calls for a drive out of a vegetation-flanked chute to a dogleg-right fairway with reachable bunkers directly in your target area. This one appears tight enough from the white tees. Step back another 20 yards to the tips and really feel the opening squeeze on a par-4 hole that plays just 340 yards at its maximum.

The third hole produces the opportunity for another intimidating tee shot - check out the view from the back tees on this 440-yard, par-4 hole - and introduces palm trees into the difficulty mix. Any drive failing to pass the fairway turn on this 90-degree dogleg-right hole sets up a second shot that must run a gauntlet of towering palms clustered around a pair of right-side ponds.

Rated just the seventh-toughest on the course, Babe's No. 3 is one of the best holes on a course full of good holes - almost every one of them challenging golfers off the tee and on large greens that can be adventures for downhill putts. Give yourself a putt from above the flagstick on No. 8, for example, and the chances are excellent you will be putting back uphill - possibly a long way uphill - one putt later.

Water comes into play on four holes on the Babe course. The pond on No. 3 also threatens long approach shots on the 406-yard, par-4 fifth. The backside water challenge forces carries over a large lake that fronts both the 166-yard 13th and 198-yard 17th - both of them severely downhill par-3 holes that rank with the most scenic on a course that is aesthetically pleasing throughout because of the mature trees that border almost every fairway.

The toughest hole, according the Southern California Golf Association course-raters, is the 428-yard, par-4 eighth, which doglegs right to a remarkably sloping green. Putting difficulty here tends to overshadow the importance of a good tee shot, but hit a good drive too far left in the fairway or a shorter drive too far right, and trees can block second-shot approaches that really need to stay below the flagstick for any reasonable chance at par.

There are plenty of tough, scenic and enjoyable holes on the Babe course, which offers 12 fairways bending to some degree, numerous uphill and downhill shots and all the tree management you can handle - especially if you hit your drive short on No. 3 and try to thread an approach through the palm trees.

The silver anniversary green fees can make it a bargain, but this course is a Babe at the regulation rates, as well.

Dave Shelburne, [phone]

dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

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The Industry Hills Babe Zaharias course, located in City of Industry, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with special rates on the 25th of each month.

Dave Shelburne/Daily News

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INDUSTRY HILLS GOLF COURSE