EXCURSION: VENTURA COUNTY'S COOL COURSES : IN SUMMER WEATHER, AREA OFFERINGS ARE HOT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT.Byline: Dave Shelburne Daily News Staff Writer Looking to beat the summer heat? Try a seaside golf excursion excursion /ex·cur·sion/ (eks-kur´zhun) a range of movement regularly repeated in performance of a function, e.g., excursion of the jaws in mastication. to the Ventura County courses at River Ridge River Ridge is the name of more than one location.
All three are located within three miles of each other and cooled by Pacific Ocean breezes The Ocean Breeze, (formerly Calypso, Azure Seas, and Dolphin) was an ocean liner, and later a cruise ship. Formerly used for many years as a high speed mail and passenger liner (no freight), the Southern Cross - which can gust up your scores but are a lot less burdensome than the heat and sometimes smog of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . River Ridge, the newest of the Ventura Country seaside trio, opened in 1986 and hosts the annual Strawberry and Oxnard City tournaments. It plays to 6,718 yards and a par of 72. The links-style layout includes rolling terrain, wide fairways, large and quick greens, few trees - most of them small - and lots of wind. ``We get two-club wind,'' said general manager Otto Kanny, who has used a driver on the course's signature par-3 14th hole, which plays 190 yards from the back tees to an island green. ``It's a big island, but we still get a lot of balls in that lake,'' Kanny said. Water is the second-biggest factor at River Ridge, a close runner-up behind the omnipresent om·ni·pres·ent adj. Present everywhere simultaneously. [Medieval Latin omnipres wind that will affect every afternoon round. ``We've got eight acres of water out there,'' Kanny said of the six lakes on the former landfill property. ``We average 1.1 balls in a lake per round played. River Ridge also offers a unique front-nine look featuring three par-3s, three par-4s and three par-5s. The best of these is the par-5 ninth that has golfers hitting mostly into the wind, off sloping fairways and over a large greenside green·side adj. Sports Situated beside a putting green: a greenside bunker. Adj. 1. lake. Buenaventura: Ancient trees offer a break from the wind on this near-70-year-old course, located across the Santa Clara river Santa Clara River may refer to:
Formerly known as Montalvo GC and a favorite golfing haunt haunt v. haunt·ed, haunt·ing, haunts v.tr. 1. To inhabit, visit, or appear to in the form of a ghost or other supernatural being. 2. of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning sportswriter sports·writ·er n. A person who writes about sports, especially for a newspaper or magazine. sports Jim Murray, the course co-hosts (with Olivas Park) the annual Ventura city and county championships. UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX golf coach Brad Sherfy holds the Buenaventura course record at 60, although area resident Gary Hitch hitch to fasten by a knot, usually used to describe tying a horse to a post. recorded a 59 when the course played to a different configuration 30 years ago. At its present state, Buenaventura offers excellent conditions for a public course. It has a traditional look with fairly tight fairways, plenty of tree trouble, quick, undulating greens and one of the prettiest par-3 holes in the area - the 145-yard 14th which crosses water twice and plays into wind. ``The course definitely puts a premium on accuracy because of the trees,'' said head pro Lee Harlow. Olivas Park: Harlow, who worked at Olivas Park before taking of the head job at Buenaventura, rates length as the major factor at 6,670-yard Olivas, which is more exposed to the wind. Water also is a factor at Olivas, with lakes coming into play on six holes. As with any of the three seaside courses, Olivas is friendlier in the mornings, before winds that can gust to 25 mph. Olivas also offers a driving range, which Buenaventura lacks, and a practice chipping facility. ``I'm always asked what is the tougher course, Buenaventura or Olivas Park,'' said Harlow, who has attempted to track scores in city and county championships to determine an answer. His charting tells him Buenaventura plays tougher for the single-digit handicapper hand·i·cap·per n. Sports & Games 1. One who assigns handicaps. 2. One who predicts the winners in a horserace, especially one who publishes such predictions as a guide for bettors. Noun 1. and Olivas Park plays tougher for those with an index above 10. Scores aside, conditions on both are excellent, from well-manicured fairways to challenging but smooth-rolling greens. But despite good course conditions, its the temperature that's the biggest plus about Ventura seaside golf, especially in the summer. Kanny puts it as the golf slogan of the area: ``If you're tired of shooting in the 90s, try us. We're always in the 70s.'' VENTURA COUNTY SEASIDE EXCURSION Course: River Ridge Vital stats: Par 72, 6,718 yards (blue tees); course record 64 Location: 2401 W. Vineyard vineyard, land on which cultivation of the grape—known as viticulture—takes place. As many as 40 varieties of grape, Vitis vinifera, are known. Ave., Oxnard. Cost: Weekdays $22 ($17 after 3 p.m.); Weekends $27 ($18 after 3 p.m.); Sunset rate $13 every day after 5:06 p.m.; Half-cart $12. Telephone: (805) 983-4653 Course: Olivas Park Vital stats: Par 72, 6,760 yards (blue tees); course record 62 Location: 3760 Olivas Park Drive, Ventura Cost: Weekdays $18 ($13 after 4 p.m., $6 after 6 p.m.); Weekends $23 ($15 after 4 p.m., $6 after 6 p.m.) Half-cart $11. Telephone: (805) 642-4303 Course: Buenaventura Vital stats: Par 72, 6,359 yards (blue tees); course record 60 Location: 5882 Olivas Park Drive, Ventura Cost: Weekdays $16 ($11 after 4 p.m., $6 after 6 p.m.); Weekends: $20 ($14 after 4 p.m., $6 after 6 p.m.; Half-cart $11. Telephone: (805) 642-2231 CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: Ventura's River Ridge, opened in 1986, boasts eight acres of water with which to contend. Andy Holzman/Daily News Box: VENTURA COUNTY SEASIDE EXCURSION (See text) |
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