Golf Balls

COSTA MESA — The wind off a helicopter hovering over the field kicked up a small dirt storm that swept over waiting students and parents. Many youngsters pulled their powder blue shirts over their mouths and noses to keep out the dust, but most eyes were still open and transfixed as 3,080 golf balls were dropped from the helicopter. "I liked it," said first-grader Lauren Tebbs, 6. "It looked like it was raining golf balls. " St. Joachim Catholic School hosted its on-campus helicopter golf ball drop fundraiser for the first time Wednesday afternoon to begin its annual golf tournament, a benefit at the Costa Mesa Country Club.

-- Danette Goulet NEWPORT BEACH -- Police have arrested two men and one male juvenile on suspicion of vandalism for allegedly launching golf balls at parked vehicles, authorities said Wednesday. Michael David Ferketic and Lawson Mickie McClung, both 18, and a 16-year-old male are accused of shattering windshields and denting cars by throwing golf balls from a moving vehicle. The teens were arrested at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday near Fifth and Iris avenues in Corona del Mar after a Newport Beach Police officer heard noises resembling fireworks or small-caliber gunshots coming from a 1991 Ford Mustang, according to a police report.

As a helicopter hovers over the Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, 4,000 numbered golf balls will drop to the green on the 2nd fairway, in front of the clubhouse—and the five balls that land in the hole or closest to it will reap fantastic prizes for their lucky “owners.”  That’s the premise behind Olive Crest and The Lighthouse Guild’s Hole-in-One Ball Drop during the 10th Annual Tommy Bahama Pacific Coast Classic on Monday, April 27.  First prize is $5,000 cash; second prize is two roundtrip tickets on Continental Airlines; third prize is a night’s stay at a luxury hotel; and fourth and fifth prizes are $200 gift certificates to Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille.

One of the more enjoyable golf course promotions at a charity event I have ever seen is the golf ball drop. It is not a cheap promotion, which is why it is not done that much, but when the money is spent for the event, it’s a pretty cool sight to see. The recent 10th annual Tommy Bahama Pacific Coast Classic charity golf tournament employed such a promotion and it was pretty successful. Hosted by the Tommy Bahama Grille and The Lighthouse Guild and benefiting Olive Crest, an approximate 2,000 golf balls were bought.

-- Story by Young Chang; photo by Brian Pobuda HE IS A driving range target. WORD PLAY Ramon Perez says to himself, "pathetic, pathetic." It's a new word -- one he found in the dictionary Tuesday. Standing at the rear of the driving range at the Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club, he says it over and over again. English isn't his first language, and he thinks the word sounds goofy. He does this often. While vacuuming golf balls in a cart equipped with ball collectors, Perez will mumble words he memorized the night before.

Richard Dunn NEWPORT BEACH - Hale Irwin, arguably the hottest golfer on the Senior PGA Tour, is merely a product of his environment. While the Senior Tour's all-time leading money winner and career victory leader with 33 tournament titles is doing it again in 2002, Irwin said his strong start can be attributed to the latest technology in golf clubs and golf balls. "I have a new driver and a new fairway wood in my bag. In fact, everything's new except my putter," Irwin said late Wednesday afternoon, moments after arriving in town for the eighth annual Toshiba Senior Classic at Newport Beach Country Club.

Marines at Camp Pendleton can go from wearing green to aiming for the green during their precious spare time after Shady Canyon Golf Club members donated 30 sets of clubs and 3,000 golf balls to the service men and women earlier this month. First Service Group BSSG 1 Marines were the recipients of the equipment. Many of the Marines recently returned after serving in Iraq. Shady Canyon's General Manager Bob Leenhouts, along with the Irvine club's head professional Kirk Manley, presented the clubs and balls on behalf of the members, who made the decision to donate the equipment.

Luis Pena Jessica Michalik's third-grade class really dropped the ball this time -- pingpong balls, golf balls, rubber Super Balls. The California Elementary School students dropped the balls from various heights and predicted how high each ball would bounce when dropped from each height. They then created fractions, comparing the higher elevations with the lower ones. The hands-on math lesson allows the students to work together in a group to figure out the problem, Michalik said.

By now everyone has seen the pictures and read the news accounts of the devastation that has resulted on the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina. Many dead, thousands homeless, businesses ruined, families torn apart -- sickness and disease will follow. In fact, whether it's been a sporting event, network TV show, telethon or news program, everywhere you seemed to turn over the past week or so, people have been encouraging donations for the vastly needed relief effort.

Strawberry Farms Golf Club in Irvine played host to the 7th annual Serving People In Need (SPIN) Spring Golf Tournament. One of the gents playing in a winning foursome suggested that the event was a "hole in one to stamp out homelessness in Orange County. " Close to 100 men and women converged on the rolling greens on this midweek day in May to take a stand and raise much-needed funds for folks who, at this point in their lives, have no opportunity to enjoy the good fortune of a day of golf and social merriment with their peers.

COSTA MESA — The wind off a helicopter hovering over the field kicked up a small dirt storm that swept over waiting students and parents. Many youngsters pulled their powder blue shirts over their mouths and noses to keep out the dust, but most eyes were still open and transfixed as 3,080 golf balls were dropped from the helicopter. "I liked it," said first-grader Lauren Tebbs, 6. "It looked like it was raining golf balls. " St. Joachim Catholic School hosted its on-campus helicopter golf ball drop fundraiser for the first time Wednesday afternoon to begin its annual golf tournament, a benefit at the Costa Mesa Country Club.

It was raining golf balls on a Newport Beach luxury car dealership earlier this week when police received a call about 2:30 p.m. Monday that someone decided to use Cliff Drive as a driving range. According to police, someone teed off about 10 golf balls from Cliff Drive down range and down hill, about 100 yards away to Sterling BMW, 3000 W. Coast Highway. Officers found six to eight golf balls in the gutters of the property and three more on the dealership’s roof. No cars were hit during the afternoon golf expedition, police said.

One of the more enjoyable golf course promotions at a charity event I have ever seen is the golf ball drop. It is not a cheap promotion, which is why it is not done that much, but when the money is spent for the event, it’s a pretty cool sight to see. The recent 10th annual Tommy Bahama Pacific Coast Classic charity golf tournament employed such a promotion and it was pretty successful. Hosted by the Tommy Bahama Grille and The Lighthouse Guild and benefiting Olive Crest, an approximate 2,000 golf balls were bought.

As a helicopter hovers over the Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, 4,000 numbered golf balls will drop to the green on the 2nd fairway, in front of the clubhouse—and the five balls that land in the hole or closest to it will reap fantastic prizes for their lucky “owners.”  That’s the premise behind Olive Crest and The Lighthouse Guild’s Hole-in-One Ball Drop during the 10th Annual Tommy Bahama Pacific Coast Classic on Monday, April 27.  First prize is $5,000 cash; second prize is two roundtrip tickets on Continental Airlines; third prize is a night’s stay at a luxury hotel; and fourth and fifth prizes are $200 gift certificates to Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille.

The Lighthouse Guild helps raise money for the abused children of Olive Crest! This year we are doing our helicopter golf ball drop at the Monarch Links golf course in Dana Point during our annual Tommy Bahama Golf Classic. It is such an amazing sight to see! I am asking you to please help this year! More than ever children are in need. We are selling gold balls for $10 each or 3 for $25. The grand prize is $5000 cash, 2nd prize 2 round trip plane tickets any where in the world, 3rd prize is a hotel weekend stay, 4th and 5th prize are $200 gift certificates to the Tommy Bahama restaurant or store.

First of all, I love dogs and have had many throughout my lifetime. However, they do have their place, and it’s not shopping in Macy’s (especially huge poodles the size of a small horse). I thought it was just a personal thing, but last night in Macy’s I overheard a woman asking for the manager to complain about a dog. A number of people that overheard her agreed. Last Sunday in Fashion Island I experienced the same thing. Dogs were everywhere — and many people do not clean up after them.

Costa Mesa City Council members and city staff rejoiced Friday when they finally unveiled two new soccer fields at the Fairview Developmental Center that were five years in the making. The fields were the product of a unique and laborious collaboration between city and state, but the most exciting thing about the fields was that they “don’t stink,” according to the dozens of soccer players who came out to christen them. “All the other fields are bumpy and stuff.

RECLINE AND CONQUER The Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, is bringing back its popular King for a Few Hours lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday. At the event, dads will be seated in recliners and armed with remote controls, while they nosh on baby back ribs and help themselves to buckets of beer and ice cream. A putting green, cigar area and big-screen TVs will also be strategically placed throughout the dining area. The cost is $38 for adults and $11.95 for kids ages 3 to 12. Call (714)