THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605190190
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Maybe it was yet another magazine story on Greg Norman's fleet of planes, trains and automobiles that did it, but Louis Janda decided some time ago that he'd read all he cared to about golf's fabulously rich and famous.
The Old Dominion University clinical psychology professor wanted to know more about the PGA's common man, the guy just starting out, the guy whose livelihood REALLY depends on how well he plays from week to week. It wasn't out there.
Janda, the author of six textbooks and two trade books and a former freelance columnist for The Virginian-Pilot, mentioned his peeve one day to a relative of Virginia Beach pro Carl Paulson, now in his second year on tour.
Bingo. Instant collaboration.
Paulson spills his innermost secrets to Janda on a regular basis these days. Janda used the information Paulson provided on a couple of tapes to put together a book proposal that Putnam recently snapped up.
``Part of it will deal with the pressure and psychology of competing at the highest level,'' Janda said. ``The other part of it will describe things that seem to Carl to be mundane, but are details of a pro's life that never are written about.''
The book won't be written strictly from Paulson's perspective. Janda has interviewed Paulson's entourage, including caddie Al Walker, a retired math teacher who says Paulson reminds him of some of the students he once had.
``What I like best about focusing on Carl is that everyone I've talked to about him thinks of him as a nice, decent kid,'' Janda said. ``I've really come to admire him.''
While admitting that no publisher has ever accepted his proposed title for a book, Janda hopes ``Rookie on Tour: The Education of a Golfer,'' will hit the bookstores by the end of 1997. By then, Paulson could be a big enough name that golf nuts will flock to read how it was for him in the beginning.
SWINGING, NATURALLY: Devotees of the ``Natural Golf Swing System,'' which was demonstrated during the snowy January weekend of the Virginia Beach Golf Expo, are back again. On Friday, at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., professional Todd Graves will demonstrate a technique developed by Canadian Moe Norman and featured in the Equipment '96 issue of Golf Digest magazine. They say it's easy to learn and reduces stress on the back. Decide for yourself.
Graves, who is a protege of Norman's, will do his thing at the Wood Creek Driving Range in Virginia Beach. It's free. For more info, call Mike Hart at 479-9757 . . . It's a little farther than I like to drive, but The Melia' Cancun Beach and Spa Resort has announced it is extending its ``Golfer's Gala'' package through Dec. 20. The package is said to include ``luxury ocean-front accommodations with a private balcony, daily breakfast and daily greens fee'' and is priced at $313 per person for three nights.
Ok, ok, so it's an executive course. For another $50 you can play ``Pok-Ta-Pok,'' an 18-hole, par-72 measuring 6,024 yards from the men's tees. Besides, the resort is located right on the Caribbean, across from the beach of Nichupte Lagoon. Want more info? Call 1-800-33-MELIA (6-3542) . . . A lot closer to home is this year's Spivey Rentals Scholarship Golf Classic to benefit the Old Dominion University golf program. It'll be held at Sleepy Hole Golf Course June 7-9. Every team will be flighted and will compete in Two-man Florida best ball (Friday), Two-man Chapman Best ball (Saturday) and Two-man best ball (Sunday). The entry fee is $150 per team. Make the check payable to ODU Intercollegiate Foundation and send to Spivey Rentals Scholarship Golf Classic, Athletic Administration Building, Room 126, ODU, Norfolk, Va. 23529 . Sign up for a 3-day/2-night package June 26-28 and get an additional night free. Sign up for three nights and receive a fourth free, etc.
The 3-day/2-night deal (4 and 3 after you count the additional night) costs $483 per person, double occupancy, but includes breakfast buffet, 5-course dinner, greens fees, practice fees, and cart fees. The 4-night/3-day rate is $669. There are some other slight restrictions, so call 1-800-487-4653 for info and reservations. by CNB