DATE: Friday, October 3, 1997               TAG: 9710030855

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MIKE ABRAMS, STAFF WRITER  

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   77 lines

VA. BEACH, PORTSMOUTH MAY LINK GOLF, KIDS THE 2 CITIES, RICHMOND COULD JOIN PROGRAM OFFERING INEXPENSIVE LESSONS, EQUIPMENT.

Maybe it's the lure of Tiger Woods.

Or it could be pro golf's answer to Little League baseball.

Whatever the driving force, golf courses in Virginia Beach, Portsmouth and Richmond may soon offer free or less-expensive tee times, equipment and lessons to kids through a program sponsored by the World Golf Foundation in Florida.

The Beach's multimillion-dollar Tournament Players Club complex now under construction could become one such home of several holes and practice space designated for children. The course, slated for a possible fall 1998 opening, is being built on property adjacent to the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater.

The World Golf Foundation is a group formed by the sport's major international associations. It plans to announce its youth program next month with a four-city tour through New York, Houston, Detroit and Jacksonville, Fla.

The foundation wants to make the sport more affordable and accessible to kids by using existing courses or building new ones.

``Kids have a hard time getting on the golf course,'' said Dennis Alpert, director of special programs for the PGA Tour. ``Kids can't just walk out of the house and go play golf - not like they can other sports.''

Houston already runs a program that allows children to ride city vans from a central location to various golf courses. Cities will be encouraged to come up with their own creative ideas, Alpert said.

The Hampton Roads cities and Richmond have a good chance of joining the list because of PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem's strong ties to the region, Alpert said. The tour's top official graduated from Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach.

Earl Woods, Tiger's father, and former President George Bush are expected to help promote the program. The foundation hopes to tap into a surge of excitement among young golf fans since Woods turned pro.

Though neither the PGA nor the foundation has formally announced the project, the list of cities wishing to participate is growing.

``Cities are knocking on our door,'' Alpert said.

The idea of the Beach's TPC course hosting golf holes for kids remains in the ``discussion stage,'' he said. Key issues - namely money and land - have yet to be worked out.

Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf said this week that she hadn't even heard ``a whisper'' about the program but added, ``It sounds interesting.''

John Watson, the TPC-Beach project manager, said he was familiar with the idea but hasn't been briefed on it.

Several other city officials also said they were unaware of the plans.

Renowned architect Pete Dye is designing the TPC course, with consulting work by PGA pro Curtis Strange, who grew up in Virginia Beach.

Strange also has played a role in Portsmouth's golf course renovations.

That city's vice mayor, Johnny M. Clemons, said the work at City Park and Bide-A-Wee courses is designed to make golf more accessible to families. He praised the foundation's youth program idea but said he wasn't aware of the international group's specific plans for Portsmouth.

``We are attempting to make the city a destination point for tourists,'' he said. ``This can be the kind of destination point for families.''

Richmond's economic development director, Joseph James, is said to be working on that city's role in the program. He is out of the country and could not be reached for comment, although a woman in his office said Richmond has indeed been working on the project.

For years, retired golf pro Clarence Underwood, 76, has worked to make the sport more accessible to children in Hampton Roads.

He runs The Golf Shop - Headquarters for Junior Golf Inc., a Norfolk thrift shop that accepts equipment and financial donations. When he learned about the World Golf initiative this week, he said it would be a dream come true.

``It's the same idea I have been working on and promoting as much as I could,'' he said.

From his store, he gives out free clubs to kids and sells small sets at discounted prices. He also distributes a newsletter and holds youth golf clinics.

``I want to see every kid learn how to hit a golf ball and know what golf is about,'' he said, ``the same way they know about basketball, baseball and football.''

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