ORANGE COUNTY GOLF NOTEBOOK / MARTIN BECK and STEVE KRESAL : Location, Weather Stall East Coyote Hills Project

Nearly 2 1/2 years ago, Payne Stewart talked about the philosophy behind the public course he was helping to design in the East Coyote Hills of Fullerton.

Stewart, the design consultant to course architect Cal Olson, envisioned an original layout that wasn’t impossibly difficult for the average golfer.

The user-friendly course had been expected to open by late 1994 or early 1995. Today, builders still are moving dirt around. The expected opening has been pushed back to late February or early March, 1996.

Two main factors have contributed to the slow-going: the project’s location and wet winters. Unocal, the developer, has had to move oil and gas pipelines on the property and that job proved more complicated than expected, said Dennis Chapman, a Unocal official.

Nature was even more uncooperative. “We had a 500-year storm in February,” Chapman said. Even with pumps to remove water, some areas took about three months to dry. Earthmoving equipment was idled by the mud.

Chapman says construction is moving along nicely now. Sod has been laid on four holes--Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6--and in the next three weeks Chapman expects nine more holes to be ready for sod.

The main lake and streams adjacent to the ninth and 18th holes are filled and construction has begun on a 20,000-square-foot clubhouse scheduled to be completed Feb. 13.

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Unocal, which owns the nearby Imperial and Birch Hills golf courses in Brea, plans eventually to close Imperial and build homes there, but Chapman said such a move is not imminent. Unocal is hoping to wait until the housing market rebounds.

“It’s a very sensitive issue,” Chapman said. “We have people in the men’s and ladies’ club at Imperial for 25-26-27 years. They have been good customers and not all of them will be able to play golf at Coyote Hills. We wish they all could and we are trying to be as sensitive to that as possible.

“There is no reason to prematurely close Imperial.”

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Another local course was hit especially hard by the winter rains. River View in Santa Ana, which has been offering nine holes of golf since the Army Corps of Engineers tore up most of its back nine during a flood-control project on the Santa Ana River, had expected to re-open its 18-hole layout in August.

The Corps finished most of its work in the river in December, but before work could begin on the fairways--many of which cross the river--the rains came. The torrents washed away much of the dirt intended for the fairways.

The new greens were planted in May and the course is in the process of rebuilding the fairways and tee boxes and planting trees.

Steve Hart, co-owner of the course, says the full 18 holes should be back in use by late October.

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Brian Ricketts, a former standout golfer at Cypress College, will participate in the upcoming U.S. Amateur Public Links championships that starts Monday at Stow Acres in Stow, Mass.

Ricketts had the low score June 27 at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena in Southern California qualifying. Ricketts had rounds of 67 and 76 for a total of 143.

He was one of four players in the field of 100 to earn berths in the tournament, which is being played for the 70th time. The first 36 holes are stroke play and the field is cut to 64 and decided by match play.

Ricketts, from Alhambra, was the medalist at the State community college championship tournament in May.

He also was the Orange Empire Conference’s golfer of the year.

The Orange County Golf Notebook will run regularly throughout the summer. Readers are encouraged to suggest items. Call (714) 966-5904 or fax (714) 966-5663.

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County Drives

Here’s a look at the features that make one golf hole in Orange County stand out:

Course: Santa Ana Country Club

Hole: No. 18

Yardage: 440

Description: This par-5 hole has been turned into a par 4 for the 96th Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur this week. It usually plays 473 from the tips as a par 5, but even at 440, it will be a challenge to reach in two shots. A long drive over the lake to the left still leaves about 200 yards to a narrow green surrounded by bunkers. More water--again to the left--comes into play. It plays tougher in the afternoons when the wind usually blows in players’ faces.

Hint: It’s a good place to watch the action. From midway down the fairway, you will have a good view of both tee and approach shots.

Quote: “It turns a pretty basic par 5 into a very tough par 4. It’s going to be interesting to see how well these guys handle it.”--John Bouffard, assistant professional