Teed Off About Tee Times? Try This Remedy

Golfers who plan ahead - way ahead - soon will be able to make tee times up to a year in advance.

A venture announced Wednesday by Golden Bear Golf Inc. - an arm of the Jack Nicklaus empire - and Ticketmaster Group Inc. will target 7,500 privately owned courses open to the public.

“Just judging by today’s feedback, we’ll probably have several dozen courses lined up when we get running in June or July,” Chris Millard, director of communications for Golden Bear, said Wednesday. The service, which will charge between 10 percent and 15 percent of the greens fee, will enable players to arrange tee times by telephone or the Internet.

A golf course with a $40 greens fee would require a service charge of from $4 to $6.

Golfing was a $7 billion industry in 1994, so potential revenue from the venture is significant.