Golf: Lights, camera, action

Richard Dunn

Business and golf certainly mix well, but today the Irvine Co.,

which owns Pelican Hill Golf Club, is taking it to another level.

Call it early-morning happy hour.

One of television’s most popular business shows is coming to Newport

Beach.

CNBC’s “Power Lunch” and show host Bill Griffeth are setting up stage

at Pelican Hill for their live two-hour broadcast today from 9 a.m. to 11

a.m.

“Power Lunch” has been on the road all this week, combing the Southern

California coast, or what Griffeth calls the “tech coast.”

The show, which examines some of the industries and companies driving

and reinventing the booming Southern California economy, started Monday

in Santa Barbara at the old Courthouse and continued Tuesday at the Ferry

Landing in Coronado.

Griffith and his crew stopped Wednesday in West Hollywood and Thursday

in Los Angeles, before finalizing their trip at the Newport Coast

high-end daily fee resort course.

The Pelican Hill community and two championship golf courses owned by

the Irvine Co. are focal points in a marketing push to sell real estate

in the area. Since the development of multimillion dollar homes and

estates at Pelican Hill, and the first of two Tom Fazio-designed courses

opened in November 1991, the Irvine Co. intended to utilize television as

a means to promote the area’s Pacific Ocean views.

In December 1999, Pelican Hill had its first televised event when the

Irvine Co. agreed with Jack Nicklaus Productions to host the Diners Club

Matches. The made-for-TV golf tournament with the PGA, Senior PGA and

LPGA tours is now called the Hyundai Team Matches and will be played Dec.

16-17 at Pelican Hill’s Ocean North course.

Among Griffeth’s big questions today will be: Is Orange County poised

to take advantage of the unprecedented venture capital currently being

invested in the region? For Pelican Hill Golf Club to be the “Power

Lunch” stage is priceless public relations and the Irvine Co.’s best move

to date.

Big Canyon Country Club head pro Kelly Manos has been named to the

Board of Directors for Junior Amateur Golf Scholars. JAGS is a nonprofit

organization established to allow continued growth and development for

both boys and girls ages 13-18. Details: (714) 952-3316.

Manos and local pros John Hartman (Costa Mesa), Boris King (Santa Ana

Heights), Tom Schauppner (Newport Beach) and Tim Walsh (Costa Mesa) are

in the field of 128 players in the 76th Southern California PGA section

championship Monday through Wednesday at the SCPGA Golf Club at Beaumont.

Manos won the SCPGA section title in 1996.

Corona del Mar chiropractor Dr. Jake Pivaroff, whose hand-held Deep

Muscle Stimulator was launched successfully in the golf industry five

years ago, is now used in training rooms throughout the country.

The special deep-tissue stimulator that resembles a steel hammer was

originally intended to treat horses, but professional athletes have

discovered the advantages of using the DMS.

While the DMS can be used by everyday patients, the machine has carved

a niche in the sports world. This year, it cracked the Olympic barrier,

with the DMS being operated on athletes on the U.S. track and field,

men’s volleyball and baseball teams.

Richard Dunn’s golf column appears every week.