GOLF aficionados first surfing the Internet usually follow a predictable set of steps. Once their personal computer is linked, these Net tenderfoots -- politely dubbed "newbies" by seasoned Netizens -- often embark on their first digital voyages by sleuthing out a fan's celebrity page (everyone from John Daly to Nancy Lopez to Sam Snead has a good one these days) or investigating a favorite course whose URL -- Internet "address" -- they found in a magazine. Yet often during these first forays into the Net's golf sites, newbies suffer some misperceptions.

One is that online golf resources are geared strictly toward male players. A search on the World Wide Web under "PGA," for example, retrieves some 55,000 references; yet focusing that search to "LPGA" reduces the number to 8,500. But are there, in fact, five times more golf sites for men as there are for women? What's out there for the female golfer?

Quite a bit, in fact, and pointing your Web browser to http://www.lpga.com/ is a great place to start. This URL marks the home page for the LPGA, the organization which, since 1950, has championed those women who excel in the game. A recent newcomer to the World Wide Web, the LPGA site serves as a gentle reminder that golf is a pastime both genders can enjoy.

From its main menu, the LPGA's site branches into several sections: "LPGA Tour" outlines the 40 events that comprise its competitive side, with a 10-part sub-menu exploring the tour's history, schedules and current statistics. Click the "Hall of Fame" button for in-depth looks at the Hall's background and 14 current members; click "Majors" for a thumbnail sketch of current and upcoming championships.

Also check the "International" link, which acquaints the Netizen with an LPGA-planned future development at the group's headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla. Scheduled for completion in early 1997, this public-access facility will include two 18-hole courses, a teaching academy and a resort.

The best of the site, however, turns up at "Junior Golf Programs" and "Teaching," links that represent long-standing ideologies of the LPGA. The organization understands that investing in young players carves the game's future, and it has taken a pioneering role in developing both. These sections mark the LPGA's dedication to introducing the sport to "inner-city youngsters and young people all across the country." You'll find information on its 23-state Girls Golf Club, four-city Urban Youth and 19-stop Crayola Tour Junior Clinic programs. Though the Web page offers only informational links to each of these, teachers' addresses and phone numbers are current, as is the roster of participating cities.

Yet even as the organization's dedication to junior players grows, the LPGA's Net presence raises the question: How safe is the Net for young sportspeople? Will juniors cruising for golf sites be privy to more than sporting resources? This unspoken worry, that the Net's prurient sites are easier to locate than legitimate ones, represents another misperception newbies may have about the Net.

Rest easy, however: G-rated material on the Net outweighs its adult content by a vast margin, and resources are overwhelmingly safe. Bulletin-board sites are usually content-driven (golf sites are dedicated to golf) and carefully moderated; parents can easily monitor entrance to live chat rooms (America Online, for example, allows only those who pay for its services to enter certain areas); Internet graphics-blocking programs are widely available and easy to install.

To be certain, responsible parents should oversee their child's Net use until he or she learns to navigate safely. Just as young players need pointers on mastering their swing, they need guidance through these electronic avenues. Sites like the LPGA's, while not designed specifically for kids, represent the positive planning and educational ideologies that will benefit members of the next generation, whether they're drawn to the fairways, to this flashy digital medium, or -- one hopes -- to both.

-- Colin Berry