CYBERGOLF

This month Golf Journal introduces a new column, "Cybergolf," which covers golf-related sites on the Internet, a wealth of information not as easily available through traditional media. Colin Berry will focus on a different site each issue and explain what it offers those players who want to take advantage of everything cyberspace has to offer.

AS A USGA Member and sports-person, you may be a golfer who scours the sports section for PGA Tour stats, pages through issues of every magazine to learn more about your favorite players, or regularly talks shop with your resident pro. Whether your passion is a full-time pursuit or a weekend pastime, however, you may be unaware that some of the best sources for current, colorful and concise golf information lie within reach of your personal computer, in the world of the Internet.

Like many newcomers, you may imagine the Net as a place encumbered by jargon-spewing twentysomethings, ill-mannered Gen-X-ers surfing the infobahn with beefed-up modems, more interested in Nine Inch Nails than Jack Nicklaus -- in short, the antithesis of the quiet solitude of a morning starting time. But a quick click into GolfWeb, found on the World Wide Web at http://www.golfweb.com, bypasses the cybernoise and instantly puts your fears to rest. (The author was asked to independently assess Web sites for this column. He selected GolfWeb as this issue's topic without the knowledge that C. Grant Spaeth, a former president of the USGA, is an executive with GolfWeb.)

Designed with soothing, grass-green colors, GolfWeb combines the best of daily stats pages, sporting magazines, travel brochures, catalogues and the pro shop, and provides an ideal starting place for the game's aficionados.

To reach GolfWeb, you need only a computer and a modem, an Internet Service Provider (check the Yellow Pages), and Web browsing software (Netscape 1.1 or 2.0 work best). Arriving at GolfWeb's home page, you're delivered promptly to a simple menu that directs you to a variety of sub-pages. Click the "What's New" button for a week-by-week reconstruction of current happenings, including tour listings and current news. The "Library" includes an in-depth selection of writings (including Q-and-As with pros, book and movie reviews, and postcards from various courses worldwide), tips and instruction, the complete Rules of Golf and a stunning photo gallery.

As you'd expect, the commercially driven "Pro Shop" offers a full selection of catalogues, equipment and classified ads; "Where to Play" reveals a database of 14,000 courses, complete with green fees, location, history and contributor-submitted notes. "Golf Action" provides a comprehensive list of current tournament play, including previews, leaderboards and round-by-round reports.

The best time spent on GolfWeb, however, is at "FORE!ground," located at the top of the home page, where you'll find in-depth coverage of one facet of the sport. The section's devotion to Nick Faldo's Masters victory, for example, was superb: Several seasoned writers addressed the surprising turn of events, and the page featured interviews, commentary and analysis.

Throughout GolfWeb, small details add sophistication and hospitality to the site and enhance the online experience: Candid and colorful photos, editor Stu Schneider's user-friendly column and resident artist Joni Carter's portraits all give the site personality and a chatty, comfortable feel.

GolfWeb's creators have garnered several awards, including Global Network Navigator's prestigious "Best Professional Sports Site." While the pages are best designed for use by the neophyte, smaller sub-applications (RealAudio for soundbytes and Java, the new mini-programs that run on certain pages) ensure that GolfWeb is an enjoyable stop for the seasoned Net surfer as well.

-- Colin Berry

COLIN BERRY (cpberry@aol.com) is the author of A Pocket Tour of Celebrities on the Internet and music editor at Wired magazine. He lives in San Francisco, where he nurses a 30 handicap.