If you're a golfer who aspires to become a tour-quality player, The Professionals Golf School has a spot for you.

Ben Hogan reportedly said, "There is golf, and then there is tournament golf." The Professionals Golf School is based on that concept, with the emphasis on taking good golfers to the next level that can lead to a professional career or status as a top amateur.

Two three-day sessions are planned, with the first being held Dec. 1-3 at Hyland Hills Golf Club in Southern Pines and the second at the Country Club of Whispering Pines Dec. 8-10.

"The seminars are open to players who want to or are currently playing tournament golf," said award-winning instructor Bob Dougherty, founder of The Professionals Golf School. "The purpose is to improve your swing and course management. In other words, to enable you to play better tournament golf."

Instructors during the sessions include Dougherty, the 1999 PGA Teacher of the Year in the Carolinas Section.

Dougherty has worked with Tour stars Fuzzy Zoeller and the late Larry Gilbert, a three-time PGA Club Professional champion and Senior Tour player; Anders Werthen, a former player and founder of the Swedish National Team. Werthen has coached Annika Sorenstam, Jesper Parnevik, Per Ulric Johannsen and Helen Alfredson.

Pat McGowan is currently competing on the Champions Tour. McGowan, the 1987 Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour, has headed the golf schools at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club for several years.

Doug Thompson is the director of golf operations at Whispering Pines. A former professional player, Thompson once made nine consecutive birdies in a round at Hyland Hills; Lou Elder, a former Tour player with 14 professional wins; Dave Throop, a former Tour player and caddie; Mike Backer, a Master Club-Fitter and a Launch Monitor specialist; Bob Adams, a certified physical trainer; Bob Montello, a Tour coach and a Single Plane specialist; and David Abel, an agent for PGA Tour star Nick Price, CEO of the Nick Price Golf Group.

"These seminars do not include video," Dougherty said. "The consensus among the instructors is that you will not have video on the golf course to help you out when the heat is on. We will concentrate on the feel of the golf swing.

"We won't teach a prescribed method as all of your swings are different. We're confident we will see one- and two-plane golf swings, and we will be instructing you on an individual basis.

"Instruction during the three days on the range and golf course will consist of 25 percent swing mechanics, 50 percent on the feel of the golf swing and 25 percent on thinking and managing yourself around the course."

The cost for the three-day sessions is $680, which includes three nights of single room accommodations at Whispering Pines, breakfast each day, range balls and green fees. The cost is $545 for those wishing to commute.

For information or reservations, call 245-2889 or go to www.progolfschool.com.

Senior Tour: This year's Harris Teeter Senior Amateur Tour Championship will be the biggest in the tour's eight years, attracting a field of more than 250 golfers to four golf courses in the Pinehurst region.

The 36-hole national championship is set for Nov. 7-8 at National Golf Club, Legacy Golf Links, Foxfire East and Foxfire West.

The event draws participants from 17 separate Harris Teeter senior tour divisions.

"The tour is branded with Harris Teeter in its fifth year of sponsorship. The name Harris Teeter is now synonymous with senior amateur golf in the Carolinas and the Southeast region," said tour president Dennis McCormac. "To qualify for the tour championship in Pinehurst is a big deal for golfers in all our cities."

Participants will come from 17 markets: Asheville, Charleston, Charlotte, Hilton Head, Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, North Central Florida, Northeast Georgia, Northern Virginia, Ohio River, Orlando, Pinehurst, Raleigh, Tampa, Triad, Upstate, S.C., and Western Piedmont, N.C.

Practice rounds are Sunday and Monday, Nov. 5-6, at all four courses.

The tournament starts Tuesday, with the Championship and C Flights playing National Golf Club and Legacy Golf Links. The A and B Flights will play Foxfire's two courses.

This year's prize pool is the largest in tour history, featuring $10,000 in gift certificates. Each flight will distribute $2,500 in certificates to the top 10 finishers, with first-place winners receiBY HOWARD WARD

Golf Writer

If you're a golfer who aspires to become a tour-quality player, The Professionals Golf School has a spot for you.

Ben Hogan reportedly said, "There is golf, and then there is tournament golf." The Professionals Golf School is based on that concept, with the emphasis on taking good golfers to the next level that can lead to a professional career or status as a top amateur.

Two three-day sessions are planned, with the first being held Dec. 1-3 at Hyland Hills Golf Club in Southern Pines and the second at the Country Club of Whispering Pines Dec. 8-10.

"The seminars are open to players who want to or are currently playing tournament golf," said award-winning instructor Bob Dougherty, founder of The Professionals Golf School. "The purpose is to improve your swing and course management. In other words, to enable you to play better tournament golf."

Instructors during the sessions include Dougherty, the 1999 PGA Teacher of the Year in the Carolinas Section.

Dougherty has worked with Tour stars Fuzzy Zoeller and the late Larry Gilbert, a three-time PGA Club Professional champion and Senior Tour player; Anders Werthen, a former player and founder of the Swedish National Team. Werthen has coached Annika Sorenstam, Jesper Parnevik, Per Ulric Johannsen and Helen Alfredson.

Pat McGowan is currently competing on the Champions Tour. McGowan, the 1987 Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour, has headed the golf schools at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club for several years.

Doug Thompson is the director of golf operations at Whispering Pines. A former professional player, Thompson once made nine consecutive birdies in a round at Hyland Hills; Lou Elder, a former Tour player with 14 professional wins; Dave Throop, a former Tour player and caddie; Mike Backer, a Master Club-Fitter and a Launch Monitor specialist; Bob Adams, a certified physical trainer; Bob Montello, a Tour coach and a Single Plane specialist; and David Abel, an agent for PGA Tour star Nick Price, CEO of the Nick Price Golf Group.

"These seminars do not include video," Dougherty said. "The consensus among the instructors is that you will not have video on the golf course to help you out when the heat is on. We will concentrate on the feel of the golf swing.

"We won't teach a prescribed method as all of your swings are different. We're confident we will see one- and two-plane golf swings, and we will be instructing you on an individual basis.

"Instruction during the three days on the range and golf course will consist of 25 percent swing mechanics, 50 percent on the feel of the golf swing and 25 percent on thinking and managing yourself around the course."

The cost for the three-day sessions is $680, which includes three nights of single room accommodations at Whispering Pines, breakfast each day, range balls and green fees. The cost is $545 for those wishing to commute.

For information or reservations, call 245-2889 or go to www.progolfschool.com.

Senior Tour: This year's Harris Teeter Senior Amateur Tour Championship will be the biggest in the tour's eight years, attracting a field of more than 250 golfers to four golf courses in the Pinehurst region.

The 36-hole national championship is set for Nov. 7-8 at National Golf Club, Legacy Golf Links, Foxfire East and Foxfire West.

The event draws participants from 17 separate Harris Teeter senior tour divisions.

"The tour is branded with Harris Teeter in its fifth year of sponsorship. The name Harris Teeter is now synonymous with senior amateur golf in the Carolinas and the Southeast region," said tour president Dennis McCormac. "To qualify for the tour championship in Pinehurst is a big deal for golfers in all our cities."

Participants will come from 17 markets: Asheville, Charleston, Charlotte, Hilton Head, Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, North Central Florida, Northeast Georgia, Northern Virginia, Ohio River, Orlando, Pinehurst, Raleigh, Tampa, Triad, Upstate, S.C., and Western Piedmont, N.C.

Practice rounds are Sunday and Monday, Nov. 5-6, at all four courses.

The tournament starts Tuesday, with the Championship and C Flights playing National Golf Club and Legacy Golf Links. The A and B Flights will play Foxfire's two courses.

This year's prize pool is the largest in tour history, featuring $10,000 in gift certificates. Each flight will distribute $2,500 in certificates to the top 10 finishers, with first-place winners receiving $500 gift certificates and crystal trophies.

"The guys love the Pinehurst area," McCormac said. :It fits our needs really well for the senior tour. National Golf Club will once again be the host course. Our banquet will be there, along with all of our scoring. It's an excellent venue."

For information on the 2006 Harris Teeter Senior Amateur Tour Championship, visit www.harristeetersrtour.com, or call Dennis McCormac at (704) 844-8264.ving $500 gift certificates and crystal trophies.

"The guys love the Pinehurst area," McCormac said. :It fits our needs really well for the senior tour. National Golf Club will once again be the host course. Our banquet will be there, along with all of our scoring. It's an excellent venue."

For information on the 2006 Harris Teeter Senior Amateur Tour Championship, visit www.harristeetersrtour.com, or call Dennis McCormac at (704) 844-8264.