Believe it or not, it's time to get those clubs out of the storage shed and begin honing your game for the bevy of charity golf tournaments that are already taking shape for this spring and summer.

Two of those events that should be at the top of your "must-play" lists are the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina and the Pinecrest Choral Program tournaments.

The second annual Pinecrest Choral Program Tournament gets things off to an early start with a captain's choice format being held at Longleaf Golf and Country Club Feb. 21.

"We hosted this event last year and raised $6,000 for the students who used the funds to help them get to Chicago for the Festival of Gold," said Longleaf General Manager Mike Floyd. "They wound up winning the national event in both divisions, Chamber and Sotto Voce.

"This year they're going to New York to defend their title. The cost is $1,000 per student, and we have 60 kids trying to go, so we are doing a lot of fundraising programs to get the money."

The four-person team scramble event is scheduled for a 9 a.m. shotgun start and offers food and prizes for a $75 entry fee. For information call Floyd at 692-6100.

The Boys and Girls Homes event is scheduled for March 30 on Pinehurst Resort's No. 8 Course.

The format is a four-person Pinehurst Scramble, and the entry fee is $200 per player. This includes carts, prizes, range balls, a steak dinner provided by the Barn Restaurant, and a chance to win a hole-in-one prize of $25,000, which is to be split 50-50 with the Boys and Girls Homes.

Check-in and registration begin at the No. 8 clubhouse at 11:30 a.m., with a 1 p.m. shotgun start scheduled. Coffee and Danish provided by Starbucks Coffee of Aberdeen will be available prior to tee-off.

Following play, there will be an awards dinner and an auction that includes golf trips and golf equipment.

To enter, become a sponsor, or for more information, call tournament chairman Ron Jones at 295-1819 or 638-9965, or Carolyn Register at 295-2352.

Maples Girls: The success of the Maples Junior Girls Championship held by the Eastern Junior Golf Association (EJGA) at Little River Golf Resort in Carthage last year has resulted in a second event being scheduled for next Dec. 27-28.

That is according to a joint announcement by EJGA Director Stuart Taylor and Little River Director of Golf Marvin Little.

"The strength of the field should be outstanding," Taylor said, "as we expect participants from the east coast ranging all the way from Maryland down to Florida."

The Maples Junior event coincides with the prestigious Donald Ross Boys' Championship, which has been hosted by Pinehurst Resort for the past 60 years.

"To have a first-class girls' event in the Pinehurst area at the same time as the long-standing Donald Ross Boys' Championship gives everyone, boys and girls alike, a chance to return to the home of golf during the holidays," Taylor said.

Information on how to participate in this event will be available soon at the EJGA Web site at www.ejga.net.

Amateur Tours: The Egolf Amateur Tour and Harris Teeter Senior Amateur Tour got off to a running start at Legacy Golf Links lat weekend with a joint event that drew 117 participants on a cold, windy day.

Included in that number were 32 championship flight players, the largest number in the 14-year history of the Tour.

Unlike normal Tour events, which are comprised strictly of either Harris Teeter Senior Tour players or Egolf Amateur Tour members, this one had contestants from both Tours entered and competing against each other. To level the playing field, the seniors played from one tee-box shorter than their "flat-belly" counterparts.

As has been the case historically in this event in past years, the competition was tight, with the older guys winning two of the four flights and the "youngsters" taking the other two.

Joe Jaspers, of Charlotte, representing the Egolf Tour, started with a double bogey on his first hole, then proceeded to reel off 16 pars and two birdies to finish with an even par 72 and win the championship flight.

Mark Cobb, of Hope Mills, was the other Egolf winner, taking the B flight title over Asheboro's Joe Prairie in an on-course playoff after both shot regulation 79s. Tom Kubla, of Pinehurst, tied for fifth with 82.

Ed Reese, of Pinehurst, a Legacy member, got the 'old-guys" first victory. By applying some local knowledge, Reese won flight A with an impressive 74, edging Cecil Lockley, of Creedmoor, and Pinehurst's William Hiner by two strokes.

The Harris Teeter seniors grabbed their final victory of the day as Jamestown's Gary Chapman beat The Egolf Tour's Mike Germain, of Raleigh, 84 to 86 for the C flight crown.

The top five finishers in each flight shared part of the $2,200 gift certificate prize pool, in addition to free rounds of golf and Tour shirts that were awarded for various skills competitions held during play. Trophies were presented to all four flight winners as well.

"Our tours are open to amateur players of any skill level," said Tour Director Bruce Hallenbeck. "The minimum age requirement for the Senior Tour is 50. To receive information on how to play in a Tour event, interested players can reach me by calling 336-495-6556, or by e-mailing behgolf@aol.com."