Dennis Rodman, move over: The Insider hears that Kobe Bryant was recently house-hunting along the Newport Beach coast. The Lakers superstar lives in L.A. but new wife Vanessa Laine is a recent grad of Marina High in Huntington Beach Eyebrows are being raised over The Irvine Company’s discounting of rounds at Pelican Hill. The company says it’s strictly a promotion for the acclaimed golf club’s 10th anniversary. Others see it as another sign of a slowing economy and the glut of new courses in OC and the Inland Empire. In any case, it is a bonanza for high-end golfers: For a $50 sign-up fee, you get to play Pelican on Sundays for $150, $100 off the regular rate. What’s more, you get an SCGA membership (worth close to $50 by itself), merchandise discounts and other goodies. Obviously, if you play on a Sunday you take the deal because it’s an immediate savings. There’s more: If you play a weekend round at Oak Creek, you get to play Pelican any time for the same $135 price More golf: Lots of management changes at Crown Golf Properties’ area courses: Tustin Ranch GM Mike Lichty has been replaced by course superintendent Steven Plummer. Michael Lautenbach has left the GM post at Empire Lakes in Rancho Cucamonga to run the city of Anaheim’s Dad Miller and Anaheim Hills courses. Randy Bell has taken over as Tijeras Creek GM from Jennifer Alderson. Earlier, Doc Belitz replaced Buck Page as Crown’s regional VP. Page is now a partner in a golf course management and development company, while Lichty and Alderson are in transition, the Insider is told
……. Bill Taylor and Ray Malzo like freeways. The operators of Orange County Harley Davidson by the 405 at Irvine Spectrum have opened a satellite store off of Camino Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, visible from the 5 Exult Inc. chief and Newport-to-Ensenada yacht champ Jim Madden on the similarity between piloting a company and skippering a boat: “You can’t do it by yourself. It takes a team.” The sport of politics: Appeals Court Judge Edward Wallin is hosting a $1,000-a-person fundraiser at his Orange home this Friday for U.S. Sen. (and presidential prospect) John Kerry, D-Mass. Secretary of State Bill Jones, Sacramento’s lonely Republican, was among the drop-ins at a recent GOP get-together with almost-as-lonely Republican Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Buck Johns’ Newport Beach office. Most of the buzz was about,what else?,energy and energizing the party.
