Charity golf tournaments have been reacting to the economic malaise, some by lowering their entry fees, others by cancelling their events altogether. One of the former is the Five EZ Pieces Golf Tournament, which this year has dropped its entry fee from $100 two years ago to $85 this year, hoping to fill the Castle Oaks Golf Course next Friday and continue the tournament's 10-year history of raising money for Amador STARS and the Sutter-Amador Hospital Foundation.

In addition to the reduced cost, enticements have been added. There will be a guaranteed winner of a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on No. 11, hosted by Sutter Amador Hospital and featuring a selection of Mexican beers to help set the mood. Sally Blackman of Skintique will be giving free chair massages on No. 16 , where there will also be a closest-to-the-hole contest for a new Lazy Boy Recliner.

Of course, a hole-in-one on No. 8 will still win a car, this year sponsored by JTS Communities of Castle Oaks and Folsom Road Toyota, though some golfers' aim may be altered by the world-famous margaritas provided by Amador STARS. JTS will also sponsor a putting contest with prizes and refreshments.

Originally run by Sutter Amador Hospital, the organizational work for the tournament was taken over six years ago by the real estate firm Coldwell Banker Award Realtors and its broker owners David Carlson and Tom Blackman. Over the entire 10 years, more than $50,000 has been given to the charities, with an average of $10,000 each of the last three years.

The money raised at the Five EZ Pieces doesn't come only from entry fees - a significant portion is provided by sponsors who continue to step onto the tee, despite their own financial difficulties. The Gold Sponsor is Jackson Rancheria, which many know is in the midst of a costly structural rebuilding process. Silver Sponsors are Coldwell Banker Award Realtors, Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort, and the Amador county news - www.boitano.net. Bronze sponsors are District Two Supervisor Richard Forster, Merzlak Signs, Payless Markets, Posey's Hearing Aids, Farmers-Votaw Insurance, JB's Awards, Jackson Tire and Skintique Day Spa. Dozens of other businesses are hole sponsors.

There will also be a silent auction of items including a trip to Napa with dinner, hotel and tickets to a Doobie Brothers concert, and a 4-hour limousine tour of Amador County's Shenandoah Valley wineries.

The name of this tournament is derived from its rule allowing each player only five clubs, plus a putter, as opposed to the 14 clubs standard for tournament golf. As customary for charity golf events, play will be in the duffer-friendly scramble-foursome format, beginning at 1 p.m.

For registration or sponsorship, call Carlson or Blackman at 223-2276.