Nationwide giveaway benefits Beaver Creek

On Saturday, Beaver Creek Golf Course in Havre will be part of a national effort by Spalding to help start the new golf season on the right track.

Spalding will be distributing more than 2.5 million free Top-Flite XL 3000 golf balls through a nationwide sampling program at more than 5,000 courses.

Golfers at participating courses will receive a special two-pack of balls prior to teeing off. The sampling includes the Top-Flite XL 3000 Super Long, Super Feel and Super Spin lines as well as the Super Straight, which is the first golf ball made with Teflon in the outer cover.

A development team from Spalding incorporated the substance best known its use in non-stick frying pans into the Super Straight golf balls. The Teflon in these golf balls is designed to reduce side spin at impact in hopes of minimizing the dreaded slice.

"We're giving golfers the chance to prove the ball for themselves for free," Spalding executive director Mike Ferris said in a press release. "We're confident they'll like what they see."

Beaver Creek is one of 20 golf courses in the state participating in the event.

For more information, golf enthusiasts can log onto http://www.topflite.com for more information on golf courses nearest to them as well as information on the new golf balls.