The Tin Cup restaurant at Aurora Hills Golf Course may live by the motto, "Where the fun never stops." But last December, "the fun came to a screeching halt," according to Cindy Jones, who operates the concession under a lease agreement with the City of Aurora.

Jones, Tin Cup owner for six years, said this winter's blizzards caused a major drought in her income. With the opening of the golf course this Saturday and Sunday for the first time since Dec. 17, Jones is hoping this weekend will mark an upswing.

"Who in this business doesn't save for a rainy day?" she said. "But I'll never catch up this year. I've never seen anything like this."

Dennis Lyon, Aurora manager of golf, says he doesn't remember a worse winter for golf courses and their concessionaires. "The winter of '83 was very similar, but the difference was we only had three golf courses. We have seven now, so the impact is magnified."

Lyon said that Aurora courses are down 17,000 rounds January and February this year over last. "Can we make up all 17,000 rounds? That will be difficult, but there's been a lot of pent-up demand and we're here to please."

Denver's golf honcho, Scott Rethlake, also said this weekend will be the first time since December that all seven of the city's courses will be open both days. Rethlake said Denver lost as many rounds of golf in January and February as Aurora.

"Hopefully we will get fewer snow days in March than normal," Rethlake said. "There's no making up for what we've already lost, but having a better than normal March would be nice."

For Jones' part, she says the Tin Cup is firing up the grill to turn out as many hot dogs, breakfast burritos, Italian sausage sandwiches, burgers and hand-cut french fries as golfers can handle. And Rocky Mountain News' award-winning beverage cart queen Vicki Christianson will be on the course dispensing beers and pouring drinks.

On Friday, Jones plans to put out her popular "free Friday" happy hour spread. "We're ready to welcome back golfers with open arms."

MILE-HIGH MATCH: Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia may never have found victory at the now-defunct International golf tournament at Castle Pines, but he did find love, or at least "deep like."

In the March issue, Garcia tells GolfDigest magazine that he met Morgan-Leigh Norman, 23-year-old daughter of famed golfer Greg Norman, in Denver last year.

"She was with Greg," Garcia said in the interview. "He organized a dinner at the house where they were staying, and she was cooking - she's a chef. We exchanged phone numbers, and here we are."

But the former playboy wouldn't confirm to GolfDigest whether the L-word would describe his relationship with Norman's daughter. "That's between Morgan and me."

GREEN DAY: Denver is pushing St. Patrick's Day a bit (nine days to be exact), but nothing kicks off the season (if there is such a thing) like the changing of the sign on Wazee Street in front of McCormick's Fish House & Bar to Tooley Street.

The ceremony, officiated by Jack A. Weil, the soon-to-be 106-year-old founder of Rockmount Ranchwear, takes place at 11:30 this morning at the corner of 17th and Wazee. The sign will stay in place for a week in honor of former Denver district attorney Dale Tooley.

EAVESDROPPING on a man at Aurora Hills: "You're not a bad person, you're just a bad golfer."

Penny Parker's column appears Tuesday through Saturday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail parkerp@RockyMountainNews.com.