Patrick Conneely of Squirrel Hill was in the middle of a group of veteran bicyclists on the road that bisects the Schenley Park golf course shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday when someone teed off.

Let's assume the unidentified golfer at the second hole wasn't aiming at the bicyclists. Let's assume he should spend some time on the driving range to correct a slice. Let's assume he was too shy to join the other golfers who came over to the side of Schenley Drive to see if they could do anything for Conneely.

The ball struck Conneely just below the right eye.

"I was riding normally one second and the next my head was just ringing like I got my bell rung and I felt fuzzy," he said. "It wasn't until I saw the ball in the air in front of me bouncing down the road that I put together what happened. I have a cut under my eye that's a perfect outline of where my [wraparound sunglasses] were pushed into my face."

A veteran cyclist, Conneely was able to safely stop his bike. He got off and sat down. He was bleeding from his nose and right cheek.

Carl Fertman, a friend of one of the other cyclists, was one of several motorists who stopped. He put Conneely's bike in the back of his SUV, drove him to UPMC Presbyterian and took him into the emergency room. He was cleaned up, a bag of ice was applied to his face and he went for a CAT scan.

The computerized series of X-rays showed the ball had fractured Conneely's right maxillary sinus under the orbital bone. A facial specialist said the break "was right on the edge of the surgery/no surgery line."

There was no damage to the eye, jaw, orbital bone or teeth.

"I never knew golf was so dangerous," said Conneely, who has a black eye.

Sedrick Jackson, Schenley's head pro, said it wouldn't be a bad idea to put up a sign in the club asking golfers to watch out for bicyclists, cars and pedestrians along Schenley Drive.

I agree.

There are "Drive at your own risk" signs at the top and bottom of roads leading through the golf course. They should apply to golfers as well as motorists.

Going downhill fast

The first Foggy Goggle Downhill Race will be today on the new, yet-to-be-named, lift-accessed serpentine mountain bike trail at of Seven Springs.

Everyone who buys a $20 bike park day pass will be eligible to compete. Participants can ride the course as often as they want between 11 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. and return to the top via the six-passenger Coca-Cola Polar Bear Express chairlift. Timed runs will begin at 3.

Trail-builder Scott Macklin said practice runs will give riders a chance to familiarize themselves with the berms, banked turns, rolling and tabletop jumps and wooded terrain along the trail.

Those completing the nearly 1-mile-long course with the fastest times will receive ski tickets for the 2007-08 season, bike park day passes, bike apparel and "Seven Springs swag." The awards ceremony will be in the Foggy Goggle near the bottom of the course.

Tomorrow also will be the last day to submit an entry in the trail-naming contest. Names can be submitted in person or via e-mail at www.7springs.com.

For more information, call 1-800-452-2223, Ext. 7757.

Riding green

A moderately paced Green Pittsburgh Biking Excursion of the city's "green buildings" will begin at 1 p.m. today at the Three Rivers Rowing Association's boathouse in Millvale.

The ride, hosted by Venture Outdoors and the Green Building Alliance of Pittsburgh, will visit several Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings that have been certified as high-performance structures for focusing on "sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality."

Pittsburgh has 20 such buildings, including REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.), WYEP radio, Conservation Consultants Inc. and Maya Design Group, all on the South Side.

The cost is $18 for Venture Outdoors members and $30 for non-members. Bike rentals are $8. For more information, go to www.ventureoutdoors.org or call 412-255-0564.