Much of the last several weeks has involved the leadership team presenting the Bunker/Drainage Renovation Project to the membership.  The recommendations were developed after several years of meetings, fact finding and debate before the final product was developed.  The process involved the Long Range Planning, Green and Financial Operations Committees and included members, staff and outside professionals. 

 

This recommendation by the Board is not a hurried judgment and we believe is in the best interests of the membership.  The Bunker/Drainage Project can be completed using current capital fund reserves and no increase in the capital contribution.

 

Over a series of five meetings, approximately 300 of our members attended.  That attendance demonstrates the level of interest in the topic, and far exceeded previous member involvement on any other topics.  Many good questions were asked and the presentation was modified slightly after each meeting to make sure the message was clearer.

 

Yesterday you received an email and link to a member ballot which includes two questions:  (1) election of directors and (2) Bunker/Drainage Renovation.  The question for each is to "Approve" or "Not Approve".  The Board is committed to having the members set the future direction of the club by a member vote on these two choices.

 

The Bunker/Drainage Renovation is specifically for the $850,000 highlighted in the presentations.  The ballot does not include any funding for a possible Phase II project to address the remaining holes.  Those plans have not been completed or approved by the Board.

 

For those not attending information meetings we provided links to the presentation materials in the Annual Meeting notice sent yesterday. I hope this provides sufficient background on the subjects.

 

A big thank you to Dick Danais, Long Range Planning, Harry Ward, Long Range Planning - Board Liaison and Jim Uffelman, Green Committee for their many hours of work.  Also a thank you to the committees who sat thru many early morning meetings to prepare for this vote.

 

Greetings golf members! "I hit it great on the range, but just couldn't bring it to the course." This line is the sign of an epidemic that we hear of far too often in and around the golf shop. If you're struggling to demonstrate your "A" game where it actually matters (on the course and in pressure moments), I'd suggest you take a step back to evaluate the way in which you warm up and practice.  Think of how many times you hit the same club to the same target on the range. Now consider how many times during your average round that you hit the same club more than twice in a row. Playing golf is far different from the way I see many of our members practicing golf and that is the root cause of this frustrating issue. Regularly switching clubs, changing targets and consistently adhering to your pre-shot routine are key elements to practicing the way you play. There is a time on the range when it's important to groove several shots in row in order to establish a rhythm, but if that's the extent of your warm up or practice session you're not setting yourself up for success on the course. A pre-shot routine should be a part of every golfer's warm up as this ritual is crucial to calming the mind and any nerves before pulling the trigger. Our golf professionals are eager to help you with this problem or any others that may be affecting your enjoyment of the game.

It's spring break season, which means the community is about to experience an influx of young visitors over the next several weeks. To provide you some relief and your grandkids something fun to do, our pros will be offering week long junior golf camps. These are great opportunities to develop their golf skills and etiquette in a fun, friendly learning atmosphere. Click Here to sign them up today on Foretees or by calling the golf shop. Details are as follows:

Dates: March 14-17, 21-24, 28-31                                         

Ages: 6-10 (2-3pm), 11-15 (3-4pm)

Weekly Cost: *$125 (four 1-hour lessons Monday - Thursday) includes shirt, hat and daily snack

Daily Cost: $35 for a single session.

There are several merchandise deals worth noting in the golf shop this month. All shoes and outerwear is 30% off retail for the month of March. Ordering three dozen personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls will earn you a fourth dozen with the same imprint at no charge. A ladies trunk show has been scheduled in conjunction with the Hohokam Classic on Wednesday, March 16th. It will be open to the general membership from 11am - 1pm that day.

Kail Brinton is our golf department Employee of the Month for March. Since joining our outside service staff in the fall he's put together a very impressive body of work. Kail's consistent drive, truly genuine persona, and willingness to take on any challenge with a positive attitude are attributes that provide great value to our team. I rarely give this compliment, but Kail is the the type of guy you'd want your daughter to marry. He's a top-notch person that will go out of his way to brighten up your day.

March Madness is just around the corner and we'll be having our annual bracket challenge after the tournament is set on Selection Sunday. Whether you watch college basketball or are just a sucker for some action, fill out a bracket and have some fun following the games.

Until next time, fairways and greens!

Jeff Ostlund
Head Golf Professional