Friday, February 17, 2017

Greetings Scottsdale Golf Club members!


We certainly hope everyone had a great holiday having fun with family and friends, which is what it is all about, isn’t it? We are now moving into the championship phase of the year which starts with both match and stroke play competitions. The signup deadlines for a few of them have expired and the brackets have been made by random draw as recommended by the USGA. For the remaining few that are still available, please be sure to sign up on Foretees as soon as possible. The match play brackets are posted in the locker rooms, as well as in the golf shop, so be sure to check them out and contact your opponent to schedule your match.
A reminder for this year at  Scottsdale Golf Club: there is no booking of starting times beyond the seven days in advance period. In addition to this, you are asked to contact the professional staff when you have decided which tees you will play from for the entire competition. There will be no changing tees from match to match.
THE CHILL
The Chill,  our Winter Gentlemen’s Member/Guest will be held in January.

LADIES GOLF WORKSHOPS
We are pleased to see so many ladies committed to working on their golf games with the support of our PGA professional instruction staff. We are averaging twenty-four (24) per week through the first five weeks of instruction, focusing on course, full swing, as well as all phases of the short game and uneven lies. If you would like to participate, please be sure to sign up on Foretees or call the golf shop to ensure the proper amount of instructors are available.

LADIES GOLF ON THURSDAYS
We believe that Thursdays are more about socializing, with golf and a friendly competition coming as a bonus to this, and it's that atmosphere that has driven our Thursday ladies numbers to double from last season. As always, should you like to participate in this we ask that you sign-up ahead of time on Foretees to reserve your spot.

AGA/AWGA COMPETITION
We are pleased to announce Penny Rady and Debbie Hajekerou, who played admirably against their fellow DC Ranch competitors, and qualified to represent us all at the AWGA State Medallion Championship at Pebble Creek, January 14th and 15th. Good luck, as we know you will try
your best on every shot! The Club had two men’s teams compete in the AGA Team
Championship at Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix. The teams of Mike Thorell with Gordon Jakel played well, as did Steve Mindak and Alfred Hackbarth. Way to go gentlemen!

AGRONOMY
I'm sure some of you have practiced your short game at the north end of the practice area and found yourself wondering; “what experiment is being done on the green?”. In summary, from south to north, each third of the green has test plots with three varieties of Bermudagrass being considered for the future. The southernmost is G12 Champion Bermuda, the middle third is Mini Verde and the
northern third is our currently used Tif Eagle. The Scottsdale Country Club green has not been overseeded in two (2) years, yet the green color on the western half of the green is colored fertilizer and the brownish eastern half is dormant Bermuda.
We are testing to see whether or not we really need to overseed our greens at all, how playable they would be in the cooler temperatures, and what the recovery time would be from ball marks and old cups healing. One thing we do know is we can keep them green and they will transition nicely in
the spring and should be smooth and fast. Please practice your short game and let us know your thoughts.

We are continuing to spot seed some of our golf course greens to keep them healthy, dense and green through the next few months. Combined with light topdressing and verticutting, the surfaces should be very playable and roll nicely.

SHOT YOUR AGE?
We know there are many Scottsdale Country Club golfers who have shot their age in their career and want to recognize you on a plaque in the Clubhouse, yet we have only had a few respond. If you have done this terrific feat, please contact us so we can recognize and record your fine play. One thing we have learned is that Jack Fairfield has scored better than his age more than 35 times. Oh my! We know
there are many more of you, so please let us know.

Let’s go play!

Friday, February 3, 2017

New Year at Scottsdale Country Club


Happy New Year from Scottsdale Country Club!



As we move past the holiday season I am truly excited for what the New Year has to bring to us. The last few months have gone by very quickly, and we have seen high levels of usage, as well as many positive comments from members around the Scottsdale Country Club .

January is also poised to be a month of excitement as we kick off our busiest time of the year at Scottsdale Country Club.  We begin with the Hourglass Wine Dinner on the 11th, The Chill Golf Tournament from the 12th thru the 14th, Ladera Wine Dinner on the 25th and finally, the Annual Meeting and Lobster Bake on the 27th. We also begin the tournament season in January here at the Club, where members will compete to be the Club’s best in a number of different formats.

Speaking of the Annual Meeting, each equity golf member will be receiving ballots to vote for the three (3) open positions for the Board at the beginning of the month. These ballots are due back to the Club, or sent via mail, on or before January 20th. The results of the vote for the three (3) open positions will be announced at the Annual Meeting, along with the annual reports from the Finance, House, Golf, Greens and Grounds and Tennis Committees.

As we continue through the next busy few months, I want to once again remind everyone of the need to make a reservation in our dining room, especially during our dinner service. As you read last month, doing so greatly enhances the level of service we are able to provide. We believe reservations are paramount to Scottsdale Private Golf Courses. For those who have helped us in this way, I would like to thank you immensely. There are a number of ways that you can make reservations, from Open Table on your smartphones and computers to calling the Concierge or Dining Hosts at Scottsdale Private Golf Courses. We will continue to closely manage the reservation process at the Club, which will only help you and your fellow Scottsdale Private Golf Courses  members in having a great dining experience.

Lastly, please accept my sincere thanks and gratitude for your generous contributions to the annual Scottsdale Private Golf Courses!