Overseeding at Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs

Every year at this time I hear the same comments from golfers everywhere, regarding the overseeding program at Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs. “Just when the weather starts to get cooler and the course seems to be in great condition, we close down for overseeding.”

This is absolutely true and we don’t welcome it any more than the golfers do, but it is necessary to go through this program at  Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs. This time frame gives us the best chance of success to get a good stand of cool season Ryegrass, which is the grass we play on from October through April.  In April when the temperatures rise, the Bermuda wakes up and the Rye goes away.

For those who are here, we ask that you take your belongings from your locker with you while we are closed for the overseeding.  We will be cleaning all of the lockers at this time.

With the above being said, we should remind you of where we were last year and what we will be doing this fall to enhance our playing surfaces.  Many Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs players, including our course re-designer Tom Lehman, have commented that overall the course conditions continue to get better year after year, especially the greens.  Part of the reason for this is that we decided NOT to overseed the Tif Eagle greens last fall. Not having cool season grasses such as Bentgrass and Poa Trivialis interfering with the Bermuda space and growth enabled the greens to get healthier, denser and stronger throughout the year.  On many days they were double cut, and rolled to get the speeds we all enjoy.  As a result of that decision we have received a tremendous positive response from Scottsdale golf club golfers as to the quality and playability of our putting surfaces; therefore, we will not be overseeding the greens this year.   

In addition, in our quest to continue to provide the best possible Scottsdale golf club playing surfaces throughout the entire year, we will also NOT be overseeding the primary cut of rough (those areas outside the boundaries of the intermediate rough cuts). The primary rough is the only area of the course which will go off color, which we believe will be only 60-75 days when we have our coldest temperatures.

This practice will enhance the quality of the Bermuda turf and reduce the issues in transition of the course back to Bermuda grass in the spring, not to mention the opportunity to reduce the water on this part of the course. If you have been reading about the drought conditions the city and state are facing in the future, it is the responsible way for the Scottsdale golf club to be prudent with our water allocation.

Tom Lehman also mentioned that reducing water at the Scottsdale golf club will allow the course to play firmer and faster.   In addition, the bunkers will be drier and more consistent.  When I mentioned this to Tom, he was very supportive of this practical approach and it will enable the Scottsdale golf club  course to be played differently in the summer than the winter, which is also part of his design plan.  We will be able to narrow the fairways in the fall by changing the mow patterns of the cool season grasses.  The contrast between the vibrant green Rye and the beige primary rough really frames the holes nicely as Tom Lehman pointed out to me.  Many of you will recognize this new look as it is similar to the way the PGA Tour sets up courses in Palm Springs at the beginning of the Scottsdale golf club tournament year.

Speaking of the water issues, we and the other  Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs that are supplied with irrigation water by the City of Scottsdale recently went to a meeting with City officials regarding this issue. The City indicated that we are approaching drought conditions and we might see water reductions at Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs as soon as 2020, and very possibly 2019.  The CAP (Central Arizona Project) water from the Colorado River we utilize has been depleted over the years and many of our lakes in the state are below 50% capacity.

In the future, the Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs throughout the Southwest may have reduced water allocations on exponentially more expensive water available.  Our goal is to begin making provisions by not overseeding some areas, or by turf removal throughout the course.  We will keep you informed as we receive more updates from the City.  Should you have any questions please contact either me or the agronomy team for further clarification.

It will be a great season at Scottsdale Golf Club on a beautiful course!

Q and A with GM Kyle Draper about Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs

As we Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs progresses through our construction for the Phase II enhancements, we thought it would be good to provide the membership of Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs with a brief FAQ outline for what to expect through the process and beyond. What follows are some of the questions that have been posed to staff and management over the past few weeks. As always, if you would like to keep up to date with the progress on this exciting Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs project, you can simply log in to the club website home page which provides a great vantage point to view where we are. Many members check with this option regularly as we average around 100 hits to the link on a daily basis! I hope this helps and if you should have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask!

FAQ’s on Phase II Is there an option to swim at the Community Center while the Pool is closed even if I am not a DC Ranch Resident?

Yes, please contact Cheri or Carter at 480- 342-7200 and you will be given a FOB to access the community center pool for lap swimming. Please note that FOB access will not be granted for any purpose other than for lap swimming.

Will the Scottsdale Golf Club current fitness room be open until the new facility is completed?

Yes, current fitness room will remain open until completion of the new facility after which point the ladies locker room expansion and new board room will begin construction. It is expected that this portion of the project will likely begin in May and be completed in 60 days.

What kind of activities will there be for my family while the pool is closed?

During the fall and early spring seasons, we will host movies on the back lawn, entertainment for kids during dinner service, Taco Tuesday in the Scottsdale Golf Club Clubhouse, games on the patio and putting green.

What is the name of this Scottsdale Golf Club Phase II building?

There will not be one specific name for the new facility. Instead, there is the new Fitness and Performance Center on the top floor of the new building. On the bottom floor of the building which includes the lockers, restrooms, and showers along with the Kids area which will continue to be known as the Corral with the space for the Tweens being known as the Hideout. Lastly, there is the new casual dining restaurant which will be known as The Ranch House which is a new indoor 60 seat offering poolside. The Ranch House will also feature a Poolside Bar unlike any other  Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs.

Will the Scottsdale golf club pool have lanes for swimming? 

There will be lap swimming available during certain times of the day with 4 lanes that are 75 feet in length which is regulation for short-course swimming pools. What are the depths of the pool and will a diving board or slide be added? There will be a beach entry section at the northwest corner of the pool leading to a max of 36” in kids area to 60” at deepest point of the main pool. Given the fact that the pool is much shallower than the previous pool, there will be no diving allowed, nor will there be a slide. We will however continue to offer the large play slide during certain club events.

Will there be a separate kid’s pool at  Scottsdale Private Golf Clubs? 

With the new design, we will offer one large pool with a beach entry area for the kids which is attached to the main portion of the pool. As was expected with the previous pool, parents are responsible to watch their kids when using the pool.

Will there be a lifeguard on duty? 

At specified times there will be a lifeguard (weekends, themed dinners and events) but we will not have a guard on duty all the time.

What type of golf fitness programs will be offered at  Scottsdale golf club?

As we finalize the equipment selection we will work at offering both private programming as well as group programming as determined by both our fitness team and golf professional staff. These details will be shared with the general Scottsdale golf club membership as we get closer to the launch of our new facility.

Will there be a mirror on the wall for golf swing checks?

There are mirrors on specific walls however Golf Clubs will not be used in the fitness center. There is a plan for Phase III improvements which would call for significant updates to our practice center which would also include a teaching center that would have golf simulator training. Currently the Club also has Trackman technology available with the professional staff to assist in game development.


We look forward to seeing everyone at the new Scottsdale golf club  Facility in the Spring!