Friday, December 22, 2017

Scottsdale Private Golf Courses in the Winter

Here we are at  Scottsdale Private Golf Courses in December, and the weather is great. This helps the nonoverseeded Bermuda greens at Scottsdale Private Golf Courses
to continue to show some growth. From a playability standpoint, many have commented the greens are the best they have been this time of year . . . ever. So far the plan is working, whereby we will color the putting surfaces with a green pigment in the fertilizer through the remainder of the season. I have mentioned (to anyone who will listen) in order to keep the greens as they are at Scottsdale Private Golf Courses or make them even better, is to fix all ball marks. This means that only grass is showing after you fix it, and not dirt. We gave out hundreds of custom divot tools during the opening weekend at Scottsdale Private Golf Courses.  They look like mini forks and were built for our Club by CMC Golf Design. Many have said this is the best and easiest tool to fix ball marks, and I agree. If you would like one, please ask the golf shop staff.

Scottsdale Private Golf Courses GOLF VIDEO: A few weeks ago I did a 40 second golf video regarding our opening day plans, carts off paths and the like. Melanie Halpert told me when she posted the video on Instagram, it got over 1000 views in the first 24 hours. This being said, if it was watched by that many people, you can expect I will be using this vehicle of quick communication in the next few weeks. I am going to show new golfers, and refresh experienced ones, how to properly rake a bunker, fix ball marks, repair turf divots with sand and seed, and other topics anyone would like me to address. This is a great way to communicate and have fun at the same time. So, stay on the lookout for them.

Scottsdale Golf Club PRACTICE TEES: Thanks for your help in preserving the south practice tee by working on your game on the north end of the range on Mondays and Wednesdays. This is a big help in preserving the tee turf, so thanks!

Scottsdale Golf Club PLAN UPDATE: We are delighted the Phase II Plan was approved by the membership by such an overwhelming margin, but don’t think for a minute we have forgotten about future enhancements to the golf program. We have already built a plan for the Scottsdale Golf Club practice areas. I can show and explain the plan if you are interested. We are working through a long range plan for the golf course that was done a few years ago. We will prioritize what the order of improvements will be and share them at the appropriate time. Specific to the practice areas, I asked a friend in the industry if he had ever seen a practice park with a plan as encompassing as this and he said, NO, it might be one of a kind. We will keep you informed as plans continue to develop for Scottsdale Golf Club.

FITTING DAY: Ryan Gillen, our staff professional who is a certified club fitter with a launch monitor, will be taking appointments for a fitting day.

DRESS CODE FOR MEN: Please be reminded the Scottsdale Golf Club rule states all men will be wearing caps with the bill facing forward and shirts ARE TO BE TUCKED IN while on any part of the course or practice area. Thanks for your understanding.

Scottsdale Golf Club MEMBER GUEST UPDATE: We expect the Round Up and Stampede member/guest tournament information and sign up opportunities will be on Foretees the first week in January, So stay on the lookout and we will keep you updated as well.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Scottsdale Private Golf Courses Review Overseeding Results



Welcome all to the start of the 2018 Scottsdale Private Golf Courses season! The weather for our Scottsdale Private Golf Courses overseeding this year was a little warmer than usual. The result of this is an abundant crop of bermudagrass -- which is not necessarily a bad thing. It will become more  apparent at  Scottsdale Private Golf Courses  when temperatures drop and the bermudagrass turns a tan color. We will be using colorants to mask this change. We have kept ryegrass seeding rates and heights of cut of our turf the same as last year due to this Spring’s successful transition at Scottsdale Private Golf Courses.    Speaking of heights of cut, we have a new look to the course this years as Tom Lehman has designated new fairway lines. Also, we have a new look to our Scottsdale Country Club tees as a tee leveling and banding project was completed over the summer and more colorful landscaping added to the #1 and #10 tee complexes. Another very noticeable change to the Scottsdale Country Club course this years is the non-overseeding of our greens. Our goal in doing so is to provide the truest surfaces possible over the longest period of time. This decision was largely based on the excellent performance of the chipping green at the north end of the driving range for the last two seasons. We will continue to evaluate the three varieties of ultradwarf bermudagrass on the north chipping green (TifEagle, MiniVerde, and Cham;ion G12), as well as the upper putting green on the south end of the Scottsdale Country Club range by the #1 tee. We successfully converted it over the summer to Champion G12 bermudagrass. This is the same variety that covers the south third of the north chipping green. As we open from overseeding, please remember when driving on the Scottsdale Country Club course to keep cart traffic in the fairways as opposed to the rough. This will help keep the longer grass blades in the rough from getting matted down. Lastly, we all hope this year’s golf season is your most enjoyable ever!