MY HANDICAP DOESN’T TRAVEL from Scottsdale Golf Club

We were in a meeting with a few USGA officials last week regarding Scottsdale Golf Club

and slope ratings as compared to other clubs around the valley.

We relayed to them the comment from many members who, on the rare occasion play away from the club; lose bets and say their HANDICAP DOESN’T TRAVEL.

These USGA rules and handicap officials quickly responded “Your handicap doesn’t travel because YOU don’t travel.”

They said when you finally play an away course, where you don’t have the familiarity you do at home, you SHOULD expect on most away rounds, you will shoot 3-5 strokes higher than at your private golf clubs in Scottsdale home course. It sounds to me like you might want to get in some away games in the near future!

HOT AND HUMID at Scottsdale private golf courses

The hot and humid weather at  Scottsdale private golf courses is here to stay for the next 4 months at least but the good news is the Bermuda grass thrives with the heat and humidity.

You will see all fairways, greens, rough and tees fill in and get more density as the months go by which will make for better playing surfaces, and position us for a better overseed from September 28th through October 22nd and we will reopen on the 23rd.

Specifically, #13 green at Scottsdale Golf Club is getting healthier by the day and the newly resodded green surrounds are knitting together nicely.

The north chipping green was re-sprigged 12 days ago and is filling in after being enlarged by 900 SF.

The Scottsdale Golf Club HORSESHOE course was re-sprigged with 328 Bermuda grass and is getting great traction with the greens maturing after one year of growth.

Our goal in the next few months is to build a nice sized Tif Eagle Bermuda grass nursery on the northwest side of the practice tees for use on the golf course as necessary in the future.

I realize what we are experiencing with this Pandemic; no one alive has been through this.

Scottsdale Golf Club is doing what we can to follow the protocols, policies, and procedures as defined by the CDC and medical experts so that we can keep the club open with as many amenities as possible.

We have mentioned in many of the videos to date that not only has our club played more golfers than ever before since March 15th, but also more than the surrounding Scottsdale private golf courses in the valley as well.

Scottsdale Golf Club almost 5000 rounds ahead of our forecast since October, which no one could have predicted.

I took my best guess when asked about next year’s play starting after we return from overseed, and I have every belief we will not play as many rounds as this year.

We still need to adhere to the most critical directives since this pandemic started, which are Social Distancing, washing your hands repeatedly, and wearing a mask whether you like it or not. We hope that there will be a vaccine found and our fears will perhaps turn into hope for the future.

Scottsdale private golf courses will keep everyone apprised when directives change but know we will error on the side of caution along the way.

Scottsdale private golf courses is pleased to offer as many single rider carts since our play is not as active as it was many months ago, but when we reopen after overseeding, we won’t have enough carts for everyone to have their own.

We will however have clear vinyl separators between the driver of the cart and any passenger, whether they are family or not.

Scottsdale Golf Club will continue to check on shotgun starts, but for the upcoming season we will be using a first tee start so we can help maintain the social distancing between golfers as best we can.

We are closely monitoring our tournament schedules as well, with the primary strategy being safety, which is our number one priority for all members and staff.

We have had an immense amount of support from you all as you have expressed that we should do whatever we can to stay open. I am pleased to report we have not closed golf at all and with your cooperation, we will continue to offer golf each day.

We thank you for your cooperation through this time and hope to have your continued support and understanding.

PLAY THE CORRECT TEES at Private golf clubs in Scottsdale

As I was checking on play this morning, I was asked a question that I am frequently asked, which was “How many players are playing from the correct tees at Scottsdale golf club ” My answer has been the same for many years; not enough. Here is my thinking:

The game is a sport where we challenge ourselves on each and every shot and hope that our score reflects our timeless hours of practice and preparation.

Many others play the game only for the social aspect and fun at Scottsdale golf club.

I believe you can accomplish both if you play from the correct tees that fit your skill, meaning, how many greens can you REACH in regulation, not how many you HIT in regulation, as that is a different question.

Too many players at Private golf clubs in Scottsdale play from tees too far back and their chances of reaching and hitting greens is very small.

I would encourage you to track a few of your rounds and count the number of greens you had birdie chances on and if the number is consistently low, you might consider moving up a tee and this will enable you to have more fun as well at Private golf clubs in Scottsdale.

This is a true story about when I was competing years ago and playing my best. When I would go out to play with amateurs or members, they would expect I would want to play “From the Backs” (as they would call them). Little did they know even at my level, that wasn’t always as much fun as they would expect.

I made them an agreement that we would start one tee forward and when they started to make too many birdies, we would move back a tee. To date, many years later, we have never moved back one time!

A great way to get your confidence up at Scottsdale private golf courses is to play for fun from a more forward tee and see how many greens you can hit in regulation and thus, how many birdie opportunities you can have in a given round.

Wouldn’t it be fun to go home and tell your family you just shot your best round ever?

Lastly, remember, golf is a game of a lifetime, but it shouldn’t take you a lifetime to play it!

A fast player keeps good friends!!