Scottsdale golf course celebrated the Holiday Season

Our most significant tournament at Scottsdale golf course, The Rodeo, was held in recent weeks, with some outstanding golf played by both women and men. Kathi Clarke and Krissy Shanker were both playing well and took the net championship while Penny Rady and Percy Anderson put on their typical good play to best the gross field in the Ladies' championship.

The Men use the Shootout format with all 11 flight winners to determine their Rodeo champions. They play an alternate shot format with teams eliminated playing #18 three times. It all came down to the team of Josh Cormany and Steve Carr in a putt-off to secure the sterling silver belt buckle trophy. The field for both the Ladies' and Men’s fields had the largest participation to date and we look forward to more teams next year.

Recently, I was asked to do a video that focused on the golf course and how we all have the responsibility to adhere to the traditional rules and courtesies of the game. This video had the highest number of views of any I have done to date. So to recap, here you go...because we have one of the better-conditioned golf courses and provide some of the best playing surfaces possible.

Putting Greens:

Let’s start with the most important part of the Scottsdale golf course, the putting greens. No one wants to play on shaggy, ball-marked, slow greens.

Our tif- eagle Bermuda grass greens which are not overseeded, are some of the best in the Southwest. They typically have a Stimpmeter reading between 11 and 12 feet which is very fast. They are clean, and due to our maintenance practices of verticutting and topdressing regularly, they do not have grain and hold their intended line of roll very well. What we can do to help the Agronomy team is to fix ours and other ball marks as we walk the greens to our ball. Use the divot tool and twist/push the turf to the center of the imperfection and finish off the repair by smoothing out the turf by tapping your putter head to smooth the green. This practice will keep the greens in the best condition possible, and as they say, a ball mark that is not repaired will take weeks to heal.

Driving on Fairways:

This is preferred as shorter turf has more sun exposure thus a chance to heal, whereby driving in the rough will mats own the rye and lay over and not get any sun and heat and will stunt the Bermuda growth and it will die.

Fairway divots:

It is essential to repair divots in the fairways with sand and seed from the bottles on the carts, rather than trying to replace the divots. After you have filled the divot with sand/ seed tamp it level with your foot or club so another player’s ball will roll through or over the imperfection.

Bunkers:

Every player at a Scottsdale private golf course must rake their way out of any bunker and have the sand be as smooth and level as possible. It is very disappointing to have to hit a bunker shot from a previous player’s footprints, or a shot not repaired. Use the pull/push method of raking the bunker to remove lines, rake teeth marks, or anything else. When leaving any bunker,

The USGA asks that the rake is placed outside the bunker, parallel to the line of play. They do not suggest rakes either entirely in the bunker or half in half out.

Tees:

Whether hitting a tee shot at a Scottsdale private golf course, especially on par threes, it is your responsibility to pick up all broken tees, or tees left behind in the metal tee bins adjacent to the tee markers. Keep the tee clean of debris inclusive of tobacco products or sunflower seeds.

Lastly, Please note the dates and times of all Scottsdale private golf course tournaments which are now starting for the season, and can be seen on Foretees. You will notice you will be asked and responsible for declaring in advance, the tee box you are playing from so the professionals are properly informed. Should you have any questions, please let us know.

The plan is to have a fun, competitive season of golf, and should you have any questions, please let us know. Keep an eye on the progress of the new golf house as the construction is really moving along and we hope the finish is not too far away.

Last week I was asked what I thought of the recommendation of keeping your head down when you swing….My response was it might be a better thought to keep your head up and your eyes down as your eyes see the ball, not your head. Keeping your head down with your chin buried in your chest will restrict your shoulder turn on your backswing, just a thought….

 

Scottsdale Golf Club Kicks off the Season

The weather outside, as I write this at Scottsdale Golf Club could not be more beautiful…and we are seeing so much more activity at the club…whether it be the Fitness and Performance Center, the Racquet Center, Food and Beverage Outlets, and certainly not forgetting the beautifully manicured Golf Course and Practice Facility.

With that said, I wanted to take a moment to kindly remind our members and your guests of just a few mentionables…

Dining Reservations at Scottsdale Golf Club

Now, more than ever, with the increase in activity at the club and in the clubs’ restaurants, we would like to ask and/or remind our members that reservations are greatly welcomed…

There is an inherent benefit to making a reservation, as we may not always be able to accommodate walk-ins. Reservations allow us to prepare for you and your guests, as well as give you the peace of mind that your table is guaranteed for that meal period.

Being on time for your reservation at Country Club Scottsdale is not just the cordial thing to do, but it also allows our management, service, and culinary teams to plan appropriately for that meal service.

Please know that these procedures have been designed and implemented with your best interest in mind. Our Country Club Scottsdale culinary and service teams strive to provide you with the best product and service possible, and by adhering to these guidelines you are helping to ensure the best possible experience for everyone. 

 Guest Policy

 Below is again a gentle reminder of our Club Guest Policy for Country Club Scottsdale and would ask that you read through and acknowledge it.

Unaccompanied guests are prohibited from any use of Club Facilities without the prior written approval of Club Management.

Members may request the use of certain Club Facilities (tennis, swimming, and dining facilities) by non-resident unaccompanied family guests in accordance with the following parameters:

Guest is defined as follows: A relative by blood or marriage inclusive of parents and grandparents of the Members; children (under the age of 24 that are married, do not reside with the Members, nor attend college on a full-time basis, or are over the age of 24). Any such guests must be staying at a member’s residence in order to be able to utilize a guest pass during their stay. The approval of any guest will be made at the discretion of Club Management in advance on a case-by-case basis. All guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times when on Club property.

The Member must request a Guest Card from Club Management and register the guest with the Club prior to the guest’s arrival. The Club will consider all such requests on a case-by-case basis. These cards will be issued through Club Management and its administrative staff. Requests must be made in writing to Club Management who will then issue the cards for the use of Club Facilities (excluding golf course facilities) in advance of any such usage.

All charges incurred by the guest must be posted to the sponsoring Member’s account during the guest’s stay.

Such Guest Cards will be issued for a maximum of ten (10) consecutive days. Unaccompanied guests must carry their Guest Card with them at all times when on Club Property.

Country Club Scottsdale Expands Tennis Program

In an effort to continue to provide a fresh and fun tennis schedule, we are very excited to announce revamped Saturday morning adult drills at Country Club Scottsdale.

We have a great group of players at Country Club Scottsdale and want to continue improving our clinic offerings with consistently fun, fast-paced drills with players of your level.  The new name will be Grip N Rip Drill and we will now have the advanced drill on Foretees for signup as well. You should continue to sign up for the drill that you have always come to for the time being.

Here is what to expect from our new Saturday morning Grip N Rip clinics moving forward at Country Club Scottsdale.

Grip N Rip Format – All classes will follow the same format of fast-paced drills and games, mixing around partners within your level as you go.  The drills and games will be consistent week to week so you will know what to look forward to!

Same Levels and Times – Advanced Grip N Rip will continue at 8 AM, followed by 9:30 Grip N Rip group.  Ryan will post court assignments according to levels each week.

All Signups on Foretees – We will no longer take any signups via email or text so please make sure to sign up on the tennis events page under Grip N Rip.

Going forward, Ryan Shomo will be the lead professional at Scottsdale Golf Club on Saturdays overseeing both the adult and junior drills, and Director of Racquet Sports, Dave Moyer will now be available for lessons on Sundays.

We are very excited to improve our Saturday mornings at the Scottsdale Golf Club. We think this will be a high-energy class that everyone will love so come on out and join us.

Remember, the format will still be a fun, live ball format but with a new name and a slightly new structure.

We look forward to seeing everyone there at Scottsdale Golf Club! We still have room in this week's Live Ball Drill so it's not too late to sign up.