2016 Premier Scottsdale Country Club Member-Guest tournaments

It’s time to sign up for our 2016 premier Scottsdale Country Club Member-Guest tournaments at the Country Club at DC Ranch. This year, we have added an additional tournament, The Chill, to be played Friday & Saturday, January 8-9. Like the Scottsdale Country Club Round-Up, the Chill will provide an exceptional Scottsdale Country Club tournament experience, but will be shorter (two days) with an optional practice round. The Round-Up, April 27-30, will remain the same, with a five 9-hole Match Play format, at a cost of $1,400 per team. The Chill will be played in stroke play formats of Select Drive Better Ball and Better Ball with a $900 per team entry fee. Additional optional competitions will surround each tournament to peak your interest.

The Scottsdale Country Club Round-Up field will continue to be selected from the point list we have used for years. The Scottsdale Country Club Chill field will consist of teams selected based on the following priorities: (1) the waiting list from the previous year’s Round-Up, (2) next from members with points on the point list but who did not play and were not wait-listed for the previous year’s Round-Up, (3) next teams will be selected by lottery from all remaining Scottsdale Country Club Full Golf Members who did not play in last year’s Round-Up, but who wish to play in the Chill, and (4) finally, if the field is not full, by lottery from Country Club Scottsdale Members who played in last year’s Round-Up, regardless of whether they are in this year’s Country Club Scottsdale Round-Up.

Each calendar year, points will be allocated based on either your participation in a Country Club Scottsdale tournament, or your failure to get into one or both events pursuant to the rules below. Entry into both tournaments will become available on the same date, Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015, on ForeTees or by calling the Country Club Scottsdale Golf Shop. The time and date on which you register has NO bearing on your position in the field.

• The entry deadline for BOTH The Round-Up and The Chill is Tuesday, November 17, 2015.
• As described above, your points as of the most recent Round-Up will be used to select teams.
• A Member can only play in ONE of the events in a given calendar year, unless his second choice event is not fully subscribed.
• Even if a Country Club Scottsdale Member plays in both events in a calendar year (because one was not fully subscribed) he will receive the maximum of 1 point for that year.
• A Member may register for both events, but must prioritize which event he prefers to play in at the time of registration.
• A Country Club Scottsdale Member playing in either or both events will receive the maximum 1 point for that year.
• A Member who signs up for but does not get into either event for a full year will receive the maximum 2 points for that year.
• A Country Club Scottsdale Member who signs up but does not get into any event for two consecutive years will receive 3 points for the second year he does not get to play.
• A Member who signs up for either event, is selected, but withdraws, shall receive no points for that event, and if it is the only event for that he signed up for in that year, he will receive no points for that year. A Member who withdraws from one event, may not use his points to prioritize his entry in the other event.

The schedules of events for both tournaments and the current points list are attached for your planning needs. Once the entry deadline has passed the Professional Staff will be able to confirm your position in the respective tournament fields, and will publish them on Thursday, November 19th so that you may make plans with your guests. We are excited about the additions to our Gentlemen’s Member-Guest programs and look forward to hosting you and your special guest this season.

State Medallion Tournament

Cactus League Ladies Interclub team play gets underway on November 5th vs. Troon Country Club. If you are interested in competing this season and are not already receiving the team communications please contact our Scottsdale Golf Club Team Captain Val Hope at valhope1@gmail.com so she can add you to the list. Scottsdale Golf Club Team uniforms are available thru the Golf Shop for those who do not already have them. We are looking forward to repeating as Cactus League Champions for 2016 and need your help!

We will again be holding qualifying for the State Medallion Tournament with the help of our AWGA representative Val Hope. The State Medallion Tournament should be one that stirs up some excitement among our Scottsdale Golf Club Lady golfers as it is regarded to be on a similar level as our Scottsdale Golf Club Club Championship. It may not be as grueling a competition as the Scottsdale Golf Club Club Championship, but the rewards of winning this tournament place the winners in the state spotlight…representing our Scottsdale Golf Club. Our state medallion winners, in addition to winning a prestigious medallion, are also invited to represent DC Ranch in a competition of state medallion winners at the end of the year.

The State Medallion competition is open to all Scottsdale Private Golf Club Lady Members who maintain a Scottsdale Private Golf Club DC Ranch handicap index and will consist of two (2) best gross and two (2) best net 18-hole rounds out of a designated four (4) rounds. Players need not participate in all four rounds to be eligible. Determining the winner on the basis of the best two rounds out of four is intended to give players the maximum opportunity to produce two good scores, not to eliminate those players who cannot play all four rounds.

The four qualifying dates for the State Medallion tournament are November 19, 21, 24 & 28. Scottsdale Private Golf Club Players wishing to qualify must indicate their intent to do so prior to the start of play by informing the Golf Staff or signing up online via Scottsdale Private Golf Club ForeTees.

The gross and net winners of the Scottsdale Private Golf Club DC Ranch State Medallion tournament will move on to compete as partners in the AWGA State Medallion Club Team Tournament to be held on January 16th or 17th, 2016 where they will represent Scottsdale Private Golf Club DC Ranch against other state medallion winners from Clubs all over the state.
We anticipate that this season of Ladies golf at the Country Club at DC Ranch will be the best yet and look forward to seeing you all at the Club. If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas please don’t hesitate to contact any of your Professional Staff.

Scottsdale Country Club Ladies Day

Scottsdale Country Club Ladies of ALL levels and abilities are encouraged to play in the Scottsdale Country Club Ladies Day as this is all about fun and camaraderie with your fellow Lady golfers. We are especially excited (or maybe nervous…) for the December 10th Beat the Scottsdale Country Club Pro format in which we hope you all plan to play and take a shot at some bragging rights for the season!

Other Scottsdale Country Club Ladies 18-hole organized play is available on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. If you are interested please contact the Golf Shop so that we can put you in touch with the different organizing Scottsdale Country Club Members of each group.

The Scottsdale Country Club Lady Niners 9-hole organized play will take place each Monday beginning November 10th with tee times beginning at 10:40am each week and alternating play between the front and back nine holes. The Country Club Scottsdale Niners play non-competitive social golf, providing you the opportunity to meet other Country Club Scottsdale Lady golfers, have some fun, and enjoy our Country Club Scottsdale beautiful golf course. Players of all levels and abilities are welcome! Participants often gather after play for lunch in the Clubhouse. Registration for the entire season is also available on Country Club Scottsdale ForeTees under the “events” tab.

Our Country Club Scottsdale Lady Niner golfers also participate in the Northeast Valley Niners Interclub. No 'joining' obligation, no handicaps required, just sign up for the outings and enjoy golf in a non-competitive format, topped off with a glass of wine and appetizers following play for only $35 per player. It’s fun, it's social, it's non-competitive... and you have the opportunity to play with other like-minded golfers at clubs like Ancala, Boulders, Legend Trail, Desert Highlands, Anthem, Rio Verde, Tonto Verde, TerraVita and Troon Country Club. We also get to show off our beautiful Country Club Scottsdale course and clubhouse on January 25th when we host the event. If you are interested in joining the Lady Niners and receiving their communications please contact the coordinators Barbara Baker at baker.barb@gmail.com or Joanne Stock at j.h.stock33@gmail.com

Scottsdale Golf Club Ladies’ Golf 2015-2016 season

As we begin the Scottsdale Golf Club 2015-2016 season of Ladies’ Golf at The Country Club at DC Ranch we want to ensure that you are aware of all the playing opportunities and activities available at the Club. Please take a moment to read below and familiarize yourself with this year’s Scottsdale Golf Club programs and upcoming events.

We have been delighted to have numerous requests to increase the frequency of our Scottsdale Golf Club Ladies Instructional Clinics and provide more opportunities to introduce new players to the game. Beginning November 17th and continuing thru April organized instruction will be available on Tuesday’s from 1:00–2:00pm bi-weekly, and Thursday’s from 9:30-10:30am on opposite weeks with the exception of holiday’s and conflicting tournament dates.

Our qualified Scottsdale Golf Club Professional Staff is dedicated to helping you play better golf and have more fun and we are looking forward to everybody’s participation regardless of your current level of play. Sign-ups are available online thru ForeTees or by calling the Scottsdale Golf Club Golf Shop. Individual instruction is also available and can be coordinated with your Professional of choice. Please contact the Scottsdale Golf Club Golf Shop for rates and availability.

The Solheim Cup, our biennial competition between Scottsdale Private Golf ,Club The Country Club at DC Ranch and The Silverleaf Club, is scheduled to be played this December 2nd & 3rd. 12 Ladies will represent DC Ranch in this year’s competition and must qualify for the team the week of November 15-21.

Scottsdale Private Golf Club Players wishing to qualify must indicate their intent to do so prior to the start of play each day by informing the Scottsdale Private Golf Club Golf Staff or signing up online via ForeTees. Qualifying rounds must be played with other Members who can attest their score. Scottsdale Private Golf Players may designate a minimum of one day and a maximum of two days to qualify with the better of the two scores counting as their qualifying score. The qualifier format is Individual Net Stroke Play. The 12 players with the lowest net qualifying scores will move on to compete in the 2015 Solheim Cup.

Our 18-hole organized Scottsdale Private Golf Ladies Day will be held on Thursday’s throughout the season with play beginning with a 9:00am shotgun start, with optional lunch following golf. Sign-ups for the entire season are available on ForeTees under the “events” tab and we ask that you register by Tuesday prior to each event. Attached please find additional details along with the schedule of play dates and games for the season.

Country Club Scottsdale Member/Guest tournament and USGA Rule 14-1B

Since our last Scottsdale Country Club newsletter communication, I can certainly see most of our Scottsdale Country Club membership has arrived for the season, if our initial Scottsdale Country Club golf events are any indication. We are very fortunate you support our Scottsdale Country Club tournaments as you do, for most all of them are full field events. It started with our Scottsdale Country Club opening day shotgun starts, and most recently we finished our Country Club Scottsdale Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Rodeo member/member tournaments. We are confident the Country Club Scottsdale Ladies field will grow in the next few years, as we are seeing that more Country Club Scottsdale women are picking up the game through our clinics and nine-holers and are venturing down the path of the 18-hole round. Those ladies who played this year mentioned how fun it was to meet and play with members they never knew.

The Gentlemen’s Rodeo had a full field which was terrific, which also meant everyone was able to play. It has always been my belief the five-match format is best for a member-member event so you get to play with different fellow members every nine holes. Every division was very competitive and results are enclosed for your review.

Due to the extremely popular Round Up Gentlemen’s Member/ Guest Tournament each April, we added an additional 2-day Country Club Scottsdale Member/Guest tournament January 8th and 9th, 2016, and you guessed it, we have a full field signed up already. Again, thanks for your support.

We knew this day would come sooner or later when the USGA will implement as of January 1, 2016 Rule 14-1B which prohibits anchoring a club when making a stroke regardless of the club, a type of stroke, and regardless of where they are made on the course. Belly putters or long putters are still permitted – they just can’t be anchored to the body. A player may hold the club against his/her forearm or hand in making a stroke (Matt Kuchar) as long as it does not go beyond the elbow joint.

If you have any questions as to whether your current stroke has an anchor point, please contact your Country Club Scottsdale professional staff for clarification. Please be reminded there is no local rule which overrides this USGA rule and we are told by officials you cannot post a score if you are anchoring your club.

Scottsdale Country Club 2015 Men’s Interclub Matches

This is a final reminder to respond if you would like to participate in this year’s Scottsdale country club Men’s Interclub matches.  Please reply to this email or to Drew Darrow at ddarrow @ ccdcranch.com with your interest in playing as well as your shirt size no later than Friday, October 16th.  Our first match takes place on Wednesday, November 18th at Scottsdale country club Desert Highlands so team uniforms must be ordered as soon as possible.

This season’s matches have been scheduled as follows:

1. November 18 & 23 vs. Scottsdale country club Desert Highlands Golf Club
2. December 7 & 9 vs. Scottsdale country club Troon Country Club
3. January 7 & 11 vs. Scottsdale country club Scottsdale country club Desert Forest Golf Club
4. February 4 & 8 vs. The Mirabel Club
5. March 14 & 25 vs. Scottsdale country club The Boulders Golf Club

It is important to mention that Scottsdale private golf players of all abilities with handicap indexes ranging from scratch or better to 21.0 are encouraged to participate in the Interclub.  Scottsdale private golf Golf courses will be set up between 6,200 – 6,400 yards.  The more balanced our team is with a range of handicaps the more competitive we will be.  Keep in mind the whole idea is to have fun while meeting new people and playing other Scottsdale private golfcourses in a friendly competition.

The Scottsdale private golf team selection process has been tweaked again this year in an effort to field as competitive a team as possible, as well as eliminate the amount of last minute cancellations we have experienced the past few years.  These last minute withdrawals not only leave us scrambling just to field a team but they also result in a less balanced, less competitive team due to handicap inequities against our competitors.  Therefore, we have abandoned the pre-season commitment form used in the past and will be asking for players to confirm their interest in playing in BOTH the home and away matches on a monthly basis.

It has been agreed upon by all participating Scottsdale private golf clubs that their teams will be chosen in a similar manner.  Scottsdale private golf Players who are available to play in both the home and away match each month will be divided into A, B & C groupings according to their current handicap index at the time of selection.  Three players from each handicap group will then be drawn to represent DC Ranch for that month’s matches.  Every effort will be made to include as many members as possible throughout the season and afford everyone on the team equal playing opportunities.

As is the case each year, a few changes have been made to the East and West divisions giving us the opportunity to play some different clubs than last year.  We will compete in the West division against Scottsdale private golf club Desert Highlands, Troon Country Club, Desert Forest, Mirabel and The Boulders.  Come seasons end we hope to be on top of the division and face the winner of the East division in the Championship match to be scheduled in April.   

Countdown to Scottsdale Golf club Course Re-opening Date

The countdown begins as we get closer to our Scottsdale golf club course reopening date of October 16th just a few weeks away. We believe we had a good catch of rye grass during the overseeding weeks. Night time temperatures were cooler and we had very little wind or Monsoon activity.

This summer we were very aggressive with our Scottsdale golf club agronomy practices, such as aerifying, verticutting and topdressing the greens with the hope they continue to get healthier than ever before. The goal is to provide the best playing surfaces possible at Scottsdale golf club but it must be requested -- we need your help. Many are not familiar with the Scottsdale golf club adopting a Pride of Ownership program years ago, and in summary, it is about fixing ball marks, filling in divots with sand and seed, and raking bunkers smoothly. If we all do our part, we will assist the Scottsdale golf club Agronomy team in providing these surfaces.

As we mentioned, our Scottsdale golf club opening rounds will be on Friday, October 16th utilizing a 1st and 10th tee start from 8:00 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. and a second wave from 12:00 p.m. to 1:40 p.m. Please sign up on ForeTees seven (7) days in advance. The first week Scottsdale country club reopens, all carts must stay on paths from October 16th through October 25th without exception. Medical and DMV will be permitted to drive carts in fairways from October 26th through November 6th when cart path restrictions are no longer in effect.

We have a limited number of four-bag attachments and push carts available on a first come-first serve basis on your day of play. Our Scottsdale country club season kick-off shotgun starts are on Friday, October 23rd at 7:30 a.m. and the other at 12:30 p.m. Registration has been open for many weeks, so times might be few for this fun day.

During this opening weekend, we will have a demo day on Saturday, October 24th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the south end of the practice park. This is our big multivendor day with Titleist, Callaway, Ping, Sun Mountain, Taylor-Made with its new M1 clubs, and new to the club industry, PXG Golf.

Please stop by or reserve a fitting time in advance by calling the golf shop at (480)3427210. In addition to our opening weeks of play, we have our premier tournament for fall, our Member/Member. The Scottsdale country club Rodeo will be played by the women on November 10th and 11th, and the men on November 12th through the 14th.

Please sign up on ForeTees soon, if you haven’t thus far. I’ve saved the best for last as far as openings go by telling all golfers the south end practice area will reopen on Saturday, October 10th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Scottsdale country club North end tees and short game area will reopen on Tuesday, October 20th.

I recently was asked what I thought about the state of the game of golf, which to me seems very simple, both on the men’s and women’s PGA and LPGA. What Jordan Speith and Jason Day accomplished was terrific, and not far behind were Ricky Fowler and Rory McIlroy. I envision these four to be very competitive for many years to come.

Not to be outdone, some LPGA players emerged with some of their best season to date, moving in and out of the #1 position throughout the year, such as Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, and the youngest #1 player in the world, Lydia Ko. I believe these young players and many more will be fun to watch compete. In closing, we are excited about the upcoming season and look forward to seeing everyone back at the Scottsdale country club.